floor 'em with a great elevator speech
DESCRIPTION
How to introduce yourself or your business in two minutes or less.TRANSCRIPT
Floor ’Em with a Great Elevator Speech
Anthony Juliano
Greater Fort Wayne Chamber of Commerce May 14, 2009
Hello!I’m here to bring you
some bad news!
(And some good news…but that comes later)
Today’s communication environment is challenging,
cluttered, and chaotic …
and you have about 2 min. to convince your audience you
deserve their attention
(Actually, you have a lot less
than 2 min.)
And there’s more bad news!
The “world's least reassuring elevator sign”
WIIFM?
Most elevator
speeches are
BROKEN
Common elevator speech problems
• Too broad – don’t try to say everything!• Too bland• Too long• Not targeted• Focused on you, not your audience
I want to plummet to my death
My name is John Doe, and I’m the marketing and communication manager for Doe’s
Widgets, LLC. We design, manufacture and distribute widgets of all shapes and sizes for OEMs worldwide. We have 4 plants located
throughout northeast Indiana, and 150 employees statewide. We have been in
business since 1985 blah blah blah, your audience has stopped listening…
What’s wrong?
• Title• “LLC”• Don’t say what you do, say what you can do for them• “OEM”: don’t use jargon; your audience will be trying to decipher it instead of listening to the rest of your pitch• Stats: only if you’re quantifying a benefit
Now here’s the good news…
How do you GET and KEEPyour audience’s attention?
Six ways to floor ’em
1. Use the word “you”
2. Differentiate yourself
3. Use a memorable analogy
4. Be conversational
5. Have a call to action
6. Rehearse (but don’t memorize)
Remember Mad Libs?
Your Outline
Hi! I’m [Your name] with [Organization].We [something unique] for [a very specific
audience]. We’re like [memorable analogy]. My goal is to [sum up an outcome]
for people/organizations like you/yours who [something they need].
[Call to action].
An example
Hi! I’m Anthony Juliano with Asher Agency.I’m a marketing strategist dedicated to helping
organizations and individuals like you understand and respond to today’s challenging communication environment. I strive to be kind
of like a communication Swiss Army knife: readily available when needed, with all the right
tools. My goal is to help you develop clear, concise messages and effective marketing
strategies. I’d love to meet sometime to talk in more detail and learn more about you.
What’s included?
• Name• Company name• Brief description of what I can do for them• Analogy• Call to action
Adapt for specific audiences!
• Prospective investors• Prospective business partners• Prospective employees• Prospective employers
THEIR NEEDS ARE DIFFERENT THAN THE NEEDS OF YOUR PROSPECTIVE CUSTOMERS
Use the outline, or
adapt from it
And try it out at the Chamber’s Morning Mix on
May 21
Questions?
