What Do You Say When Someone Asks, “So, what do you do?”

Watch this video to find out how to create a magnetic elevator speech that allows you to pull new clients or business partners to you in 60 seconds or less.

Leave a Comment.

Did this video help you in creating or tweaking your elevator speech?

Which part seems easy to you? Which parts seems challenging?

How can this information help you in the future?

Share

Don’t forget to “pay it forward.”

Share this post with someone who may be blessed by it.

Subscribe

Would you like to receive this post in your inbox? If so, “enroll” to receive the posts via email. You will automatically get them each week.

In 2010, women comprised 47% of the U.S. Labor Force.

Today, it is said that figure has tipped over the 50% mark.

Even with so many women at work, it appears that we have yet to obtain the positions of authority in our work or business environments. According to Selena Rezvani, women’s leadership author of Pushback: How Smart Women Ask For and Stand Up For What They Want:

Despite some of our gains, women continue to make up a meager portion of senior leaders in government, business, and even those fields that are female dominated. Our low presence in top decision-making roles diminishes our contributions, gives us little say in corporate and societal directions, and reduces us to mere observers.

Hmmm…..Ladies.

I say, it is time for change. It is time for us to do what COO of Facebook Sheryl Sandberg advises--Go Get It!

The only way for us to go get it is to ask for it. In other words, we must first change our mindset about what we deserve and then hone our negotiating and self-advocacy skills.

To get a better understanding of the negotiating process, I called upon women’s leadership author, speaker, and consultant, Selena Rezvani.

Who is Selena Rezvani?

Selena Rezvani’s goal is to propel more women into the top echelons of businesses — an objective she achieves through her writing, consulting, and speaking engagements. She is the co-owner of Women’s Roadmap, a consulting firm that elevates women into leadership through assessment, the design of gender-inclusive policies, and coaching. Outside of her consulting and coaching work, Selena promotes her message through training programs, teaching some of the brightest minds in business at eBay, Harvard, Accenture, Princeton, Duke, Johnson & Johnson, The Clinton Foundation, and many others. 

She has been quoted, interviewed, and profiled by The Today Show, CareerBuilder, the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, ABC, and NBC. She is a regular commentator on NPR’s syndicated 51 Percent: The Women’s Perspective, blogs for Forbes.com and writes an award-winning column on women and leadership for The Washington Post. She is the author of the acclaimed career guidebooks PUSHBACK: How Smart Women Ask–and Stand Up–for What They Want (Jossey-Bass, 2012) and The Next Generation of Women Leaders: What You Need to Lead but Won’t Learn in Business School (Praeger, 2009).

Selena received her bachelor of science and master of social work degrees from New York University, and has an MBA from Johns Hopkins University, where she graduated first in her class. She lives near Philadelphia. For more information, visit: www.NextGenWomen.com or www.WomensRoadmap.com.

Listen to Our Discussion Now to Learn the Four-Step Model of Negotiation & The  Importance of Self-Advocacy by Women in the 21st Century Workforce

Questions I Asked Selena

1. Selena, one strategy that authors are given to help with crafting their message is to visualize that one person they are writing to. Describe for us the ideal reader you were thinking of when you wrote Pushback.

2. Selena, to some, the term Pushback may sound a little combative and therefore have a negative connotation. Give us your definition of pushback and share a few examples of some “pushback scenarios.”

3. I love the fact that you did your own research for this book by interviewing what you call “a new set of 20 women leaders in the top echelons of their fields.” As you analyzed your data, what was the most shocking thing that you learned from this experience?

4. Selena, it is apparent that women struggle with pushing back, even today when there are more of us who are educated, more of us in the work force, and more of us as even head of our households. What would you say are the top 3 reasons that women shy away from pushing back?

5. Selena, for older or more seasoned women who say, I am sorry, I am just not going to risk negotiating or advocating for myself given today’s climate, what would you say are the consequences of such a decision?

