What Is Your Elevator Speech?
by Jeffrey J. Mayer

 

You�re in an elevator and in walks the prospect you�ve been trying to reach for a year. You�ve got 15 seconds to make an impression. An elevator speech. What do you say... 

�Hi, my name is Stan Smith, I sell real estate.� or 
�Hi, I�m Shirley Jones, I�m a financial consultant.� or 
�Hi, my name is Elizabeth Gonzalez, and I�m an executive recruiter.�

How far do you think any of these statements will take you?

Do they continue the conversation? Do they get you an appointment? Do they get you any business? NO! NO!! NO!!!

The reason these statements don�t get you a response - or any business - is because they�re focused on you. What you do. Not what�s of interest - or benefit - to the customer.

New eBook: Opening Doors with a Brilliant Elevator Speech. CLICK HERE to read more

SO WHAT! When you can say �SO WHAT!� after a statement, it�s not a benefit. And that�s why you�re not getting anywhere.

Question: What�s the most popular radio station in the US?
Answer: WII-FM - WHAT�S IN IT FOR ME!!!

As an alternative, Stan could say: 

�Hi, my name is Stan Smith, I work with people who want to achieve superior returns on their real estate investments, while saving money on their taxes, and I�m so glad that I�ve finally got the opportunity to meet you Mr. Trump. Do you have a quick moment to chat, or may I give you a call at your office.�

Shirley could say: 

�Hi, I�m Shirley Jones, and I work with people who want to accumulate wealth by investing in undervalued securities. Do you have a moment?�

Elizabeth could say: 

�Hi, my name is Elizabeth Gonzalez, I work with growing companies that need to find talented people so they can grow their business and become more profitable and successful. Do you have a moment?�

Elevator Speech Benefit Statements

I call these statements Benefit Statements for they focus on the benefits that you offer to your client/customer, as opposed to focusing on what it is you do.

Let me give you another example. This is the bio from one of my books.

Jeffrey J. Mayer is one of the country�s foremost authorities on time and business management, [SO WHAT!] and is the author of many best-selling books. [SO WHAT!] He has been featured in The New York Times, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, Esquire, People magazine, and many other publications. [SO WHAT!]

For years I�ve used that bio and I wondered why I never got any phone calls.

Today it reads a bit differently:

Jeffrey Mayer helps business owners, corporate executives and sales professionals manage their time, set their priorities, and stay focused so they can achieve their goals, grow their business, and be more successful.

And here�s another example. My wife used to say that she was an interior designer. Today she says: �I work with people who want to have beautiful homes.�

A client of mine who is a Mary Kay Consultant says: 

�I help women look beautiful.�

A CPA client of mine now says: 

�I help people keep more of their money by showing them how to pay less to Uncle Sam in taxes.�

Elevator Speech Action Items

 This is what I want you to do.

Write down a list of the BENEFITS that your clients/customers derive from working from you. Then use those words/phrases to create your benefit statement.

If you would like to learn more about how to craft your elevator speech, you can CLICK HERE to order my new eBook Opening Doors with a Brilliant Elevator Speech. 


Reprinted with permission from "Jeffrey Mayer's Succeeding In Business Newsletter". To subscribe to Jeff's free newsletter, visit http://www.SucceedingInBusiness.com , send e-mail to mailto:[email protected] with your e-mail address in the message body and with "join" in the subject line, or call 312-944-4184.)