Your Elevator Speech: Is it stuck in the basement?

The Tired Speech: Someone is giving their “One Minute” speech, and you can tell from the first 3 words, and the Sigh (was it theirs or yours?) that this won’t be interesting. Why: It’s not what they’re saying, but how they’re saying it. It’s the TONE of their voice (sounds like their being punished) and the expression on their face (they were just given a wedgie). They have done this a million times before and this feels like the 2 millionth time. It’s almost like they’re apologizing for having to bore you with speaking about what they do.

Communication is 15% content, 25% tone, and 60% visual.

ENTHUSIASM IS CATCHING:

You must love what you’re speaking about; passion must be felt in your words. You’ve got to spread that feeling to the room in front of you. It’s your face as well as your tone. Deadpan doesn’t do it, nor does MANICAN face, they can see through phony. A big smile, bright eyes…. it’s engaging, it’s attractive. But this is hard to manufacture. Think of telling your best friend a funny joke (not the one about the Duck & the Donkey), or making your kid laugh, that’s the emotion you’re after. Like the best day with your best client, and that winning feeling! The audience has to connect that excitement with your personality, your business and your name. So when they think of JOE the CPA, they don’t just think competent, they think SUPER-CHARGED CPA! After all you want to use someone who LOVES what they do?

The Jack-of-all-Trades Speech: “I’m a mortgage broker but I have a motivational coaching business and sell energy saving invisible fences for dog training as well as Bikram Yoga Franchises”. In tough times more and more people are doing several things to help pay the bills, (hold on, I just have to answer my HALVA hot-line). Which is great, but going to a networking event and trying to convince people you are effective at all of them is impossible. It’s hard enough to get people to remember your name, company and what you specialize in, let alone 3 or 4
different businesses.

BE A MASTER OF ONE:

If you’re not known for one thing, you will be remembered for NO-THING!

I’m not saying you can’t do a few, but at one event or one group, just talk about the one thing, and go at it whole hog. People want to feel you’re devoting all your energy, to that particular trade. So when they think of you they associate you with that specialty. (If you own “Wicked Wicker-The Erotic Furniture Line; don’t try to sell Wicker baby bassinets-it won’t work). If you want to promote other businesses, present them at other events and to different audiences, try to keep the presentations separate.

The Carbon Copy Speech: The financial advisor who “helps you plan for the future”, the realtor who “knows how to invest your money wisely”, the CPA who “can do your finances as good as anyone else”. The problem is they are generic speeches that can work with any other financial advisor, any realtor, or any CPA. They can have all the warmth in the world and they might be very “nice”(but that’s the word you used too describe the blind date your were fixed up with when you were 19) however what they lack is the “CONTENT” or the “THING” that makes them different. What is it that separates them from all the competition? If it sounds
like you’ve heard it before, if it’s too familiar, then it will also be too… “FORGETTABLE”!

YOU-NIQUE DIFFERENCE:

No matter how similar your trade is to the competition, there is an edge you can find that the others don’t have. It takes close examination; it takes a good imagination, and sometimes a very creative look at the details of your product, your service, and your competition. There’s something about you, your history, (a family business), a process you have (Cold-filtered-fire-brewed-beer), a hidden feature (Corinthian Leather, Certs with Retsyn) something that you can offer that NO-ONE-ELSE can, Finding that difference can change where your brand is, and where it will stand in the future.

The 10-minute dissertation in 1 minute: How many times have you heard someone race through their speech, trying to explain every facet and detail of what they do in that limited amount of time? It’s too much, it’s too fast, nothing is emphasized and therefore nothing is remembered. The elevator speech is designed for just that. That single minute, one might have in a chance meeting to explain who you are and what you do. It cannot be a 10-minute dissertation on “the tamper-proof cap that comes with everyone of your organic bug killer spray cans”. It has to be the one powerful broad stroke on the canvas of their mind.

1 MINUTE OF MARKETING:

It’s only one minute, so each word is really important. Take your time and make sure each word is clearly heard. Yes it’s an intro speech, but it’s still advertising. You have to capture their attention, engage them, communicate simply, have a persuasive position and most of all; do it with PASSION!

Start differently; try a question. Maybe it’s about a problem that sets up your service as the solution. Give an example of how your business had an incredible positive effect on one of your clients (“My client had such an increase in sales that his wife un-invited her mother for the weekend”). Make it personal; talk like you’re speaking to you friend. It should not feel like jargon from a power point presentation! Keep it down to 3 key points about your service. 3’s company 4 is overload.

If you can, make it entertaining. Is there a one-line joke that pertains to what you do? A memorable prop, that will help emphasize a point. Visual aids are invaluable. And most important, is your finish.

YOUR TAG-LINE: You want you’re audience to walk away with, not only a clear message of what you do, but a memorable theme that separates you from the others and stays associated with your service.

Examples

BMW: The Ultimate Driving Machine. They’ve always had cars that drove great, and they own that in their tag.

DEBEERS: A Diamond is Forever. They tied the endurance of a diamond with the biggest reason for the purchase-MARRIAGE.

PERDUE: It takes a Tough Man to Make a Tender Chicken. Frank’s quality could not be compromised in raising and preparing quality chickens.

CITIBANK: The Citi Never Sleeps. Tying the 24-hour ATM machines to the New York 24-hour life style, gave Citibank a huge edge over other banks.

ALLSTATE: You’re in Good Hands With Allstate: The fact that you’re taken care of couldn’t have been said in a more comforting way.

GEICO: 15 minutes can save you 15% in car insurance. Here’s a memorable phrase that simply emphasizes a price advantage.

The list is endless and even if they’re not differentiator’s by product features, they were said first (pre-emptive strikes) and are memorable themes that have stood up over time.

Do you have one? If not, get one. Put it at the end of your speech, the bottom of your business card and every piece of communication you use to get the word out about your business. It is the essence of your brand.

So Remember:

ELEVATOR SPEECH:

ENTHUSIASM IS CATCHING-BE PASSIONATE!

BE A MASTER OF ONE-A SINGLE SPECIALTY

YOU-NIQUE DIFFERENCE-FIND YOUR COMPETIVE EDGE

1 MINUTE OF MARKETING-GRAB, ENGAGE, PERSUADE & FINISH

YOUR TAG-LINE-THE BRAND ESSENCE

NOW…ELEVATOR GOING UP!!!

Alan Chalfin,

Alan C Advertising

www.alancadvertising.com