Give Your Business a Lift with an Elevator Speech
Does your company have an elevator speech? As a public relations firm, C.E.L. has helped our clients get their message to the marketplace with effective elevator speeches for more than 20 years. An elevator speech is a compilation of your company’s key messages that when spoken, takes approximately the length of an elevator ride to recite. The elevator speech is an important tool for your company and it’s an effective way to present your brand. After all, everyone you meet is a potential customer and the elevator speech could help you launch a business relationship.
So how do you create an effective elevator speech? We have found a wonderful resource to assist you in preparing a speech that will inform and intrigue any potential client. A June 5th article in the Star Tribune introduced us to a new book that promises to be a great tool for helping you build your elevator speech.
Terri Sjodin’s new book, Small Message, Big Impact covers everything you need to know about elevator speeches and presents the information in a clear, effective way. Harvey Mackay, the journalist who introduced Star Tribune readers to the book this past Sunday, explains: “the way [Sjodin] presents the information makes it easy to absorb . . . she takes just the right amount of time to get the ideas across.”
Sjodin appears to be following her own advice. In her book she explains that you must find a balance between getting your point across and not getting caught up in too many details. The best elevator speeches are “informative and persuasive, pairing rock-solid information with compelling arguments.” She provides the 10 basic steps to developing an elevator speech along with many examples of successful speeches.
Elevator speeches are a beneficial addition to your company’s strategic plan. Sjodin suggests that presenting your company in this way requires practice and evaluation. We suggest doing a training session for your employees where they present their short company introduction. Then, get a discussion going with a goal of adopting one clear speech that every member of the team can present to potential clients effectively and consistently. If everyone is equipped with this tool, your business will be on its way to securing more clients.
We highly recommend adding Sjodin’s book to your company library immediately. With its worksheets and step-by-step explanations, it is truly a valuable resource for communicating your company message.
Check out Harvey Mackay’s full article, ”’Elevator speech’ can give business a lift” and look for Sjodin’s book Small, Message, Big Impact at a store near you!
Published on: June 7, 2011