Article by Wellsites Design

An Elevator Speech is a short introductory paragraph you deliver verbally. Yours can be a succinct description of who you are, what you do, perhaps how you do it, but most importantly, what your skill, product or service does for others. Your elevator speech is a short and sweet introduction that showcases your professionalism, with a dash of personality thrown in for good measure.

In the time it takes you to ride an elevator with a stranger you can :

• Introduce yourself in memorable fashion
• Emphasize the benefits from the services or products you & your practice offer
• Showcase your uniqueness
• Get asked questions
• Set yourself apart from your competition
• Begin to build your new relationship

In a world in which we’re all competing for peoples’ attention, an elevator speech gives you a point of difference. Best of all, these mini-speeches can be given anytime and anywhere, not just in elevators!

 

Every great elevator speech needs to answer these key questions:

1. Who am I? (introduce yourself)
2. What business am I in?
3. What group of people do I service? (be specific – do you have a niche?)
4. What is my USP (Unique Selling Proposition)? What makes me different from the competition?
5. What benefits do my clients derive from my services?

Instead of saying this:

• Hi – I’m Carolyn  and I’m a business coach for health practitioners. A business coach is somebody who supports health practitioners in achieving their business goals. . . (yawn)

Say this:

• Hi – I’m Carolyn Dean. I show health practitioners how to create a successful practice meet the everyday demands of being in business. Allowing them to focus on delivering great therapeutic services to a clinic full of clients.

Here are some ways you can enhance your introduction:

• A good elevator speech needs to be practiced so it rolls off your tongue and sounds perfectly natural. You may feel funny about doing this at first, but try practicing in front of a mirror. Also practice your speech in the car on the way to the event.
• Project and speak clearly, but don’t drag. Talk with confidence, pride and enthusiasm. Display your passion for what you do.
• Use clean and simple language your audience can understand. Don’t use a lot of technical jargon.
• Have at least a couple versions of your speech. Many people belong to weekly networking groups, so having several different ways of talking about what you do keeps it interesting, so they don’t hear the same thing every week.
• Personalize it. Use personal stories your audience can relate to.
• Use descriptive words; paint a picture, using hearing and sight.
• Tell them how you solve your customers’ problems. Give an example of how you recently solved a problem for one of your clients.
• Talk about Benefits, not Features.
• Answer their unspoken question – Why should I come to you / buy your services?
• Eliminate the risk of coming to your practice (maybe you could offer an introductory session, or 100% money back guarantee).
• And finally, answer this question for yourself: What exactly is the role of my practice in the life of my customer?

 

26 Mar 2010

Last Update: 10 Nov 2012

Article/Information supplied by Wellsites Design

Disclaimer - Any general advice given in any article should not be relied upon and should not be taken as a substitute for visiting a qualified medical Doctor.

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