You might be wondering what on earth an elevator speech is and why you would want to develop one? Simply put, your elevator speech is a concise, powerful statement clearly defining what you do, and presented in such a way that it creates a desire for more information. I call it an "elevator speech" because you must be able to quickly communicate what you do, in no more time than it would take an elevator to go from the tenth floor to the lobby of a hotel. The key to an effective elevator speech is to sufficiently peak the other person’s curiosity enough to cause them to ask you for more information about what you do. I am constantly surprised and disappointed in the number of salespeople that cannot articulate what it is that they do in an interesting or intriguing manner. The temptation for the vast majority of salespeople is to make the mistake of overwhelming their potential prospect with long-winded statements about themselves, their company, product or service.
Before you can reasonably expect someone to ask you what you do for a living, you must first introduce yourself and inquire about them. This approach is not only polite, but it also allows you to qualify a potential prospect. Remember to show genuine interest in what they say and ask them to elaborate on what it is they do. After they have finished answering your questions, it is only natural for them to want to reciprocate and inquire about what it is you do for a living. This is when you use your elevator speech to its full advantage! For example, I don’t tell people that I am a sales trainer and motivational speaker, because that statement doesn’t stand out nor does it generate curiosity about me. I find it much more effective to tell people that I work with organizations that are serious about increasing sales production and with executives interested in improving their recruiting program. I find that this type of statement creates the environment for an interested prospect to naturally want to find out more information about what I do and how I do it.
Once you have developed your elevator speech it is important to practice it until it sounds natural. I recommend that you rehearse it daily until it is smooth and polished, and then try it out on a prospect. A professionally delivered elevator speech will not only make you stand out from the crowd, but it will also generate more leads!
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John Boe, based in Monterey, CA, is recognized as one of the nation’s top sales trainers and motivational speakers. He helps companies recruit, train and motivate quality people. John is a leading authority on body language and temperament styles. To view
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