Is Your Elevator Speech Flat?
How do you respond when someone asks: “What do you do?”
It has been said that the problem with elevator speeches is that no one wants to hear an unsolicited speech and even if they did, the last place they would want to hear it is in an elevator. But the basic idea of an elevator speech is sound.
Rethink Your Elevator Speech
Think about your objective: Do you want to explain exactly what you do to your audience? Or do you want to leave them hanging, curious to ask you more?
The Salty Sound Bite
Think of your elevator speech as a “salty” sound bite. In Genius Simple Branding™ you hear us talking about salty headlines that make you thirst for more. Think about a television sound bite, in which network TV anchors are charged with maintaining your interest, even when there is a commercial coming up. The goal of a salty sound bite is not to inform, but to create interest; to tease; to create a “what the heck?” response; to beg a question. Liberally salting your sound bite three times will greatly enhance the flavor of your brand:
- The Intro – State your name clearly and sprinkle salt by describing your company with a metaphor such as, “We are like a SWAT team that comes in and helps you deal with accounting emergencies.”
- The “What the Heck?” Factor – Start this area by defining whom you help. This is the time to go very heavy with the salt. Make a claim that really hits home with your audience and makes them want to go further and find out more. For example: “We help IT directors protect the very lifeblood of their companies.” Though every fiber of your being wants to start explaining – resist the temptation to inform what the “lifeblood” is. Just continue to your final salting.
- The “Difference Maker” – Initially, start this sentence off with “We are different because…”. For example: “We are different because we are the only company in the industry with a step-by-step instructional DVD that guides you through our patented Alpha Cloning process.”
Remember, what’s salty for one person might be beyond boring for another. That’s alright because you only want to salt your prospects and interested parties.
Measure the effectiveness of your salty sound bite by how noting many people follow up with comments or questions.
Brand well and prosper!
Andy Cleary