Perfecting the Elevator Speech – Part 1

The idea of the elevator speech is this…

You step into an elevator and you come face to face with someone whom 1) you want to have invest in your business 2) you want to sell your products to 3) you want to partner with or 4) they ask, “What you do?”.

In this scenario you only have a few minutes to rattle off key information about your business before one of you steps off the elevator.

Not only is the elevator speech short because you don’t have much time to chat, but consider that most people don’t have a very long attention span and many of us don’t have a great memory. Couple all of that with lots of other people, information and overwhelm at an industry event and you will want to be sure to have a speech that stands out and is remembered.

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Here are a few ways to perfect your elevator pitch so that amidst all of the other elevator pitches yours will stand out.

Keep it short. Remember you only have a limited amount of time. Can you write your elevator pitch on the back of a business card? If not, it may be too long. You have to really know what your business is about, what your goals are and what you want to accomplish in order to write your pitch on the back of a business card. Being focused and able to explain your business in such a short time relays to the person you are speaking to that you know what you are talking about. You know your business.

KISS. Keep it simple stupid. Or keep it stupid-simple. Even if your business involves complicated ideas or techniques make sure to break it down into easy to understand elements. Once you confuse your listener you’ve lost them. Even a business built on complicated algorithms can be broken down to explain the basis of the service you provide and how you service is valuable. Make it easy to understand.

Make it indisputable. At the end of your speech your listener shouldn’t have any more questions and should be left feeling that everything you said made perfect sense. Make sure everything fits together logically, and answers basic questions about your business (who, what, when, where and why).

Tell them what you can do for them. I know it sounds kind of greedy but if you can leave your listener with the idea that you can do something for them you will stick with them longer. Can you help them grow their customer base, build their audience on a particular platform or increase sales? Be sure to leave them with the feeling that you could be a very helpful person.

Business card. Be sure to have a business card within easy reach at all times. You don’t want to go digging through a briefcase or handbag while talking, and don’t expect a busy business person to wait around while you dig it out, make sure to have a card close by at all times. You never know.

In my next post, Perfecting the Elevator Speech – Part 2, I’ll share more in depth information about actually writing an elevator speech.

Have you ever found yourself in an elevator with a chance to sell your business? How did it go? What did you learn from it? Please share your experiences, if you are comfortable, so we can all learn.

By: Vicki O’Dell , The Creative Goddess