Most experts agree that the best ways to grow your business is by networking. Meeting potential clients at events and meetings is a successful strategy as long as you go about it in the right way.

The inevitable big question that always comes up in every networking encounter is “What do you do?” Too many people in the promotional products industry have not developed an answer that will move the conversation along. They say something like, “I sell imprinted items.” A typical response is “Oh . . . nice,” which means that the person you are talking to has no idea where to go with the conversation.

If you want to be more effective at meeting and greeting new people, you need to develop an “elevator speech,” a short description of you, what you do best and want others remember about you. It should contain approximately 90 words and be delivered in 30 seconds!

This term is taken from the early days of the Internet, when web development companies were searching for capital. Finance firms were swamped with applications for money and the companies that won the cash were the ones with a simple pitch. The winners were those that could explain a business proposition to the occupants of an elevator in the time it took to ride to their floor.

A good elevator speech could describe and sell an idea in 30 seconds or less. Today it’s any kind of short speech that sells an idea, promotes your business or markets you as an individual.