YOU’RE NOT PREPARED: You spot an important Buyer across the room at a party as you both make your way to the bar. This is your big chance. The Buyer makes eye contact with you as you wait for the bartender’s attention. The Buyer says to you, “Have we met?” You say, “Yes, we met at the Nolcha event in London last September.” Even though there are so many important points to share, you’re not sure where to begin. So you smile, order your drink, and walk away from the bar- mad at yourself for missing the opportunity to talk about the exciting pieces in your Fall line.
Sometimes you have a chance meeting like this with someone you want to influence – at a networking event, a party, or in an elevator. Sometimes you only have about twenty seconds of their attention - like the time it takes during a typical elevator ride. Don’t let this rare opportunity pass you by! Be prepared by formulating an Elevator Speech for all of your projects and ideas.
An Elevator Speech is a quick way to share important highlights about your project, idea, event, or product. Your Elevator Speech should sound impromptu, but make no mistake, it’s totally planned. Here are some quick tips on how to formulate an Elevator Speech for any situation.
Because you only have short time to inform or influence the listener, you want to make sure that you offer all of your key points. And if YOU don’t know the key points about your project, idea, event, or product, then how can you expect your listener to understand them? Use an Elevator Speech when you want to motivate someone to take action (book an appointment to see your line, attend your event, become one of your sponsors, etc). You want to speak with enthusiasm to motivate your listener as you succinctly tell your story.
There are three components to a good Elevator Speech, think about an actual elevator ride: the ground floor, the mezzanine, and finally, the penthouse. Design an Elevator Speech using these three “stops” as a guideline to make sure you include all of your key points. Here’s a breakdown of each stop.
Ground Floor: This is your starting point. Explain why your project is important/exciting/successful/etc. This is where you grab (and hopefully keep!) the listener’s attention. For example, “We just got some great news. Our shoes are being featured in an episode of Gossip Girl.”
Mezzanine: Explain the benefits of taking action. “Once the episode airs, our phone will be ringing off the hook. We’ll be taking early orders so we want to give our favorite Buyers an advantage, so we don’t have to do any back ordering” 
Penthouse: Drive it all home with a summarizing statement that calls the listener to action. This is where you ask for a response or action. For example, “I’d like to call you tomorrow to talk about placing your order, what time works for you?”Here are some other examples of Elevator Speeches: “We’re excited because we just sourced some beautiful fair-trade beads for our wedding collection. More and more brides are going green, so we know this collection will have a wide appeal. I want to make sure you get an invitation to our launch party on June 15th. Where can I mail the invitation?”
“We’d love to include you with Starbucks and Clarins as a lead sponsor during our September event. We’re expecting 4000 people to attend and we saved a great spot for your logo on all of our literature and banners. Let’s meet tomorrow to make some decisions. I’ve got a 2pm slot, can I stop by your office at that time?”
Remember, your goal is to be clear, quick, and to motivate your listener. Practice your Elevator Speech in the mirror or with friends and colleagues. Use powerful wording and speak with enthusiasm. Being brief is a respectful way to interact with others in this fast-paced world of business, and the ability to influence people, particularly people you’ve just met, is a powerful skill that just takes a little strategy and practice.
Holly Landau is a leadership expert and CEO of Landau Leadership, an innovative consulting firm providing customized training solutions and learning events to boost individual and team productivity and improve communication. www.landauleadership.com. Contact Holly:hollylandau@landauleadership.com .
Images by Bryna Faye Shields
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