Good afternoon. Famous, rich and popular personalities who have achieved something in this life seem to have some kind of unknown power, don’t you agree? Everyone else reaches out to them, asks for something, basks in the rays of their fame, gets nervous and timid when the celebrity is literally at arm's length.
To be acquainted with such a person, or even to have her as a friend, is considered incredible luck. And this is understandable. Because a large-scale person has large-scale connections and opportunities. Take, for example, the famous singer Joseph Kobzon, who with one call can help with almost any request. From the outside it looks like magic.
And in this article, dear colleague, I will share with you the peculiarities of behavior and communication in the event of meeting such a large-scale person who can be very useful to you. It is no coincidence that the majority of our students public speaking schools They value the skill of communicating with TOPs, VIPs and other serious people.
In Western marketing terminology, the situation of communicating with the TOP (for example, an investor) is called “elevator speech”. What does talking in an elevator mean? Someone, once upon a time, may have met a very significant person in an elevator.
During the conversation, which lasted several seconds (while the elevator was moving), an agreement was reached between the people. This is where the term “elevator speech” came from. Those. This is a very short conversation, during which it is important to convey the entire essence of your idea, proposal or request.
So, you are planning to go out into the world, where perhaps big people will be there. What mistakes when meeting such people can ruin your chances of success. Write it down.
– Lack of preparation. The ability to express the most important and important things in 20 seconds requires rehearsal. Don’t even hope that you can improvise “if something happens.” It won't work 100%. Prepare in advance, and be sure to practice with someone who will give you adequate feedback. For example, on public speaking courses you will get a mountain of “returns”, come.
– Presentation without benefits. “Hello, my name is Vasya, I am a cook and I know how to cook eggplant rolls“. No one is interested in this. Your presentation must show the benefits of meeting a big-time person, and not a template phrase from a standard resume.
– Trying to sell right away. In 20 seconds to a stranger whom you see for the first time in your life? Unrealistic and strategically incorrect. Your goal is not to sell yourself or your idea right away, but to be remembered personally and to arouse interest in the person. Here the task is to sell the next meeting or call as much as possible.
– Inability to highlight the main thing. Your task is not to dump the entire biography about yourself (although you need to say a few words), but to hook the TOP with something unique that distinguishes you from everyone else.
– The desire to please. A typical reaction caused by stress when meeting a “star” is a quick, nervous smile. In such a smile, any TOP can easily recognize in an opponent “helpfulness” for personal gain, which most often repels. Therefore, even in such moments, it is important to be yourself and act at ease.
– Learn text by heart. There is no need to cram the entire text of the presentation, it will look artificial, and the TOP will feel that you have taught. Here you need to practice speaking naturally, as if you were easily improvising without a preparation (which, of course, you have). To make your “elevator speech” perfect, pass it through 6 filters
The first filter is brevity. Prepare 2-3 options for different situations so that the presentation time takes from 20 seconds. for a real elevator and up to 2 minutes for a conversation somewhere at an exhibition or conference.
The second filter is simplicity. You simply won’t have time to explain complex technical features and technical terms. Therefore, remove all the excess “husk” and leave only the “meat”.
The third filter is value. Your proposal should at least arouse interest and, at a maximum, feelings of greed in a big-time person. Consider whether the offer provides value and benefit.
The fourth filter is emotionality. Your emotions should be one step higher than those of your interlocutor. Not 100 steps, as if you are going to tear him apart like a newspaper with your fervor and energy, but just one step more emotionally. Then you will be remembered and at the same time not overdo it.
The fifth filter is diction. Speak clearly so that every word is heard. It will be a shame if a person does not understand, just because you swallow the words. Also practice your diction in advance, but don’t overdo it either.
The sixth filter is calling. At the end of any presentation there should be a call to action. Those. you need to say what you want the big man to do. To do this, any “elevator speech” must contain a verb that answers the question: what to do? Or what to do?
For a short speech, you can use a universal template. It sounds like this: “I help so-and-so, to do something, in order to or with the help of so-and-so.”
If we consider this template using my example, then “elevator speech” would sound like this: “ Good afternoon, I’m Alexander Petrishchev, with the help of my own trainings I help potential speakers develop public speaking skills to achieve personal goals. Here’s my business card, take it.”
You can check this “elevator speech” yourself through all 6 filters. Everything is here. Conciseness, simplicity, value, appeal, etc. The sentence itself is pronounced in one breath and takes no more than 20 seconds.
