The Elevator Speech

Is a tool used by job-seekers and for organizations and individuals with products and services to sell. Gives your audience the who, what, and why in about a minute – the length of time it takes to ride from the top to the bottom of a building in an elevator.

The Elevator Speech is an effective tool that can be used in any number of situations: events designed specifically for networking casual networking opportunities we encounter nearly every day – the kids soccer games, plane flights, waiting in line to buy tickets, etc. career or job fairs cold calls to employers cold calls to absent employers – leaving your Elevator Speech in the form of a voic message virtually guarantees the employer will call back (Assuming your speech is sufficiently compelling, call after hours when you know for sure you will get the employers voic )

The Elevator Speech is an effective tool that can be used in any number of situations: Opportunities within your own company to talk with higher-ups, let them know youre doing a great job, and position you for promotion Job interviews, where the Elevator Speech can provide the answer to at least two common interview questions: Tell me about yourself and Why should I hire you?

Outline your elevator speech using these questions: Who am I? What do I offer? What problem is solved? What are the main contributions I can make? What should the listener do as a result of hearing this?

Things to Remember… Know your audience. Employ a You Attitude. Stress your benefit to the listener and touch on how youre better than the competition.

The Elevator Speech This principle encompasses many names: unique selling proposition, value proposition, benefit statement, competitive advantage, deliverables, differentiation… The bottom line is the same: what can you bring to the employer, and how can you do it better than anyone else?

Know Yourself Be sure to include: – key strengths – adjectives that describe you – a description of what you are trying to let others know about you – a statement of your interest in the company or industry the person (audience) represents

Try to answer: The listeners unspoken question is: Why should I do business with/hire you?

Sound Bites Short, second Elevator Speeches are referred to as Sound Bites. You would use your Sound Bite in situations where you are meeting a lot of people and probably not spending a great deal of time with any one of them. The trick is to make your Sound Bite so intriguing that people will want to spend more time talking with you.

Sound Bites At its most basic level, the Sound Bites structure is: Hi, my name is __________. Im in the _________ field, and Im looking to _______. The last blank would be filled in with your current career aspiration, whether it is to stay within your field and move up or move into a different career.

Sound Bites A college student or new graduate might add the following to the basic structure: Hi, my name is _________. I will be graduating/I just graduated from _________ with a (diploma/degree) in ___________. Im looking to ____________.

Sound Bites You can stick with the Sound Bites basic structure and see where it takes you. It may not take you very far because it lacks two things: a hook and a request for action. If you add an element of intrigue – a hook by incorporating your unique selling proposition, the ensuing conversation has considerable potential.

Example One Networker 1:Hi, my name is Pat Southwick. I make dreams come true. Networker 2:How do you do that? Networker 1:Im a wedding planner. I plan dream weddings for couples. Ive been working for myself, but Id like to get in with one of the big resorts that hosts weddings.

Example Two Networker 1:Hi, my name is Sam Watson. Im responsible for this countrys future. Networker 2:This Ive got to hear about! Networker 1:Im a teacher! I love shaping the minds of the next generation, but Im also interested in getting into corporate training.

Now you try! Who am I? (introduce yourself) What business/field/industry am I in? (Identify yourself in terms of a job function or contribution. What do you do?) What group of people do I service? (be specific – do you have a niche?) What position am I in? In what capacity do I serve? What makes me different from the competition? (Develop a statement of the primary differentiation of yourself. The differentiation is the single most important thing that sets you apart from the competition.) What benefits do my customers derive from my services? What benefits can employers derive from my skills based on my proven accomplishments?

References Hansen, Katharine. Fantastic Formulas for Composing Elevator Speeches. Retrieved February, 2, 2009, from: hes.html hes.html Hansen, Katharine. The Elevator Speech is the Swiss Army Knife of Job-Search Tools. Retrieved February 2, 2009, from: hes.html