The Life of the Unemployed Professional: The Pitch

After over a decade in sales and marketing, I have learned that a story is everything. A compelling, interesting, meaningful story will engage your audience, draw them in, and can make them fall in love with you. 

On the flip side, an unorganized list of bullet points, a rambling narrative without direction, or an unrelatable tale can do more harm than good. 

An elevator pitch is a statement that tells a high level summary of who you are and what you offer within 20 seconds (or the time it takes to ride in an elevator). As any good sales person will tell you, this is key to getting past the first introduction and can either make you or break you.

Articulate. Concise. Descriptive. Smooth. Flexible. These are all the ways you can describe a good elevator pitch. But that doesn't really help you. You probably know this already. What might be helpful is a couple best practices in developing your own elevator pitch that will draw people in, make you relatable and get you past the initial hello.

Lets start with Articulate. 

Think about your audience for a moment. There will be moments when you are with "your people". Industry functions, trade shows, company parties. These are all times that you can use your big MBA words and industry jargon. But then there will also be those times that you will be around the rest of us. Us simpletons that have no idea what it is that you do and will not understand the acronyms that you use all day, every day. This is such an important distinction. In fact, this is best practice number one. Think the engineer talking to the attorney. Two smart people; just smart in different areas. Being articulate is more than flowery words. It is about being relatable and understandable by the audience you are in front of. 

Concise: 

As you work towards taking all the years and all the experiences you have gone through it can seem overwhelming to narrow that down to just a couple sentences. In developing mine, I listed out all the different areas that I have experience in. I allowed this list to continue to growth over a few days. What are you good at, what do you enjoy? List out as many as possible. Reference your resume, ask those that are close to you; get yourself a list of 20. 

Next you will find that some of those skills start to lump together into a general category. For example on my list, inbound lead generation, digital marketing and email marketing can all be summarized into Lead Generation or Marketing Automation. I have to remember, though, unless I am speaking to fellow marketers, that might not mean anything to my audience. So alternatively, I call it "finding the right potential customers and and making sure they are a good fit." Categorize all your skills into the top three high level skills you have and adjust those skills to the audience. Remember, no more than 20 seconds!

Descriptive: 

There are two best practices when it comes to being descriptive. Allow for understanding and make it about the customer. What is wrong with this statement?

"I analyze BI and look for trends that become content I push using marketing automation software to pre-identified targets and key KOLs to generate leads for a field team."

Crickets.... right?  This is an extreme example, but we all do it. We all have acronyms or terms that make perfect sense to us, but have no meaning to those outside of our world. Additionally, This is about what I do, not about what my clients get out of it. Compare that statement with the one below: 

"I am a sales and marketing leader that uses new and innovative tools to better identify the potential customers that are more likely to buy. and Those leads are then passed over the to sales team so that they have more direction on who to target and who will purchase." 

See the difference? I have taken industry jargon, transitioned it to a generalized conversation and included the benefit the audience gets from the work. 

As a side point here. Sometimes we try to be smart instead of relatable. We all do it. Somehow, we feel that if we are able to use the biggest words possible so that no one understands us, we will come across better than if we are relatable and understandable. Overcome the urge to show off your big brain and just be a nice, articulate person. 

Smooth:

Practice, Practice, and more practice. In front of a mirror. To your spouse or best friend. To your favorite barista at Starbuck. The more you say it, but more comfortable you will be with it. Do you know how you get smooth? you guessed it. Practice. Enough said on this one. 

Flexible: 

Adjust your pitch as needed and be flexible to learn what will work the best. In marketing, we call this A/B testing. A practical example of how we use A/B testing is in email marketing. Did you know that almost every email that fills your inbox from some company has had two versions, slightly tweaked, of the same email? Companies send both versions to a segment of their intended audience and they watch the response. How many opens, how many clicks to a website, so on. If you get a better response with version A over version B, then you move forward with version A. Then you make a slight tweak again, send two versions out and watch what happens and, once again, go with the most successful version. 

You can do the same thing with your elevator pitch. Use two different versions. Try them both out at a party. If one seems to connect better with your audience, run with it! Ditch the other version and now you have a slightly better version to move forward with. 

An elevator pitch is your first impression. It is your chance to connect and show that you are someone that should be recommended. That you are confident and will be an asset to any company. Remember, Articulate. Concise. Descriptive. Smooth. Flexible. I feel like that should have been an acronym. 

Keep Climbing

John

About me: 

My name is John Constantine and I am a executive leader of sales and marketing. As a sales leader I have driven organic growth from $4M-$65M through building a highly successful sales team. As a marketing executive, I have directed rebranding initiatives, developed websites and print collateral and designed/implemented various marketing campaigns using digital tools to score and track leads. In everything I do in my corporate life, I drive growth through supporting and improving the efficiencies of the sales team. Personally, I am passionate about giving back to the world; whether it is a church plant in Colombia, South America or helping to develop the go to market strategy for a hospital in Rwanda, Africa, I feel that we are called to service. Additionally, I extend my desire to go above and beyond in a very real way through my mountaineering and backpacking treks. In 2016 I summited Mt Rainier in Washington State and now I train for an Alaska expedition in Denali and a possible fundraising climb of Kilimanjaro.  