The value that arouses interest is the author’s trainings. At the end there is a call - take a business card. Please note that in this phrase I am not selling my public speaking training directly. My goal is simply to be remembered by a person, and my task is to get to know him.
After all, when he takes the business card, he will introduce himself, or give his card in response. By the way, a business card in such cases is the most important tool that will not allow a big man to forget you. And if the need arises, quickly find a contact for communication.
I hope you understood my hint about business cards. By the way, also place the essence of your “elevator speech” on it, plus the benefits that a person receives from cooperation with you. In order not to be unfounded, take a look at an example of a good selling business card:
Everything is clear and concise, plus the benefits are deliciously shown. And there is even a so-called offer - a free examination. This is a business card you won’t throw away or forget. Take it for yourself.
What do you need to know if an investor turns out to be a big man?
There are situations when your “elevator speech” is needed for a specific investor. All of the recommendations described above apply to a conversation with such a large-scale person, but I will give you a few more useful tips.
So, when communicating with a person from whom you want to receive very real money, follow the following rules:
- Pronounce your “elevator speech” clearly and without a single pause, so that the investor does not divert the conversation with an unnecessary question when you only have 30 seconds of time.
- It’s a shame not to know the investor from whom you are going to ask for money. Prepare carefully, otherwise you risk running into the “wrong person.”
- If your “elevator speech” contains numbers and facts, then you must name them quickly, looking the investor straight in the eyes. It is unacceptable to lower your gaze to the floor, or look away to the side to remember the desired number. This will show your incompetence
- It is important to thoroughly know not only your project, but also the situation on the market as a whole. You must know your competitors, shares, and current trends in your market as well as all your project numbers. Otherwise, you will not gain credibility in the eyes of the investor.
- Your eyes must “burn with fire” for the investor to believe in your strength. An emotional phrase about why this project is so important for you and your team will only be a plus.
- Do not forget to name the specific amount of investment that is needed to implement the project. In this case, you need to not just say that you need a million dollars, but most likely like this: “ The project's profitability is 73%. With an investment amount of 1.5 million dollars, payback occurs in 7 months. I can show detailed profit indicators and calculations in the business plan, if you are interested.”
Agree that after such a phrase, any smart investor will at least agree to one more meeting to look at your calculations.
So, I hope the article was useful to you. For training a tool such as “elevator speech” and other skills oratory I invite you to our public speaking school. I promise to give quality feedback.
Always yours, business mentor, Alexander Petrishchev.
A slang term used to describe a brief speech that outlines an idea for a product, service or project. The name comes from the notion that the speech should be delivered in the short time period of an elevator ride, usually 20 60 seconds. In the… …Investment dictionary
Elevator pitch- An elevator pitch (or elevator speech) is an overview of an idea for a product, service, or project. The name reflects the fact that an elevator pitch can be delivered in the time span of an elevator ride (for example, thirty seconds or 100 150… … Wikipedia
Elevator Pitch- Das Fahrstuhl Gespräch (Elevator Pitch oder Elevator Speech auf Englisch) ist ein kurzer Überblick einer Idee für eine Dienstleistung oder ein Produkt und bedeutet „Aufzugspräsentation“. Die Bezeichnung stammt daher, dass der Pitch (das... ... Deutsch Wikipedia
elevator pitch- /ˈɛləveɪtə pɪtʃ/ (say eluhvaytuh pich) noun a concise presentation of a product, service, project, etc. Also, elevator speech. (imagined as a pitch1 (def. 37) made to someone in the short time available to the presenter as they travel with the… … Australian English dictionary
Speech-Language Pathology in School Settings- Speech language pathology is a fast growing profession that, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, offers about 96,000 jobs in the United States alone. It relates to many educational disciplines such as communication sciences, linguistics... Wikipedia
Elevator head- Head Head (hd), n. fod; akin to D. hoofd, OHG. houbit, G. haupt, Icel. h[o]fu, Sw. hufwood, Dan. hoved, Goth. haubi. The word does not correspond regularly to L. caput head (cf. E. (Chief),… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Space elevator- A space elevator for Earth would consist of a cable anchored to the Earth's equator, reaching into space. By attaching a counterweight at the end (or by further extending the cable upward for the same purpose), the center of mass is kept well... ... Wikipedia
Chris Westfall- is an American motivational speaker, entrepreneur and author from Dallas, TX, best known as the national elevator pitch champion. According to former Kodak CMO and “Celebrity Apprentice” guest star, Jeffrey W. Hayzlett, Westfall has the best two… … Wikipedia
Elevator presentation- (or elevator speech) (English: Elevator Pitch or Elevator Speech) a short story about the concept of a product, project or service. The term reflects time constraints, the length of the presentation should be such that it can be... ... Wikipedia
Presentation (disambiguation)- The “Presentation” request is redirected here. A separate article is needed on this topic. Presentation (from Latin praesento): Presentation is a public presentation of something new, recently appeared, created. Presentation (method... ... Wikipedia
Elevator speech- Elevator Pitch (or Elevator Speech) is a short story about the concept of a product, project or service. The term reflects time constraints. The length of the presentation should be such that it can... ... Wikipedia
In a modern world overflowing with information and offers, the ability to quickly and effectively attract attention is an important skill for a successful person. An excellent tool for this skill is elevator pitch.
