[View Point] Do you have an ‘elevator speech’?

I recently was introduced to a new phrase while reading an article in my local newspaper: elevator speeches.

What is an elevator speech? It’s a short (15-30 second, 150 words) sound bite that succinctly and memorably introduces you. In other words, a speech that can be presented in the time it takes an elevator to go from the top floor to the first floor or vice versa.

The (Cleveland) Plain Dealer article, titled “Elevator Speeches...Why you need one and how to write one for your job search,” told the story of two prospective employees who gave their elevator speeches to an executive involved in manufacturing.

In separate meetings, the executive posed the same question to both candidates: “What are you interested in?”

Candidate #1 answered: “I’m open. I can do a lot of things, and as long as I can find a job that will pay me what I was currently making, I will be happy.”

Candidate #2 answered: “I am an international mechanical project engineer. I have turned business plans into profits worldwide. My specialties are heavy industry, exotic materials and hazardous processes.”

The article then asked readers which of the candidates made a better impression on the executive. Of course it was candidate #2, who responded with what the article described as “focused information that told the executive exactly what he did and how he could help him.”

While this particular article dealt with the need to have an elevator speech for job hunting, it’s a good practice for business owners – including PCOs – to adopt. Why? Because we live in a fast-paced society in which information is communicated in short, succinct messages (think e-mail, texting, Facebook, Twitter, etc.). For example, put yourself in the shoes of a property management company seeking to hire a pest control company to service a 120-unit apartment complex. Let’s say the property management company decides to use Twitter for the initial screening process and does so by asking (in a Twitter message): “Tell us why we should hire your pest control company?”

Which of the following companies would you hire?:

Company A, whose elevator speech is: “We’re experts at controlling pests such as ants, cockroaches and rodents in commercial accounts, including apartment buildings.”

Or, company B, whose elevator speech is: “Our highly trained service professionals will develop a customized pest control program for your apartment complex that uses the most advanced and least invasive technology.”

The answer, of course, is company B. And while this example is for Twitter, I can think of several networking situations in which having an elevator speech “in your back pocket” is handy (for example, soliciting new business at a trade show).

There are countless resources, both online and in print, to assist you in writing and presenting an elevator speech. (I recommend visiting www.YouTube.com and doing a search using the key words “elevator speech” to find video clips of various people giving their elevator speeches.) One common recommendation among these resources is practice, practice, practice. Just like anything else, the more prepared you are, the better your chances are for success when the opportunity arises to give your elevator speech. But in terms of content, that should be the easy part. You understand what it is you do that makes you successful. It’s simply a matter of sitting down with pen and paper and crystallizing this information for a short, but memorable monologue.

The author is Internet editor and managing editor of PCT magazine and can be contacted at bharbison@giemedia.com.