Monday, July 9, 2018

July Newsletter

Develop a good elevator speech.

An elevator speech is a short and sweet summary that describes a product or service and its primary benefit. It’s called an elevator speech because it delivers the summary in the time it takes for a short elevator ride, usually somewhere between 30 and 90 seconds.

A good elevator speech is a useful business tool.

Jill Konrath, founder of STBB, explains why, "In today’s fast-paced world, the average person is bombarded with thousands of marketing messages from multiple mediums every single day. Advertising is everywhere— television, radio, road signs, e-mail, banner ads, direct mail, clothing, pens, newspapers, and magazines. These pervasive and often intrusive methods of capturing attention have created a backlash; most people don’t even notice them anymore."

The process of creating your elevator speech is a great way to get focused on what your company’s central message should be. Having a concise, powerful statement that describes what you do and that reveals a benefit that is appealing to the self-interest of your listener will serve you well with prospective investors, employees, and vendors.

Things to remember:

• Shorter is better. I limit my elevator speech to 30 seconds.

• Do not use jargon or technical terms.

• Do not use business clichés such as, "We offer a ‘best of breed’ solution for . . ."

• The fewer the syllables and the shorter the words and sentences the better.

Your elevator speech should be delivered with enthusiasm. If you’re not excited about what you’re offering, why should the listener be?

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