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I recently experienced the worst form of elevator speech possible. I didn’t run to find a fire hose but I ended up reading the riot act to the person!
There I was at my favorite supermarket store. I had just been to a client meeting when I remembered that I had to pick up a few household items.
So I went down to the toiletries and housecleaning products section. I needed to buy soap.
My favorite brand had launched a new soap and my regular saleslady wanted to show it to me. An otherwise normal gentleman was standing in my way.
Polite request to move led to a 3 minute monologue.
The gentleman started off with the fact that he wanted to sell a concept.
Out of politeness I asked what the concept was.
Out came the business card and the next thing I knew; I was buried under an information avalanche by his entire biodata.
The fact that it had been a decade since he had launched his herbal range, the top places where the products could be found and how he was making the sales of his products improve in the store where they had launched the range 2 years ago.
Name, place, animal, thing, I heard everything and more in 3 minutes.
The fact that I had a glazed look in my eyes was no deterrent!
A polite nod of acknowledgement and a ‘that’s nice’ and back to the purpose of my shopping – soap. I decided to try the new soap and was about to move on when the gentleman intervened with the sentence
“Your hands are absolutely dry. Do you even use anything on them?”
(Fact: My hands were perfectly alright – the product or concept that he was launching was hand cream!)
Then followed the Riot Act and by chance, the owner of the shop was there and had the gentleman removed from the premises. You do not upset a customer of over 10 years standing for a hand cream sale.
I later learned from the Shop Manager that there had been other complaints and the owner was there that day to actually monitor the complaints.
Not sure what happened after I left but I did do a profile check on LinkedIn and found out that a number of assertions in the “Elevator Pitch” were false.
Credibility check got a zero and I am not going to be buying the concept or the hand cream.
How to stop a prospective client or network contact running to find a fire hose
I have a solution to avoid being read the Riot Act.
We all have our own special elevator speeches. While I will not go into the details of creating one in this post, the above template would have helped him avoid my ire.
So here’s my shot at what he could have said, and no, I don’t have rhino skin hands, thank you.
I create Ayurveda based herbal products for busy ladies with rhino skin hands who prefer natural ingredients but don’t have time to go to beauty parlors create the spa experience at home and acquire smooth beautiful perfumed soft hands.
An elevator speech or pitch requires more than summarizing yourself into a 30 second commercial.
It requires crafting the right pitch to the right audience and I’ve got a solution!
When you determine what your brand stands for, you can develop an elevator pitch to match. I’ve created an entire self-study product for this.
Learn more about this product by clicking here or on the image below.
10 Tips to deliver your Elevator Speech with impact
- Keep it short, simple and time limit it to 30 seconds, or at least not more than a minute.
- Maintain eye contact with the listener.
- Make it sound sincere, effortless, natural and conversational. It should not sound like a recorded message. Don’t ramble or go off track.
- Make it interesting to engage the listener prompting him or her to ask more and keep the conversation going. In other words, avoid an Elevator Speech that makes the listener wonder “So what?” or get glazed eyes.
- Be discerning about the time and place to deliver your Elevator Speech. Modify it for the occasion, if necessary.
- Smile. Be warm, friendly and deliver your speech with confidence.
- Consider incorporating examples in your Elevator Speech and avoid jargon when speaking to a non-industry person. So if you are in public relations and keep using the word “Premium” with a non-industry person without the PR part, you might get mistaken for an insurance agent. (Trust me, I’ve seen it happen at a networking event!)
- Can you provide a benefit to the listener? Put it in your 30 second pitch.
- Do you have a Unique Selling Proposition? Put it in your 30 second pitch.
- Your Elevator Speech is a work in progress. Update it as your situation changes.
In addition, I suggest working on your Executive Presence too.
Does your Elevator Speech meet the above requirements?
Not sure? Watch the below video to learn how I can help you in drafting or tweaking your Elevator Speech. Better to be safe than hosed down!
Read more about this course cum coaching product here.
Update: This blog post was originally published in January 2013 and has been revised for new content and products to help the discerning professional/solopreneur crack the code to their brand Click here.
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You were much nicer than I would have been. I’ve had moments when I had to actually either walk away in the middle or their speech or risk being verbally abusive!
Thank you Barb!The poor salesman got lucky that I didn’t have an inspired moment of clobbering him. 🙂
Sadly, many salespeople assume that prospects are easy pickings! Not a nice experience for you, but a good example of what not to do for those struggling with that elevator speech. The ten tips are spot on!
Thank you Vatsala! Nice connecting with you!
Lovely connecting with you too, Vidya. You’re right about the sales people and yes, the experience inspired the blog post. As an update, the chap was never seen there again. 🙂
Haha, that is funny and so true! I do love my elevator speech to be intuitive and changeable to each situation so i don’t have it sprinted, but i keep it short and sweet. People usually ask me more questions and want more details.
The follow up questions is a sure sign that your Elevator Speech has hit the bull’s eye, Rachel. Well done!
You are certainly a more patient (and polite) woman than I. That wasn’t an elevator speech, that was someone hijacking your time and draining valuable energy. Although, you did learn something from the experience – and received a great topic to write about – so it was a waste of time. Thanks for the elevator speech tips and tricks. You have a wealth of knowledge; thanks for sharing it with us!
It was quite an experience and I rarely read the Riot Act to a sales person because I know they are doing their job but this time, it was too much. Glad you enjoyed the post and tips, Cindy.
Hahahah Vatsala
That was fun at the same time I don’t know if I will be patient to listen to him.
Thank you for sharing these tips.
I had no option, Leila, I unwittingly walked into the trap. 🙂 I’m a regular customer there since they opened in 2001 and the staff recognizes my voice on the phone. They had never seen me that angry. 🙂
I am still laughing! Nothing like being trapped in an “elevator” with someone forcing their sales pitch on you. People don’t want to feel sold. I was recently a vendor at a book pavilion and one of the topics included the elevator pitch. Each of us had the opportunity to practice. Someone had a 3 minute pitch! Thanks for sharing your experience as it helps put into perspective the importance of a short and concise pitch.
I absolutely agree with you Sharise. I mentioned the aromatherapy lady in another comment earlier and the fact is that she managed to sell to me on our first meeting and improved the life time value of my patronage by not shoving essential oils down my throat. 🙂
I have heard of “elevator pitches”, but you have explained it so well…Thank you! What an awesome idea Vatsala! This is so important for network marketing to ensure that people know who and what you are all about 🙂
Thanks Joan. Many folks often get the elevator pitch confused with an opportunity to do a Shakespearean monologue without realizing that the other person is no longer paying attention. 🙂
Great advice! I first heard about an elevator pitch when I took a business course for women entrepreneurs here in Maine. It is an important verbal “calling card” to have mastered!
Absolutely, K.Lee! Making the right introduction is essential for effective networking and business.