YourYour Elevator Speech is a Mini-Presentation
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Use this as a Template for Your Elevator Speech!
The term, Elevator Speech, implies it’s something that won’t take very long to deliver. If someone’s only going to be in an elevator with you till the next floor, it may be less than a minute. It’s not an exercise to take casually.
Just as an Elevator goes up one floor at a time, the Elevator Speech should be delivered “by the floor.”
At each stop, the verbal and/or nonverbal signal to look for is, “Tell me more.”
Everyone doesn’t want to go to the Top Floor with you. Some don’t want to leave the lobby! There is no need to waste time and energy taking them all the way up.
The Elevator Speech can be a good tool for Qualifying and DisQualifying prospects.
The Elevator Speech starts simple. As interest and time permit, it is expanded.
Again, not everyone wants to go with you to the Top Floor and you don’t want to take everyone there.
Let’s get in the Elevator and start going up!
1st Floor – Describes Who You Are
Hello! My Name is Fred Miller.
That may be all someone wants to know about you – Your Name.
2nd Floor – Describes What You Do
I’m a Speaker, a Coach and an Author.
That’s what I do.
Hopefully, they want to know:
What I speak about.
What I coach.
What have I authored.
On this floor, very briefly, tell them what you do. Don’t give a lot of details.
3rd Floor – Describes Your Expertise
The Title of my Book is, “No Sweat Public Speaking!”
How to Develop, Practice, and Deliver a ‘Knock Your Socks Off!’ Presentation with –
No Sweat!
This is where you tell something about why you have expertise in what you do.
4th Floor – Why They Hire Me
Businesses and Individuals Hire Me Because they want to improve their Public Speaking and Presentation Skills.
I prefer the words Hire Me rather than:
“I work with people who. . .
“I help people. . .
Hire Me lets them know I get Paid to do this.
Hire Me can be an excellent Dis-Qualifier.
The word “because” is important. It has a positive psychological impact on the recipient.
5th Floor – More Why They Hire Me
They do this because:
We perceive really good speakers as Experts.
Perception is reality.
We like to work with Experts.
Here, expand on why they hire you.
6th Floor – More Information
They know:
Speaking Opportunities are Business Opportunities.
Speaking Opportunities are Career Opportunities.
Speaking Opportunities are Leadership Opportunities.
You may not have time or need to deliver more information, but it’s good
to have it as an option.
I could follow this up with,
“Are You Taking and Making Speaking Opportunities?”
That could continue the conversation.
This is an Elevator Speech, not a Sales Presentation.
If this leads to a meeting and a conversation, I’ll ask it at that time.
7th Floor – I Deliver
I show them how to Develop, Practice, and Deliver a ‘Knock Your Socks Off!’ Presentation with – No Sweat!
The “No Sweat!” is part of my Branding. If you have a “Brand” it’s this is a great place to use it!
8th Floor – ASK!
“You probably don’t know any companies or people who could use the services I offer,
Do You?
Asking the question this way will catch them a bit off guard and usually get them thinking.
Their answer could be a prospect.
Somewhere on the ride up, the person you’re delivering to, is curious enough to tell you they want to know more and have a conversation in the future.
If not, ASKING them is the next best thing to do. What have you got to lose?
Be aware that an Elevator Speech, just like any presentation, consists of two Components:
Content and Delivery.
Plan your Content.
• Read The Elevator Speech Booklet.
• Very little, but pertinent information, for each “floor.”
• Continually refresh it. Change is constant.
• You learn new skills and have new experiences that can be
valuable to mention.
Delivery is Verbal and NonVerbal.
Verbal: The way the words are spoken.
• Speak clearly and distinctly.
NonVerbal, Everything else.
• Smile. It’s universal and gets a positive response.
• Make eye contact to show honesty and sincerity.
• Stand tall and lean in slightly to listen and/or shake hands.
• If appropriate to shake hands, give a firm handshake.
Now, work on Your Elevator Speech.
Then, if you’re inclined, go to the Comments Section, please, and
share Your Elevator Speech!
For reading, and/or listening, this far I’d like to give you a FREE Gift.
Go to: https://nosweatpublicspeaking.com/freegift to receive it!
About the Author
Fred E. Miller is a speaker, a coach, and author of the book,
“No Sweat Public Speaking!”
Businesses and individuals hire him because they want to improve their
Public Speaking and Presentation Skills.
They do this because we perceive really great speakers to be Experts.
Perception is reality and we rather deal with Experts.