6. Selena, you say that “One of the best investments you’ll make in your career is spending time learning a reliable and effective system for negotiation. As you build your skills and learn the art of negotiating, you’ll begin to see it not just a one-time or occasional (and somehow mysterious) transaction but an everyday necessity.” So, in the book, you give us a four-step model of negotiation. Please take your time and breakdown those four steps for us.

7. You provide an assessment in the book that can help women pinpoint the areas of strength and identify their weaker areas. Give us an example of how a woman would use this information to become better at asking for and standing up for what she wants.

8. Selena, as I was reading your book, I immediately thought about Sheryl Sandberg, the COO of Facebook and how she states that women hold themselves back by lowering our expectations of what we can achieve. And, then, as I read on, lo and behold, you actually talk about the speech she gave in which she urged women to “go get it” rather than waiting for permission. Why is it so important for young women who are just entering the workplace to possess the pushback kind of mindset?

9. Selena, you have registered for my English 101 class, and your first assignment is to write a persuasive essay. This is your writing prompt: This is a great time to elect a qualified woman for the presidency of the United States because…..

Please share your thoughts about the interview below and if you haven’t already, don’t forget to subscribe to Books That Tranform!

• Click here to Subscribe via Blog Talk Radio.
• Click here to Subscribe via iTunes.
• Click here to Subscribe via RSS.
• Next show: How to Dominate Your Niche with Stephanie Chandler, Tuesday, March 12th at 12:00 noon (EST).

So, you have several social media accounts.

You interact with your network on a regular basis, but still you aren’t receiving enough traffic from those sites to your home base from the people you have been called to serve.

You need a strategic social media marketing plan that will attract clients & increase your bottom line.

To learn more about effectively using social media as a solo entrepreneur, I interviewed Gail Z. Martin, the best-selling author of  30 Days to Social Media Success: The 30 Day Results Guide to Making the Most of Twitter, Blogging, LinkedIn, and Facebook.

Listen Now

Interview Questions for Gail Z. Martin

As usual, I asked Gail the questions that I thought you might want to ask her if you had the opportunity–questions that would get right down to the root of using social media marketing in the best way.

1. So, Gail, your bio is so impressive and it is apparent that not only are you good at what you do, but you are passionate about it. When did you realize that being a marketing expert is what you were called to do?

2. Gail, you are known as the “Get Results Resource” for marketing that works, helping small and start-up businesses, consultants, coaches, authors, and solo professionals succeed through affordable publicity. Tell us about a specific client you coached who had more time than money to invest in his or her marketing budget but were still able to meet their business goals.

3. Gail, I love the fact that you refer to your book as The 30 Day Results Guide. You say that we will see our social media marketing go from zero to full speed if we apply the RESULTS approach for the next 30 days. Please break down the RESULTS approach for us while we take copious notes.

4. Gail, I think it is so important that we now go back to the basics and by that I mean we need to discuss what you call the most powerful marketing tool—the business plan. Unfortunately, there are small business and solo entrepreneurs who are in business without a plan. Give us your take on what should be included in our business plan.

5. The next important document that you layout in the book is the action plan. On page 41 you say, “Your action plan is the key to the rest of your 30-day success because it’s your map and your to-do list.” Let’s say that one of Molly Marketer’s business goals is to increase her list of subscribers to her ezine from 200 to 2000 in the next 12 months. What would her to-do list possibly look like for just the next 30 days?

6. Gail, you have been selected to be a member of my debate team. We affirm that social media is a marketing essential for the small business or solo entrepreneur. What would be three of our arguments to support this stance?

7. Gail, you cover the gamut of social media in your book, including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Squidoo, Digg It, YouTube, Flickr and blogging. Now, Pinterest, Instagram, and several other new sites can be added to the list. What would you say to the entrepreneur who feels pressured to be on as many sites as possible?

8. Gail, one of the most intriguing concepts that you explain is the “touches and trigger points” concept. What are touches and trigger points and how do social media play a role in them?

9. Gail, this is my favorite part of the show—the part where the expert gets to consult with an entrepreneur live. Today, we have Stevii Mills, the Shepreneur’s Best Girlfriend of www.juststevii.com. Stevii would like to get your help with developing her social media marketing plan. Would you take her through the process you outline in chapter 2 and then give her some advice on how to best align her social media marketing efforts with her business goals?

