90 Words in 30 Seconds

Most experts would agree that one of the best ways to grow your business is by networking. Meeting potential clients at events and meetings is going to be a successful strategy as long as you go about it in the right way. The inevitable big question that always comes up in every networking encounter is “What do you do?” Too many people in the promotional products industry have not developed an answer that will move the conversation along. They say something like, “I sell imprinted items.” A typical response is “Oh . . . nice,” which means that the person you are talking to has no idea where to go with the conversation. If you want to be more effective at meeting and greeting new people, you need to develop an “elevator speech,” a short description of you, what you do best and want others to remember about you. It should contain approximately 90 words and be delivered in 30 seconds!

This term is taken from the early days of the Internet, when web development companies were searching for capital. Finance firms were swamped with applications for money and the companies that won the cash were often the ones with a simple pitch. The best were those that could explain a business proposition to the occupants of an elevator in the time it took to ride to their floor. A good elevator speech could describe and sell an idea in 30 seconds or less. Today it’s any kind of short speech that sells an idea, promotes your business or markets you as an individual.

Think of your elevator speech as an expanded version of your business card—another essential item needed in all situations. Even cards containing hundreds of words of copy cannot communicate as effectively as a face-to-face meeting. When you have that opportunity, you need to be able to say:

· Who you are
· What you do
· What you’re interested in doing
· How you can be a resource to the listener

If you don’t have an elevator speech, people won’t know what you really do.

Know your audience
Just like you consider the appropriate wardrobe choice for a given situation, you need to research your audience in advance and target your speech at the individuals in that audience. For instance, if you know that you will be meeting with or speaking to an all-female group, use words in your elevator speech that tend to resonate more with women. A ‘generic’ elevator pitch will be less successful than one that speaks as much as possible to your audience. You also want to avoid any possibility of it sounding like a “canned” speech, like a telemarketer reading his script!

Know yourself
You can’t convince others of your proposition until you know exactly what it is. You need to define exactly what you are offering, what problems you can you solve, and what benefits you bring to a prospective contact. Answer the following questions before you begin crafting your speech:

1. What are my key strengths?
2. What adjectives descr
3. What is it I’m trying to ‘sell’ or let others know about me?
4. Why am I interested in the listener and his company or industry?

Outline your talk
After that self-discovery exercise, you’re now ready to begin an outline using bullet points. Just make a few notes, not complete sentences, as you answer questions like these:

1. Who am I? John Doe with XYZ Promotions
2. What do I offer? Creative marketing solutions
3. What problem is solved? Promotion of your company
4. What are the main contributions I can make?
Raise brand awareness, improve morale, increase profitability
5. What should the listener do as a result of hearing this?
Want to know more about what I can do to help him

Finalize your speech
Now you’re ready to expand your notes into your final elevator speech. Remember, you’re not writing a term paper; your speech should only be 90 words in length. Use the following tips to get started:

1. Write a sentence about each note you made
2. Connect each sentence with additional phrases to make them flow
3. Edit out long words or jargon into everyday language
4. Edit again, cutting out unnecessary words
5. Finalize your speech to make sure it has no more than 90 words and can be delivered in 30 seconds

Here’s an example of an effective elevator speech using John Doe with XYZ Promotions as the subject:

“Hello, I’m John Doe with XYZ Promotions in Seattle.

We’ve been working with companies like yours to develop creative marketing solutions since 1982.

I’d like to help you find ways to better promote your business.

Using promotional products, I can raise your brand awareness, improve employee morale, and increase your bottom line.

I’d like to come by to see you the next time I’m in your neighborhood to show you some creative marketing ideas. Would that be OK?”

Yes, it takes more effort than just answering, “I sell imprinted items.” But it gives the listener more useful information about you and engages him to the point that he can ask questions, which will keep the conversation going. If he appears interested, talk to him about your company’s capabilities, such as helping clients with marketing ideas, safety programs, company stores, employee recognition, corporate apparel, etc. You want the listener to know that you are a creative problem solver, not just an ‘order taker.’ Why leave potential sales on the table by not explaining to him the full range of products and services you offer? Too many distributors sell themselves short by not making the effort of networking and sharing with others the vast array of things they can do. And remember, networking is a lifetime process. It takes time and practice and knowing how to tell others about yourself in 90 words in 30 seconds! When it’s done right, business happens.