Toastmasters Speech 4 – How You Say It
The Elevator Speech – “Oh! Tell Me More!
Frank Schwall
Imagine for a second that you are at an airport on a Friday - about to board a plane for the ride home from an industry conference.
Your objective at the conference had been to establish business relationships and get follow up appointments to sell your company’s service.
You are very tired and disappointed in your lack of success.
Finally you and your fellow passengers are called to board the flight.
As begin to file down the jet bridge you realize that one of the industry leaders you wanted to meet is walking right next to you.
Your spirits briefly soar as you introduce yourself. But reality sets in quickly when she asks you “so what do you do?”
You quickly estimate that you will have this person’s attention for about one minute before she takes her seat in first class.
(You of course are relegated to an exit row in the middle of the plane.)
How do you respond?
Are you prepared to give her a clear, concise and compellingly descriptive account of what you can do for her?
And most importantly does it set the stage for a future conversation?
Filler words and rambling on will not get the job done.
What you need is an “elevator speech”.
The term elevator speech comes from the idea that in real life you only have the time it takes to ride in an elevator to get people interested in you or whatever it is that you do.
As Mike McDaniel says –“The goal of an elevator speech is to get the person you are talking with to respond by saying” – “Oh! Tell me more!”
Tonight I am going to talk about how a brief combination of descriptive words can help make your elevator speech a great one!
An advertising executive in the 1950s and 60s named Rosser Reeves (a real lifeDon Draper from Mad Men)really perfected the idea of the selling sentence or elevator speech.
The Mars Candy Company hired him to design a campaign to sell M&M’S. Do you remember the line? M&M’S melt in your mouth not in your hand. Pretty good selling sentence right?
It got people’s attention and caused them to want to know more about the product. Remember – you want people to say Oh! Tell me more!
Now let’s think for a minute about an elevator speech or selling sentence that did not go well.
This is a little bit of a stretch so give me some latitude here to make my point.
How many of you have you seen the movie The Christmas Story about the kid who wanted a BB gun for Christmas?
Ralphie was the kid’s name. He practiced and practiced his form of an elevator speech so that he would be prepared when his mom and Santa asked him what he wanted for Christmas.
When the time came and he got the question he said…
“I want an official Red Ryder, Carbine Action, Two Hundred Shot, Range Model Air Rifle.”
He spoke to fast and sounded and did not leave anything open to the imagination.
What was his mother and Santa’s reply to Ralphie’s request?
--- Did they say “Oh! Tell me more!”
No. They said “You’ll shoot your eye out.”
His request was dead on arrival. There was no room for any follow up questions.
Maybe he could have said “I want a special toy that that will help me emulate the great pioneers that settled the west.”
That might have gotten his mom and Santa interested and set the stage for buy in follow up questions - so that it would be easier for Ralphie to get into the details of describing what he wanted.
Now think about what you want the essence of your elevator speech to be.
Let’s say you are working on your elevator speech for work.
First you need to brain storm.
Write down all the things that you and your company do for your clients.Do you provide convenience, comfort, safety etc.?
Don’t be specific at first.
Write down everything that comes to mind.
Remember, no one wants to hear titles. For instance that you are a Managing Director of the Global Trading Desk at Goldman Sachs - boring!
They would rather hear that you make people rich!
You can give them all your titles after the client says “Oh! Tell Me More!”
Now, narrow down all things that you do to it most simple form.
Try to make this elevator speech 15 words or less.
Pretend you are talking with your 82 year old aunt. Be creative and get the client so interested that they say – “Oh! Tell Me More.”
The last important thing to remember is an old adage from comedians.
“Don’t step on the punch line!”
Stick to your selling sentence and then stop.
Let the person you are talking with speak first after you are done. If you have been successful they will say – “Oh! Tell Me More!!”
Thank You.
PS – My Elevator Speeches -
1. In as little as 4 hours I can provide my clients with the fastest, safest and most beautiful private jets in the world, without long term contracts, so that they can get to their destination in the most convenient way possible. Any jet,anywhere , any time.
2. I provide clients with safe, fast, cost effective private jets on demand at any time andany where in the world.
Elevator speeches are sometimes referred to as a selling proposition or a selling sentence. You have to be able to explain what you do without taking all day and leave enough out there so that the client gives you permission to go on.
