In my daily travels as a BNI director, I am often asked to evaluate a new networker’s elevator pitch by word of mouth. Know your “Sales Manager Minutes”. Over the years, I have discovered over 2 dozen things a person can do wrong when presenting his sales manager’s minutes. In this segment I will discuss the 5 most common mistakes I see. More importantly, I’ll give you the cure for all of these common maladies so your 60 second presentations will produce results.

Common mistake #5. I try to include too much!” I often hear 60-second presentations that start with a long list of what I call “I do’s.” Here the presenter is trying to squeeze every aspect of their business into 60 seconds (which is like trying to put 10 pounds of sand in a 5 pound bag.) This mistake is often made worse when the presenter uses the words “I specialize in” and then recites his long list of “I do’s.” The mistake is being focused and be specific. Pick a single topic. Build a story around that topic and keep pace. You don’t want to sound like you’re reading a disclaimer, instead, make sure there’s time for strategic silences and a smooth flow.

Common mistake #4. “I’m not asking for a reference!” I have seen many new BNI members stand up and give a great description of what they do and the benefits they offer and how they are different from their competition and completely forget to ask for a reference. The best way to fix this is to start with the end in mind. Start with the reference you want and build the 60 second presentation around it.

Common mistake #3. “Don’t use stories.” It is important that your message connects with the audience on an emotional level. Many new BNI members and network workers will stand up and spit out facts, figures and studies that “prove they are the best.” But they receive little to no reference to these messages. There is a saying in sales that goes something like this; “Facts tell and stories sell.” If you can wrap an emotionally charged story around your focused issue, you’re more likely to compel someone to act. Always mention the customer’s pain and become the white night that rescues him.

Common mistake #2. “Don’t say what to do or say.” I’ve seen networkers stand up and deliver very moving sales manager minutes, full of emotion and words that move you to action. However, many times these other wise and excellent 60 second presentations become mediocre because they didn’t “tell you what to do or say”, when you recognize their dream reference. They did not give you the information that allows you to act on his behalf. My 60 second presentations usually end with “give them my card and ask when I can call.” Some more examples are; “tell them about our free fridge, good through the end of the month,” or “tell them to go to my website and click on special offers,” or ask “if they’d like to meet us.” In many cases, if you don’t tell your partners what to do, they won’t do anything! Train them, tell them what to say and do.

Common Mistake #1 Last but not least, “not being specific.” This error is related to #4, not asking for a reference. Here the member asks for too broad a reference. Not asking for a specific referral is like asking your referral partners to do a lot of work for you (work that you should have already done for them). The novice networker will say things like “so if you know someone”, or they might say “anyone you know”, try to get a result in your brain’s search engine. They are assuming that if you cast a wide net you will catch more fish. But the opposite is what really works best because no one or someone produces no one.

Also, if you really think about it, there isn’t a category in your brain called someone or some body. No individuals are stored there. Not Compute. By giving your partner a specific company name, persons name and their title, you make it much easier for your partners brain to find a match. If you can’t say a specific name, create a 5-point profile that describes the person you’re looking for. The easier you make it for your partners, the higher the chance of receiving your qualified referral.

Of the 5 main errors, eliminate the n. #1 will produce the greatest return for your efforts. Don’t get me wrong, I want you to eliminate these 5 common mistakes. When you do, you’ll find that you’ve increased your credibility, you’re getting more and better quality referrals, and best of all, you’ll really start to grow your business. Future segments will talk about another group of common mistakes that you’ll want to eliminate. Until then, work on this and let me know how it’s helping you. If you want to know more about this topic, please visit my free blog to read several other articles dealing with this topic.