To learn more, go to http://www.johnaconstantine.com/

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The Life of the Unemployed Professional: The Friend and Family Connection

You are more than just bullet points on a resume. You are color and life. You are the summary of your previous life experiences. All of this makes you.... you. 

This has been the first time that I have been on the "market" for a new position. I have always been fortunate to have been recruited away from a current role to the next step. As I am approaching my sixth month as an independent free agent after the downsizing of a start up, I find that the "full time job" of looking for my next consulting gig or my next leadership role, is not that different than how I spent my time as a sales and marketing executive... only a lot less time on conference calls. 

When you break the job search down, I am my product. My job is to get my product in front of as many potential "customers",  (hiring managers) as possible. As I have honed the process of marketing myself, I have collected the top 5 ways that I have found to market the product of John Constantine the most effective way possible. 

Over the next few weeks, we will take a deep dive into the following areas: 

1. Talking to Family and Friends

2. Developing Your Elevator Pitch 

3. Networking in Your City

4. The Importance of the Face to Face Meetings 

5. Look Out for Others More Than You Look for Yourself

Today, let's jump right into number one. 

I recently ran into a close friend at Starbucks while we were back in Indianapolis for the holidays. First an awkward man-hug/handshake (because that tends to happen to me... I'm a hugger...) and then the question "Hey man!! How are things?" ....

I let my pride do the talking. "Great! We are loving Atlanta! We have great neighbors, have found an amazing church, kids have adjusted well, We have a new unicorn that provides us with rainbows and butterfly toots anytime we want, its an AMAZING life...."

I didn't actually say the unicorn part but it would have fit with how well I stated things were at the moment.

I also exaggerated how well the consulting firm I'm working on was going at that point. We walked away from the conversation with a less awkward man-hug this time and he said he was happy for how well things were going for us. And there it was... A lost opportunity. In his mind, things were going so well, I didn't need anything from him. 

So.... I'm a bone head... While we have found an amazing church, our neighbors and neighborhood are fantastic, and our kids act as though they have always lived in Georgia, the part I overstated; the consulting firm was not actually a business yet. In fact, I had a couple proposals out, but I didn't, yet, have one paying client. And I needed more leads. 

Now here is the rub. This buddy of mine is very well connected and I missed an opportunity to tell him about how I could use his network. I let my ego take over. Now, I was going to need to back track, swallow my pride, and go back to him for help, which I imagined being more awkward than that hug-shake thing. When I called, he was more than happy to help! In fact, he connected me with two people right away. The moral of the story is this; I almost let a great opportunity pass me by because I didn't want to let him know I could use his help. 

Haven't you found that you do the same thing? Especially with those that we are close to? We sugar coat everything. We hide our concern. We are too prideful sometimes to ask for help. It is as if we feel as though we need to wear a mask and not allow those that are close, come behind our wall, join our team, and walk along side us to help.

These situations happen to us all the time. We have an opportunity to tell someone what we are looking for; an opportunity to allow them to serve us, and we let it pass us (and them) by. In the sales world, it is called "asking for the sale". As long as sales peeps have been selling stuff, it has been a best practice; once a prospect has reached a certain point in the sale's cycle you say something along the lines of,  "So you know what we are capable of. You know that we are a good fit. Are you ready to sign up?" It seems crazy to be this forward to those that are not in this type of role, but the secret is that it works in the sales process and it works in these situations as well. 

Ok, Now, let me be clear. I am not suggesting that you become Debbie-Downer. Don't turn into Eeyore from Pooh and talk about the sky falling. (I think I'm mixing up my childhood stories but you get the idea) There is a simple way that you can talk to friends and not make them feel sorry for you. Instead they can align with you on your goal of getting back to work. And then you have the opportunity to ask for help.

Here are a couple things you can keep in mind before you find yourself in these situations.

Number one: Know what you are going to say in advance. Don't allow yourself to get surprised in these interactions. Come up with your conversation piece you will use when you randomly run into someone at the grocery, in the gym, or at church.  Make sure that it is authentic and honest, but positive at the same time. This is called the elevator pitch and....

Don't use the same one that you will use in your professional life... they might not have any idea what you are talking about if you use key MBA buzz words and industry acronyms. 

"I have over 13 years of executive experience building companies as a sales and marketing leader.  I have led the charge from $4-65M in a national sales leadership role building a sale team as well as the systems that support that team. I'm also an experienced executive marketer building brands, creating products and then releasing them to the world. I'm looking for a few small to mid-sized companies that might need corporate experience but can't afford a full time Chief Sales or Marketing Officer.  I come into companies and make the current process of growing better as a part time consultant and an extension of the leadership team." 

That is mine. Develop yours! More to come on developing your perfect elevator pitch in future blogs.

Number two: Practice it at home.... Out Loud, not just in your head! The truth is, I say this to people all the time and rarely do people do it because it is weird. But it works. Practice it on your spouse. Practice it in front of the mirror. Practice it to the guy sitting next to you at the stop light in traffic who has his window down. Practice makes perfect, as they say.  You know this... the more your practice your interactions before they occur, the better off you will feel during the interactions. The more confident and nature you will become and the more that they will want to help you.

