Following on from the past blog we now take a look at what you say in a short time. There are several views on this, but this one works for me.
Firstly: Why an Elevator pitch? Well it is so you have time to deliver the pertinent points about you and your business in the time it take a lift to take a small journey. The key is to get the person you are in conversation with to ask you for further information.
Don’t be self-centred show your them you have your audience in mind. Be concise. You will demonstrate consideration and expertise by conveying your most relevant points in as short a time as possible. Here are the main points for creating your elevator speech:
1. your name : "My name is..." Look the other person in the eye. Smile. Shoulders back. Speak with confidence. Sincerity and passion are crucial in making a strong early impression.
2. your business name "I work for..." or "My business is ..." Loud clear proud again. Do not ask "Have you heard of us..?" or wait for recognition.
3. based and covering where "I am based..." and "I cover..." Adapt the town, city, geography for the situation. There is little value in mentioning a tiny village if you are at a global gathering, or your global coverage if you are at a local town gathering. Make this relevant to the situation.
4. your personal specialism and/or offering, and your aims Be different and special and better in some way from your competitors. Be meaningful for the event or situation or group, and as far as you can guess, be meaningful for the contact.
Express what you offer in terms of positive outcomes for those you help or supply, rather than focusing on technical details from your own viewpoint. Load your statements here with special benefits or qualities.
Be positive, proud and ambitious in your thinking and expression of what you do. Include in this statement what your aims are, to show you have ambition and that you know what you are seeking from network contacts.
Depending on the situation, aim to complete your explanation in less than 20 seconds. Less is more: lots of powerful points in very few words make a much bigger impact than a lengthy statement. It is a sign of a good mind if you can convey a lot of relevant impressive information in a very short time.
Conversely, a long rambling statement shows a lack of preparation, professionalism and experience.
A Top Tip: is to practice out loud in front of a mirror, this realy helps both your timing and getting the script spot on, once you have delivered it a couple of times you can always refine it.
Paul
Helping Real people do Real Business through Real networking
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