| Make
Sure Your Fans Get It Right!
Six Tips To Insure You're Introduced With Impact
Download a printable PDF of this article here
Contact:
Jane Rohman, 413-848-1407, jr@janerohman.com
MAKE SURE YOUR FANS GET IT RIGHT!
By Peggy Klaus
As an entrepreneur, I have counted on numerous friends and
family members to be important sources for contacts and
to spread the word about my business. Over the years, I've
discovered I must literally put the exact words in their
mouths to ensure they convey an accurate message about who
I am and what I do. Well I guess it just shows that no matter
how well you know the lesson, you can always screw up -
because that's exactly what happened the other day at lunch.
I recently offered to put together a meeting to introduce
a writer friend to some clients of mine - four partners
in a well-established marketing and public relations firm
who were looking for a freelancer. I thought I had prepared
for everything - from a restaurant close by to everyone's
office to a pre-lunch email outlining three things we were
going to discuss. The one thing I failed to plan was a bragologue
about my friend. Bragologues are succinct, story-like monologues
that memorably capture and portray a person's interests
or accomplishments. So when my introduction of her tumbled
out, it was less than stellar. I tangled the details of
my friend's job experience so badly that by the time I was
done, she had worked for 79 years. Also, I was uncertain
about her current projects and so incorrectly placed her
at a job she left more than three months ago.
My friend graciously transitioned into telling her story
without so much as a raised eyebrow or dirty look. Fortunately,
after an hour and half of great damage control by the two
of us, the partners asked her for a follow-up meeting the
next week. As I was driving home, relieved that things had
ended well, I couldn't help but reflect back on the situation.
I realized my mistakes: I should have checked in with my
friend prior to the meeting (and not just when we' were
walking to the table). I should have written down her information
and turned it into a bragologue. And I should have practiced
several times out loud, paraphrasing the facts until they
felt comfortable rolling off my tongue. Okay, so that's
where I goofed. However, as much as I blamed myself, I had
to admit my friend was also culpable. After all, it was
her big chance to sell herself, so she should have given
me articulate, entertaining, and up-to-the-minute bragologue
material to work with. Truth be told, the couple of times
I had asked her to go into more detail about her professional
background, she sloughed it off saying, "Oh let's talk
about something more interesting." Not a good sign!
The day after the meeting, when I called to apologize for
my mishap, my friend asked for feedback about how she had
presented herself. I suggested including more about the
exotic places she's lived in, flushing out one or two of
the most interesting articles she had written, and dropping
the names of a few of the prestigious publishing houses
she's edited for. And when at her next meeting with the
partners, she did all of that - it worked! They commented
about her breadth of expertise and gave her the coveted
first assignment.
I can't stress enough the importance of making sure that
people who are slated to introduce or talk about you - at
a luncheon, an industry panel, a keynote speech, or even
a cocktail party - have the facts straight. We tend to believe
we have little control over what our friends, relatives,
and colleagues say about us. Yet when others introduce you,
they often either repeat what they have heard from you or
make something up. So get your bragologues down, keep them
current, and repeat them often. And make certain that everyone
around you has the most up-to-date version. Remember: A
successful word-of-mouth bragging campaign is contingent
upon getting the right words in the mouth to begin with.
TIPS FOR GREAT INTRODUCTIONS
- Weave the details together in a story-like fashion
to create a memorable bragologue.
- Be succinct.
- Keep the content fresh and updated.
- Be clear with others about what you want them to emphasize
about you.
- E-mail your bragalogue to everyone who might need it.
Don't get lazy about preparation - even with your spouse
or best friend.
Peggy Klaus is a Berkeley,
CA based Fortune 500 communication and leadership coach
and the author of BRAG!
The Art of Tooting Your Own Horn Without Blowing It (Warner
Books; Paperback, May, 2004, $13.95; Hardcover, May, 2003,
$24.95).
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