Take your Elevator Speech to the top floor by converting it into an ‘Escalator Speech’. Assume you’re going down on the escalator as someone passes by you going up on the other one. You only have a few seconds to communicate. So, your Escalator Speech is an even more concise version of your Elevator Speech.
Mine is ‘I empower business leaders to communicate confidently’ Short, simple and likely to generate some questions when the other person turns around and follows me back down.
Here’s another signature comment you’d hear in any of my networking presentations: I prefer ‘Elevator Speech’ in stead of ‘Elevator Pitch’: ‘Pitch’ sounds like you’re trying to sell something. Most people don’t like to sell. No one likes to be sold to. ‘Speech’ sounds like you want to share some information. Even though the difference … Read more
I get this question a lot. Before I dive into the answer, let me first explain why I prefer “Elevator Speech” to “Elevator Pitch.” Using the word “pitch” sounds like you’re trying to sell something. No one likes to be sold to or to feel like you are only interested in talking with them to make a sale.
Take your Elevator Speech to the top floor by converting it into an ‘Escalator Speech’. Assume you’re going down on the escalator as someone passes by you going up on the other one. You only have a few seconds to communicate. So, your Escalator Speech is an even more concise version of your Elevator Speech.
(A business reporter recently asked for my comments on ‘Elevator Pitches’. I was happy to share my expertise and experience and a summary of our conversation follows. )
FYI – I did indicate that I preferred ‘Elevator Speech‘ to ‘Elevator Pitch’. ‘Pitch‘ sounds like you’re trying to sell something. No one likes to be sold to. ‘Speech’ sounds like you want to share some information. Even though the difference in connotation is subtle, it can impact the mindset of the person doing it.
Elevator Speeches … 30 Second Commercials … Shameless Self-Promotions. They’re our typical response to the often asked ‘What do you do?’ We all do them at professional group or networking events. But, most of us don’t do them with enough focus and finesse, so here are some simple and easy strategies to Elevate Your Elevator Speech (ES).
Elevator Speeches – your simple answer to the often-asked question ‘What do you do?’ – are sometimes maligned and often done poorly. But, they’re still a fact of life when you network. So, that’s why I love Escalator Speeches. Assume you’re on the down escalator as someone passes by you going up on the other … Read more
A reporter doing an article on Elevator Pitches recently asked for my brief input. First, I said that I preferred ‘Elevator Speech’ to ‘Elevator Pitch’. ‘Pitch’ sounds like you’re trying to sell something. No one likes to be sold to. ‘Speech’ sounds like you want to share some information. Even though the difference in connotation is subtle, it can impact the mindset of the person doing it.
I’ve seen a lot of Networking Worst Practices in my 25 plus years of writing and speaking about the topic, but the worst of the worst is making an absolutely terrible first impression on a stranger in less than one minute by delivering an Elevator Speech from Hell! That happens when pitifully amateur networkers: