Will you be attending holiday parties where you’ll mingle with distant relatives, people you don’t see often, or even people you don’t know at all?

If so, rehearse your holiday elevator speech before you go.

Be ready with a short but enticing description of what you do for a living. Because, as you know, that’s one of the primary questions people ask when they get past “Nice to meet you.”

A party isn’t the time to go full-scale salesman, but you can use it to gently plant the seed that you’re there to help should they need a reliable real estate professional.

Or – if you’re not an agent, but a stager, an appraiser, an inspector, a lender, or any other variety of service provider, you’ll be planting that seed.

What should you convey in your elevator speech?

What you do, where you do it, who you help, and why you enjoy it.

For instance:

• I help first-time buyers in Mytown find and purchase homes that fit their lifestyles and their budgets. It’s gratifying to see the joy on their faces when they become homeowners for the first time.
• I assist families who are going through probate and need to sell a house in the Mytown area. For some the tasks are overwhelming, so I help them keep track of deadlines, organize the work to get a house ready for sale, and then get them the highest price possible. I love knowing that I’m relieving some of their burden at a trying time.

You can say something similar about any niche or neighborhood you serve. So – If you don’t already have an elevator speech, take time to write one now. Be sure to include the fact that what you do for a living is a benefit to the people you serve. Since this is a holiday elevator speech, do touch on the joy that your work brings you. Of course, that’s a good addition any time of the year.

You want people to listen, so keep it clear and concise – something you could say in the time it takes an elevator to go from one floor to another.

Then memorize it so you can say it easily.

After you deliver your speech, ask what they do. Ask questions, be interested, and don’t talk any more about yourself unless the person you’re speaking with asks questions.

Remember that the person who will be remembered as the most interesting conversationalist at any gathering is the one who says little but listens well.

And now…

Merry Christmas!

I wish you all the joy of the season and hope you will be spending it with someone you love.