They also know:
Speaking Opportunities are Business Opportunities.
Speaking Opportunities are Career Opportunities.
Speaking Opportunities are Leadership Opportunities.
He shows them how to
Develop, Practice, and Deliver ‘Knock Your Socks Off Presentations!’ with –
No Sweat!
Fred E. Miller
Fred@NoSweatPublicSpeaking.com
nosweatpublicspeaking.com
Connect/Follow me:
FaceBook
LinkedIn
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314-517-8772
7 Comments
Janice Tomich says
January 8, 2012 at 1:39 pmGood insight Fred!
Question for you – Why did you ask, ““You probably don’t know any companies or people who could use the services I offer, Do You? in the negative instead of asking, “Do you know someone?”
I might add practice, practice, practice, until your elevator speech does not sound canned. This means be ready for many iterations determined by the responses of the people you meet and what you find out/learn about their industry.
Thanks Fred.
Fred E. Miller says
January 8, 2012 at 1:49 pmThanks for taking time to comment, and the question, Janice.
I learned this “strip line” technique through the Sandler Sales Course I’ve been taking for years. Asking in that manner is called a “pattern interrupt.” It’s catches the recipient a bit off guard and makes them think.
If asked, “Do you know anyone. . .””No” is the more likely answer.
It’s important, when using this technique, to not come across as a smart aleck. Try it sometime!
You are correct that all elevator speeches, like a good presentation, should come across as natural and not canned.
One important thing about developing an elevator speech in this manner is that more information is given only when it is needed.
The speech can do some sorting and sifting of possible prospects. Ideally, it leads to a “conversation” in the future to ask each other some questions to determine what, if any fit, there is for what I do.
Kimberly Bordonaro says
January 8, 2012 at 2:27 pmExcellent post, Fred. I especially love the creativity of adding “the floors” to the flow of your thirty second commercial. As a personal branding consultant, I’m hyper-aware of elevator pitches and positioning statements. You touched on branding on the seventh floor in “I deliver!” and I would perhaps expand your insights on that element of the pitch because it is a crucial one. The delivery is a great place to explain your competitive edge and what sets you apart from your competition. It’s your unique promise of value and what they can expect when hiring you. An expanded explanation may be found on my blog post on positioning your personal brand at http://bit.ly/rvkeHN
Btw, back in my days training mortgage and realtors on developing their personal brands and selling by referral, I used to read a lot of Tom Hopkins’ books and he also suggests the reverse question technique. It’s pretty effective when done appropriately!
Janice Tomich says
January 8, 2012 at 2:28 pmYes, I understand your line of thinking and yes, the negative line did disrupt my thinking. I agree – if the question is asked in the positive the response more often than not is no.
In my experience only those who are interested will want to continue the conversation if they are piqued by what is said. A great qualifier indeed.
Thanks!
Fred E. Miller says
January 8, 2012 at 5:07 pmYou’re correct, Kimberly, about having something in the Elevator Speech that separates the person delivering it from their competition.
They should have the mindset that at each floor, when they give additional information to the person they’re talking to, that individual is thinking, “So what?”
Delivering those distinctions will answer that question!
Thanks for visiting and taking time to comment.
Make your next presentation – No Sweat!
Donna says
January 15, 2012 at 5:34 amElevator speech:
My name is Donna Baylor
I am a corporate trainer
I work with business that want to increase the effectiveness of their staffs activities.
Nancy Nix-Rice says
July 8, 2012 at 12:37 pmVery helpful post, Fred. I’m taking you up on your offer to review what we developed using your system. I realize that I’ve been talking way too much about the process and not enough about the results. Here’s my attempt so far, and I look forward to your feedback. I’m struggling with the question at the 7th floor.
1 – Hi, My name is Nancy Nix-Rice
2 – I’m a speaker, author and wardrobe consultant
3 – My book is titled “LOOKING GOOD” and it’s been a top-seller in its category on Amazon.
4 – Women hire me because they’re sick and tired of struggling with a closet packed full of nothing they feel great wearing –both for their professional life and their personal occasions.
5 – They do that because they realize that other people make judgements about us based on how we present ourselves. We perceive really put-together people as smarter and more talented than other folks … and perception is reality. We all want to work with the smartest, most talented people …
6 – They know that – even though they’ve been dressing themselves since kindergarten – they are still somewhere short of being their own best advertisement.
7 – I teach them how to look like a million bucks every day … and usually for lot less money than they’re spending on clothes now.