10. Gail, after that amazing mini-consultation I am sure that someone listening would love to work with you or have you speak to their organization. How might they get in contact with you and what kinds of programs, products and services do you offer?

Subscribe to Books That Transform  

Receive access to Books That Transform automatically when you subscribe. Click on the best route that works for you!

• Blog Talk Radio
• iTunes
• RSS

More money, more money, more money!

Are you someone who thinks that if you just had more money all  (or most) of your problems would  be solved? 

I am sure you have heard the stories of the thousands of individuals who have won millions of dollars via the lottery only to end up broke in a few years or perhaps, you can think of entertainers or professional athletes who make millions of dollars per year but find that it is not enough to make their ends meet.

How can this be?

When, I was a little girl, around 7 or 8, I remember my cousins and I standing in my grandparents’ yard playing a game in which we would ask each other, if you had a million dollars what would you do with it? To us a million dollars was so much money. A million dollars would make life so much sweeter.

But the fact of the matter is that had we been given a million dollars, we may have ended up just like the lottery winners, the professional athletes, and the entertainers who acquired money without developing their minds to deal with wealth.

And, this is the premise of the book Wealth Mentality: Program Yourself to Get and Keep the Wealth You Want by Mrs. Sherrin Ross Ingram. In Wealth Mentality, Sherrin makes it clear that reaching true wealth requires far more than simply making a lot of money.  She explains that “it requires that you establish a way of thinking that promotes and preserves true wealth before looking for ways to earn more money, make better investments, and buy better things.”

You may be wondering, well how in the world do I do that? I would love to develop that kind of thinking.

Listen to today’s show.

By the end of it that question will be answered and you will walk away with insight into the faster and easier way to achieve true wealth. 

Some of the Questions I Asked Sherrin 

• Sherrin, as America’s Leading Power Strategist, you help entrepreneurially-minded professionals get strategic about defining their markets and unique positioning, raising their expert status and staying top of mind with clients and prospects. Tell us about a time when you developed a new system or procedure for a client that totally transformed his/her career or their business.

• Sherrin, in your introduction you make this statement, “People want to be rich.” You point out that this desire isn’t “limited to a specific gender, race, social or economic background, or any other characteristic.” What exactly is the difference between being rich and being wealthy?

• Now, Sherrin, somebody listening right now is still probably thinking, “More money is the answer to my financial troubles.” What would you say to that person?

• The title of your book is Wealth Mentality: Program Yourself to Get and Keep the Wealth You Want. Black Enterprise has called you and they want to do a new segment on their show each Sunday that focuses on people who possess a wealth mentality. Who would be the first person that you would showcase and why?

•   Sherrin, I love the fact that you blatantly ask “Why aren’t YOU wealthy already? in chapter three. You pinpoint 8 underlying reasons. What are the three most prevalent reasons most people have not acquired wealth?

• On page 43, you state, “Two of the most important parts of creating a Wealth Mentality are thoughts and beliefs.” Sherrin, why do we think the way that we do and what specific steps can we take to develop thoughts and beliefs that exemplify a wealth mentality?

• One of the many interesting concepts you teach is that “a wealth mentality thinks gooses.” How do we know when we have elevated to the level of “thinking gooses?”

• I love this quote from page 61: In most cases, those who have earned their way to wealth found work that exploits their full potential and gives them the opportunity to express the best that is within them. They’re motivated by something larger than making a living. They love what they do. I believe that the listeners of this show are entrepreneurs who want this to be their story. As we close, please give them 3 action items that will help them achieve wealth easier and faster in the remaining 11 months of this year.

• Sherrin, who are your ideal clients and what kinds of exciting products and services do you have available for them in 2013?

Hearing From You

What did you get from this interview that will help you change your mindset in regards to acquiring wealth?

Share one thing that really “stood out” for you in this interview.

It’s Time for A Praise Report

If you were blessed by today’s show, go ahead and share a praise report. Click here to access the Praise Report Builder. I do appreciate it very much!