Now of course in UK parlance an elevator is a ‘lift’ and that is what the best elevator speeches should do. Lift your profile, lift your standing in the eyes of the receiver and give your audience a lift to your ‘shop’ floor, lifting you morale in the process, as the first stage in delivering advocates and/or ‘sales’ for your organisation.
First and foremost, ditch the word ‘speech’ and substitute this with the word ‘dialogue’, for this is the first step in you establishing a conversation with prospective partners and customers.
Then if you want to achieve that lift to the next floor and beyond, all the way to the penthouse, in my view, here are the top 10 do’s and don’ts when developing and delivering your message…
Do…
- Prepare
- Know your audience
- Adopt a tone of voice that is a good ‘brand fit’ for that audience
- Include some of their values and link them seamlessly to your own
- Ensure the construct leaves your audience feeling positively disposed and keen for more
- Look your audience in the eye
- Have a beginning, a middle and an end that link
- Ensure that there is just one underlying message your audience will take from your discourse
- Have a memorable sign-off that is absolutely in tune with your business, your values and the benefit for your audience
- Ensure that sign-off is action oriented and benefit led
Don’t…
- Walk about the room – you want the audience to focus on what is being said, not what is being done
- Patronise – don’t alienate your future prospects by belittling them or any other group they might be associated with
- Hard sell – this is not the time
- Tell a joke – you’re not a comedian!
- Evangelise – you’re not a priest!
- Lecture – you’re not a professor!
- Shout – they’re not deaf!
- Use inappropriate props – they’re distracting at best, irrelevant at worst
- Use inappropriate language – it won’t get them on your side, you’re more likely to be taken aside later
- Race to the climax – it’s not speed dating!
Best & Worst Elevators
Best…
At a recent event, a Director of a start-up software developer gave perhaps the most relevant, real and reassuringly jargon free introduction to his product launch I’ve heard. Not just from his sector, but business wide.
In 60 seconds, he delivered a benefit led, succinct, but not rushed, pithy presentation of the key facets of his organisation’s area of activity. He identified his core target customers and how we could identify those clients too. In effect, he gave us the tools by which to advocate his product to anyone we thought fitted the bill. And yet we’d only had the briefest of introductions. I was totally switched on to his product, his company and his personality, which no doubt permeates his company too. And I’m no friend of technology! It absolutely got me thinking of who I might in turn introduce to him.
Worst…
The worst elevator I’ve heard of late, came from a seemingly well respected lawyer. Yes, this is someone who is supposed to be good orator, communicator and persuader.
Coupled with these characteristics, you would expect expertise, experience and reassurance to positively radiate through his very words when presenting his business. Nothing could be further from the truth, in this instance.
The man was so busy trying to deliver the name of his firm, obviously believing brand awareness was the be all and end all, that he failed to deliver any points of differentiation that would enable him to stand him out from a crowded legal community.
The lawyer’s delivery was benign. He listed the generic services his practice provides and repeated the firm’s name time and again. At least I wouldn’t forget it! However, there was no point at which I could distinguish his from any other firm and certainly he delivered no determinable personality that would identify and establish in my mind, whether I or any other potential client would feel comfortable in his presence, let alone reveal sometimes intimate details of business or personal affairs.
His delivery and content just left me cold and I am sure, the rest of the 100 delegates.