Number 3: While talking with friends and family, think about their network. I have made it a best practice, in almost every interaction with someone, to ask if there is someone they know that might be a great new connection for me. You know, just to grab coffee with. We will talk about this in later writings, but the more people you meet with, the broader your network. The broader your network, the more famous you are. And the more famous you are, the larger your pool of potential employers.

Finally, Number 4: Follow up. While your friends and family love you and want the best for you, connecting you is not their top priority. And between their own busy and full lives it has a tendency to slip their mind. If they offer, though, it means they want to help. Do not feel bad about following up with a reminder. And do it quickly. For example, if you are talking with your brother at a family birthday and he says he has a buddy to introduce you to, send a follow up text later that night: "Hey Bro! Great to see you today. I appreciate your willingness to hook me up with ______. talk soon!" You might be saving them from feeling bad later if they forget. 

Those that are closest are your biggest fans. They believe in you and they want to help you. In fact, they will feel amazing about themselves if they actually are able to help. The only thing stopping them might be your ego.

Don't let your ego rob those you love from feeling amazing about helping you!

Prepare in advance.

Don't hesitate to ask for the help.

Always be positive.

And follow up proactively. You never know where it might take you.

And as always, keep climbing.

John 

About me: 

My name is John Constantine and I am a sales and marketing executive living in suburban Atlanta. Throughout my career, I have been able to drive growth repeatedly in a variety of capacities. As a sales leader, I have built, expanded, and improved high performing teams to promote expansion and profitability. As a marketing executive, I have led teams in the creation and launching of new brands and products. I have managed inbound lead generation campaigns and created online and print branding standards that stand out from the pack and engage employees to take pride in their organization. As an executive of strategic initiatives and a field operations leader, I have implemented programs and processes that have differentiated my organizations and provided predictable revenue forecasting to the C-suite; all the while increasing productivity and accountability of the front-line team members in the organization. I now leverage these experiences to help other companies stand out and manage growth. 

To learn more, go to http://www.johnaconstantine.com/

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The Life of the Unemployed Professional

I am going through a life journey that is full of twists and turns, but it sure is exciting. Don't get me wrong. Occasionally I wake up with the "I'm freaked out about the future" sweats in the middle of the night and wonder about what is right around the corner, but every day, I am out there, meeting new people and networking to either identify a new consulting opportunity or possibly land my next corporate position.

Come close... I want to tell you a secret.... I am LOVING this process helping those that are in the same boat I find myself. I have found that I get very passionate about helping those in transition learn to love the process of identifying the next stage of their career. Like a kickstand to a bike, I enjoy propping those up that need support and allowing them to stand tall and proud, regardless of their situation. 

This morning I want to share two simple truths that smarter people than myself have shared but that I believe passionately. Hopefully this will help you if you find yourself in a transition or you are living through the semicolon of your career. Lets consider this the start of a conversation. 

Truth #1: I met a guy recently that said it perfectly. "Anxiety comes from the chaos, not the fear of the future." This couldn't be more true! As I network and talk with others, it seems that, generally, we all believe deep down inside that at any stage of life, we will eventually be ok. Or as my mother used to tell me... "this too shall pass...". I also believe that, as a Christian, if we are faithful, we will be protected. So it is not the fear of the future that "enriches" your life with those nights of unrest. It is the chaos. It is a lack of organization. Not having a plan for the next day or a list to check off; that is what generates the sleepless nights! Get organized! We can talk about how in a later installment. 

Truth #2: As I hear people's stories I continue to find that, just like me, all these people are more than just bullet points on a resume. They are color and life. They are back stories and dreams of amazing futures. They are tragic as much as they are heroic. In each interaction, I discovered something important. I have valuable skills that can assist those that find themselves in a life stage of transition. I can help them tell their amazing story and if I don't use my skills for this purpose, I am doing all of them a disservice. Whether it is teaching a free web development class, or writing about how to make companies and recruiters chase you, I can assist those that find themselves in transition to move on.

I'll tell you what! You have skills that can help those around you too. As you sit and meet with people, think through how you can add value to them; not just how they can add value to you. If you give, you will receive. You want to know where my consulting clients are coming from? Friends of people that I have offered to help.  

So here is the thing: I have found a formula that gives me a new perspective. I have established goals that give me milestones to chase. And I have learned skills from over a decade of sales and marketing leadership that I can share with you and you can implement during your search. You see, finding a job is a sales and marketing process. And sales/marketing today is not all about personality and likability. It is about track-ability and accountability. We will talk about that later too. 

As part of my journey to give back, I am going to start writing about what I am learning in this process. Each week I will provide you something simple like a truth or a tool that can be used or a perspective that might change yours. Maybe one of these will be what you need to get to your next stage. I'm also hosting another free website build class on February 9th. If you are in the North Atlanta area and would like to join, you can register here. 

We are on a journey for sure. But stay tuned and we will land softly together.

Keep Climbing!

John

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