And we also do.....

I've listened to too many 40 seconds recently where people tell us their 'main' business and then go on to say "and we also do....", often preceded by "but I'm not here to talk about that today".

When you tell me that you "also" do something, you're telling me that it's not as important as your 'proper' job. If I want a service, I am most likely to buy that service from someone who provides the service as an integral part of their business, not as an afterthought.

If there are several parts of your business then think of a way to structure your 40 seconds better, or come up with several 40 seconds. Think about what other people in the room are hearing when you tell us what you 'also' do.

Good shout Stef. I totally agree. When you have more than one business interest it is so tempting to try to get your whole portfolio into 40 seconds..been there and failed at it!

Focus. Clarity. Simplicity. Impact. That is what 40 seconds is about.

It's a difficult one, especially if the things you are involved in a completely different. I normally wait until I know someone better before switching caps, or listen for the opportunity.

Interesting. I tend to talk about my business photography at 4n meetings rather than the fashion and makeover work. It's difficult to explain all the things I do and the the things I don't! I think people are used to photographers doing lots of different things - from weddings to corporate - whereas I am quite focussed on the business photography side of things with some fashion and makeovers when they come up as they are not very frequent.

If you do 10 things, that's 10 different 40 seconds you can do - hell of a lot better than trying to squeeze everything in at once and repeating that 10 times

Totally agree. Shopping list 40s speeches are a no-go-zone for me. Instant turn off.

Stef the networking guru hits the mark again.. expect to see the above in GOYA 2 under my name.

oh my god this is so true....completely kills of credibility for everything that person does when they list completely different products/businesses in one go...confuses the heck out of people over all and nobody ends up knowing what you specialise in or what you're good at.

literally its like saying 'i'm an internet marketer but I can also do your VAT return'. wtf is that all about!

do what you know & become known for doing that extremely well rather than being a jack of all trades to try and jump onto random bandwagons!

Slightly off on a tangent, its not that we have different businesses its just that we offer so many different products and services.

I've always struggled with the 40 seconds trying to pitch that we supply wallpaper, curtains, blinds, bathroom, kitchens, extension blah blah blah even i get bored!

I guess I need to pick one element each time and go for it on that particular product in that particular meeting

Absolutely right....

I wear several hats, but today i'm going to talk about...

The 40 seconds is merely to get people in for a browse, not to sell the whole store.

we are just a boring such and such drone drivel monotone......... But please buy from us because our product is......

(I think I stole that from G1)

Ok cool,

Next meet im gonna 40 second pitch Bathrooms....no, kitchens......no wait we do shutters too....err and building projects....ohhh bugger

A trap I have fallen into myself in the past -- very easy to do when you are trying to promote your business and have a new venture in progress.

Solution - develop a general 'wrapper' and then enclose one area of your business in that wrapper for several (many?) 40 sec pitches.