Nobody seems to remember who first coined the term elevator pitch, or elevator speech, but I know it's been around a long time, and I am often asked to help design such speeches for clients.
An elevator pitch is a short presentation that you could deliver to someone in an elevator as it travels from top to bottom, or vice versa. It must be compelling as well as descriptive. It should contain such punch that the other person would love to buy from you. Of course, you can present such a speech in places other than an elevator!
When cold calling in person, it is a good idea to have your pitch ready. When the buyer meets you in the reception area, deliver the elevator pitch with enthusiasm, and he or she is much more likely to agree to allocate time to you. On the phone, you can use this method to obtain an appointment. You may even want to use it in a sales letter where you introduce your company to the prospect.
For those who work trade shows, have your elevator speech ready for people as they approach your booth.
I use my elevator pitch as a networking tool, and I deliver it by way of an introduction of myself and my companies.
The Main Components of the Pitch
An elevator speech should meet the following criteria:
• Keep it brief - long enough to convince, but short enough to hold the other person's attention.
• Be articulate - use the right tone and speed so that you don't rush the message.
• Make it sincere - the buyer must feel that you're a credible source (which of course you are).
• Be enthusiastic. Use appropriate excitement when telling your story. Buyers take their leads from salespeople. Enthusiasm is infectious, and if you are not enthusiastic about your products/services or your company, change jobs!
Your elevator speech should answer these questions: Who are we? What do we do? To whom do we sell? What makes us unique? How do we bring value to our customers?
Do remember that knowing what you want to say and rehearsing it will make this sound natural. This may be the first time the buyer has heard it - but you don't want it to be the first time you deliver it.
Used effectively, the elevator pitch can be a good salesperson's foot in the door. Once you get your break, it's up to you to finish the deal.
Today's News: I recently completed a couple of interviews with one of my favourite article community sites, Eyes On Sales, and you can listen to the first one by simply clicking on the banner below:
I am often asked if the Top Sales Experts team collaborate much on joint projects - the answer is a resounding YES WE DO. Obviously, if you are going to expose your clients to another consultant, there has to be a very high level of trust, but this week was a typical situation: One of my favourite clients has a small team who needed some specific coaching on how to reach the decision maker via cold calling, so I immediately turned to Leslie Buterin, who is after all, one of the world's leading gurus in this area.
Leslie delivered a two hour online coaching session. Result? They were bowled over by her and are already reaping the results of her pearls of wisdom. This is where relevant, specific mentoring comes into it's own and proves the point that I evangelise about so often - "One size fits all" sales team development no longer works, it really has been consigned to the annals of history.
Would you hire the local handyman if you had serious structural problems with your house? I hope you would not! You can catch up with Leslie here
Finally, I tried to find you another good blogpost today, but in vain - I'll keep searching over the w/e.
I need to thank you for your patience with delayed posts this week and also with the technical issues we experienced with The JF Journal - I have to hope that patience was rewarded.
Tomorrow: My last few days in the UK, so I am getting together with two of my children for some "bonding" - so wherever you are, have a great w/e and be sure to make it back next week - JF
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