That’s Interesting, Tell me more…
(Having a powerful Elevator Communication)

by Cindy Stradling CSP, CPC

Have you ever had the experience of asking someone at a business function what they did for a living, only to have them ramble on in great detail about their roles and responsibilities?  I know I have and frankly, I usually stop listening very soon after they start to talk.  A much more effective way to engage people in conversation of this nature is to have a brief elevator communication.  Some people refer to this communication as an elevator speech or elevator pitch.  Personally I have found that if you call it a pitch or a speech that is what it sounds like, that is why I prefer calling it communication.

The purpose of having this short statement is to pique people’s interest and have them ask you to tell them more and to keep the conversation going.  When I work with groups during my sales training programs to create their own authentic elevator communication, the results are very inspiring.

Recently I had a group of 28 people participating in a sales training program and I had them go through a process to help them clearly define their own unique value they add.  Each of the 28 people were selling exactly the same products and services and yet they were able to each come up with their own authentic statement.  It was inspiring to listen to each of the participants share their elevator communication.  They all were so amazed at how different each message was and agreed this would help them in the future when they met new people.

Take a few minutes and create your own authentic communication using the process below!

Let’s  get started!

Answer the following questions:

1. What I do for my customer ?

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2. What difference does what I do make for my clients?  What impact do I have?

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3. What are some of the common issue with my clients?  Are there common triggers that cause them to buy?

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4. Reasons people do business with me (i.e. save money, save time, productivity, higher quality, better service)

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5. What do I personally bring to the offering?

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Break your communication into two parts:

1. Describe what you do

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2. Benefits to the customer

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How long should it be?

The shorter the better. Some suggest 15, 20, 30 seconds, never more than 30 seconds.  Most important is that you are authentic, and comfortable with your message and you can say it smoothly. Once you get into a conversation with the other person your elevator speech has done it’s job.

When to use?

• When introducing yourself to others
• On your outgoing voice mail message
• In your outgoing email signature
• On your literature, advertising, business card or letterhead
• When you leave a voice mail
• On your website
• When you are in a conversation with someone on the phone
• Networking events

Tips

• Write your elevator communication
• Practice, practice, practice
• Preface your elevator communication by asking for permission to continue – during a phone conversation (say something like “Do you have a moment?”)
• In the beginning some people include a “So That” phrase as a connector between parts 1 and 2 – not necessary and usually once you are comfortable with you Elevator Speech you may find you will not use this at all
• Use your elevator communication everyday