Nobody likes an elevator pitch.
It doesn’t reveal you. It sells you, or, rather, someone like you.
So don’t do it. Don’t rifle out a prepared speech full of buzzwords nobody uses in real life. You won’t be remembered. Your business card will be one of many left in a pocket, on a desk, until it slides off behind it.
You’re better off just telling someone about your day or commenting on the lighting or sharing your excitement for what you’re going to do after the event.
That’s how people really get to know you. That’s how you build interest and earn the right to be remembered:
By seeing your heart.
My suggestion for an opening line at networking events, at parties, at friends’ houses, on first dates is simple:
How was your morning?
This way, you get them talking, you get them into the present moment. They will step out of their professional self and, whether they admit it or not, they will appreciate you for it. You will learn more than simply what they did and what they plan to do. You will surface their values, their priorities, their wants, wishes, and loves. You will gain a glimpse into their worldview. It’s impossible not to.
Be patient; you’ll see it.
Synergy comes after authenticity, never before.