Lynn Espinoza is a broadcast news veteran with more than a decade of media, presentation and executive coaching experience. She has developed personal coaching sessions for Fortune 100 C-level executives, corporate communicators of all kinds, doctors, lawyers and leaders in non-profit.
The Elevator Speech: Going Down
Posted on February 3, 2010. Filed under: Latest News
I find myself troubled today by the classic concept of “The Elevator Speech”. If you are unfamiliar with the concept, it goes like this:
You step into an elevator, and realize that your dream customer is in there with you. The doors close, and you have thirty seconds of his undivided attention. You have the opportunity to tell him who you are, what you do, what makes you special and why he needs to hire you.
In theory, the elevator speech is a great tool. It forces you to get really clear on what differentiates you, and to be concise when you talk about the benefits of your services. What really bugs me, though, is how executives are being taught to commit their pitch to memory, and to use their company’s clever tag lines as part of the pitch. It sounds slick; not at all authentic. If I were your dream client, I would be eager for the doors to open - releasing me from your commercial.
This is on my mind because I have a friend who speaks only in Elevator Speech. If you casually ask him what he does, he says something like, “I provide the highest-quality strategic counsel for leading companies that seek to raise their visibility in the crowded and competitive global marketplace. My only goal is to ensure that you meet your goals, and I won’t rest until we get there”. Of course I’m paraphrasing to protect the guilty but you get the point. He’s actually a funny, warm and genuine guy - and a pleasure to work with - but you wouldn’t know that by his elevator speech. He has his speech at-the-ready for cocktail gatherings, birthday parties, weddings and, I’m quite sure, elevator encounters. It sounds the same every time.
Here are some tips and guidelines to make sure that your elevator pitch goes all the way to the top:
- Make it real. You want to make sure that you always sound like, well, you. Marketing-speak rarely sounds authentic. Chart out what it is that you want to convey, and then put those concepts into language that you use everyday. For instance, when was the last time you talked about a robust ecosystem at a dinner party?(Geek alert: If you talk about robust ecosystems at dinner parties, you need to work on more than your elevator pitch!)
- Listen. If you get out of the elevator having done all of the talking, you’ve missed your real opportunity. That is, to get to know your potential customer. You may well be the right person, at the right time, with the right service - but there is no way for you to tailor your pitch if you don’t take a few seconds to listen to your dream client’s unique needs.
- Know when to stop. If you have brilliantly landed your opening salvo, and the response is, “How ’bout those Yankees?”, save your breath. Go ahead and talk about the Yankees, and politely offer your business card. You may even make a better connection talking about a great baseball pitch instead of pushing an elevator pitch.
- Always have your business card or brochure ready. Whether the response to your elevator pitch is hot or lukewarm, your business card and/or brochure is the essential closer. You don’t have much time with this person, so you don’t want to waste it talking about contact information. Let them know how much you’d welcome a conversation outside of the elevator!
My point is this: Get clear on the benefits of your business, and what you want prospective clients to know about you. If you believe in those benefits, and can speak to them naturally and authentically, you’re much more likely to connect on a personal level, and win the business.
One Response to “The Elevator Speech: Going Down”
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Great post, Lynn! In fact, I just sent out a note on Twitter about it…
If you’re ever travelling to Vancouver, and are interested in speaking yourself, please let me know. I’m the co-director of the Professional Development committee for the International Association of Business Communicators, and we’re always looking for good speakers!
Regards,
Sharon
Owner, ProofingQueen(R) Editing
(Twitter name: ProofingQueen)