As you may already know, possessing strong marketing skills is one of the most important qualities a freelancer needs to have to ensure they have a lucrative career: you need to know how to sell yourself and convince potential employers and clients to hire you for the job. But your power of persuasion typically involves an error-free cover letter, resume, carefully selected work samples and hours-worth of pitch rehearsal.  But what if one day while making a quick coffee run you bump into someone who could potentially change your career forever—and your window of opportunity  to convince someone that you are perfect for the job is only a mere 20 seconds (the length of an elevator ride)?  To make sure that you don’t miss your chance to impress and get hired, it’s important that you brush up on your “elevator pitch” skills. To learn how, continue reading below.

Write Your Pitch. The first thing you need to do is literally write down your pitch so that you more or less know what you are going to say when the opportunity of an elevator pitch arises. Remember that your pitch should be no longer than 20 seconds (or more than 3 to 4 sentences) and should go directly into the “meat and potatoes.” This includes who you are (full name), what you do (including any expertise or specialization and past employers), what you want, and why you’re the ideal person to get the job done right (can you increase sales? Do you have special connections to sources?). It may seem impossible to squeeze all of this information into a 20 second mini-speech, but there are those out there who know exactly how to execute them and nail their only shot. So find a way to make it work. It’s equally important that you don’t only prepare one pitch. Try to come up with several different versions that are appropriate for different types of employers and clients—for example a fashion editor wanting a piece on cute summer outfits isn’t going to want to hear the same pitch as a CEO wanting a press release.

Rehearse Your Pitch. Writing down your pitch is unfortunately not enough. It would be too unprofessional to take out a note card and read your pitch directly. Instead, you really need to memorize your pitch(es) so that you are prepared at a moment’s notice. The key is reciting your pitch in a way where the finished product sounds natural—you don’t want it to sound too forced (you don’t want to sound like a robot). A good way to get your pitch down and test for a robotic-tone is to just practice with friends and family—they’ll be the ones who will be able to tell you if you sound natural and convincing at the same time. From there you’ll be able to see which parts you need to work on.

Another great idea is to prepare different scenarios in you head of how to approach potential employers/clients as well.  Try to see all the different ways you could unobtrusively weave-in as pitch to someone. For example, you may just accidently eavesdrop on someone saying they need a freelancer. How easy would it be for you to step over and say, “I’m sorry, I could help but over hear that you are looking for a freelancer” and then continue with your pitch. And know that while yes you are trying to sell yourself in 20 seconds, don’t be afraid to ask questions like “well what is that you are looking for exactly?”

Solidify the Deal. Lastly, you want to always make sure that the potential employer/client has a way to contact you— if not all your hard work will be a waste of time. The easiest way to do this is to carry your business card with you at all times.  Make sure that it is legible (no fancy typeface) and that it includes your full name, profession, email address and phone number.

Alvina Lopez is a freelance writer and blog junkie, who blogs about accredited online colleges. She welcomes your comments at her email Id: alvina.lopez@gmail.com.

photo credit: Price|Photography