"I'm looking for a young girl with blonde hair, in a red hat, wearing a dress."

"I'm looking for a young girl with blonde hair, in a red hat, wearing a dress."

"I'm looking for a young girl with blonde hair, in a red hat, wearing a dress."

When a child is lost in a crowded place, loudly repeating this phrase is the best way for the child to be found, quickly. Conversely, repeatedly calling out "EMIILY" does no one any good, especially the frantic mother and her lost child.

The reason may be obvious, but just in case, I'll explain.

Once the child is lost, you have a myriad of eyes that will be enormously helpful, but only if those eyes know who to look for. Strangers don't know who to look for if the mother calls out the name of her child over and over again, because to the crowd, the word "Emily" means nothing. A detailed description, however, means everything.

When we hear, and then know what to look for, we can help. If all we hear are the distressed cries of a mother, we can't help at all.

"Looking loud" is the act of calling out a detailed description of a child when she becomes lost, instead of her name, so that the crowd can take an active part in seeking and finding that child.

"Look Loud" When You Network

Do you want your referral partners to instantly know when they've found your ideal client? "Look Loud" when you network. "Look loud" when you are having small conversations with people at events, by describing in great detail exactly who needs your product or service.

Your goal when talking to people, besides building rapport, should always be to train them to know when they've "found" your ideal client.

"Look Loud" In Your Elevator Pitch

When the owner of an auto car detailing business, says to a crowded room during an elevator pitch for example, "I'm looking for anyone who has a dirty car," he is essentially asking for Emily when he should be asking for a young girl with blonde hair, in a red hat, wearing a dress.

BNI teaches to avoid the word "anyone" during an elevator pitch, because of the same reason. "Anyone" means no one. In the case of the auto detailer's pitch, even the added words "dirty car" don't do much to help the listeners find "Emily."

Get very narrow when you ask for help finding your ideal client. A specific person should instantly come to mind for the listener when you describe the type of person you are looking for.

For the auto detailer a "Look Loud" elevator pitch that brings a specific person to mind might sound something like:

"I'm looking for the mom who just came home from the hospital, with baby number 2. She already has a three year old and she might complain about how hard it is to keep her van clean. Now that she has a new baby, her time is even more limited, and her energy more drained. Consider asking her (with husband in earshot if possible) if she would benefit from having her car professionally cleaned, and tell her you know the perfect person who can transform her car into a luxurious ride that she can truly enjoy."

Notice in the elevator pitch, the listener is told how to bring the auto detailer up in conversation that seems natural. We must give those who bring you your ideal clients all the tools they need to be successful when they are out looking for people for you.

Just like the mother who uses the "look loud" approach to help others find her lost child, we should be using this same approach to help others find our lost clients.

I'll add a quick aside. Don't be concerned about being too specific, or afraid that by being specific, you narrow the pool of prospects. Giving a few people the tools they need to instantly take action to bring you the right clients is advantageous to giving several people a vague understanding of who they might send your way.

The most important part of your elevator pitch is to cause a specific person to pop into the mind of the listeners. This is the easiest way to help them bring you referrals!

Would you like even more help writing your own elevator pitch?

I've written the perfect playbook to guide you, step by step to crafting your own impactful pitch will tell others who you are looking for and give you language to use to help others know who to bring you up in conversations with those they have influence over.

Purchase the Referrals in 60 Playbook here.

Go network my friend, and remember;

"Look Loud" when you network.

Faithann Basore and her husband Dave have owned Window Cleaning Plus (WCP) for 10 years. Growing WCP through networking has given Faithann the desire to guide other small business owners through the networking terrain so they can feel comfortable and build long lasting relationships in their business.

Got networking questions? Email me at [email protected].