Elevator Pitch or elevator presentation is a prepared and carefully planned mini-presentation that clearly, clearly and, most importantly, quickly talks about the concept of your project (idea) or product (service). Essentially, this is an answer to the client’s question: “What is the essence of your proposal?”
The main feature of this presentation is its limited time - no more than 1 minute. This is how long the elevator travels in a high-rise building. In 60 seconds, you must have time to attract the attention of a potential investor (client) and sell your offer.
How to achieve this? Two points are important here:
- Prepare your presentation carefully.
- Apply public speaking skills during the presentation itself.
Let's look at each of them in more detail.
1 step. Clearly define the purpose of the presentation
What do you want to convey to the client and what do you want to receive from him (for example, determine the specific amount of investment in a given project or attract his attention to your idea and interest him in cooperation). When you understand well what you need, you can easily and calmly convey information to your interlocutor.
Step 2. Describe your business in two sentences
It's important to focus on the problems you're solving. It is better if you are as specific as possible and focus not on general phrases about your business, but on what is applicable to this client.
For example, you can say that we provide business training for companies. Or formulate the proposals more specifically: “Our company trains personnel in the field of public speaking and business communication in order to increase the efficiency of interaction with clients and partners.”
Step 3. We formulate a unique selling proposition USP
A 2-step formula will help you here:
- Let's formulate the problem. The best place to start is by asking, “Did you know that...”?
- We give a solution. “We offer you...”.
elevator-pitch example
Do you know that by developing creative thinking in your employees, you can increase sales by more than 2 times? The problem of many people working in sales is stereotypical thinking, lack of self-confidence and the inability to competently convey information to the client. Our company provides acting and public speaking training for account managers. Thanks to a non-standard approach to training, immersing students in an atmosphere of creativity, improvisation and maximum practice, your employees will stop thinking and acting in stereotypes and will begin to feel freer and more confident. And this, in turn, will lead to good sales results. We offer you “Acting in Sales” training, which will radically change the way your managers approach working with clients and help them gain self-confidence.
Step 4 Rehearsal
Give your presentation thoroughly in front of a mirror. Imagine your client (or audience) for whom you are making a presentation. Think about how you communicate with him, how you behave, how you feel. Fix in yourself a mental image of a confident person who achieves his goal. Rehearse your speech and behavior so many times to reinforce it on a subconscious level.
Step 5 Test the presentation on your colleagues or friends
Ask them to give you feedback. If necessary, correct your speech.
The presentation itself
Since you only have 1 minute to gain interest, the entire outcome of your presentation will depend on your skill. Speak confidently, clearly, concisely. Your facial expressions and emotionality are important here. Be passionate about what you say. Let your eyes sparkle and radiate complete confidence that your offer is truly needed by the client. Your diction should be clear, your voice emotional, lively, and your gestures should be moderately active.
Important! Many people mistakenly believe: I don’t have much time, I need to deliver my speech as quickly as possible in order to have time to say everything. Believe me, this is the killer of your presentation. Take your time. Stay calm and natural. Look into the eyes of your interlocutor, smile. After you formulate your USP, move on to questions. Involve the client in a dialogue - what he thinks about this, how he solves this problem.
Remember! If your presentation is successful, it will lead to a further meeting.
Speak up and inspire!
Still scared? This happens. You can overcome your fear of sales and fall in love with negotiations with important people on the program of Itzhak Pintosevich. Learn and become successful!
We meet new people almost every day. This can happen at a conference, at a party, or in any other public place. And one of the first questions we are asked when we meet is "What do you do?". The question may seem simple, but sometimes it is not easy to briefly and in an accessible form explain to a stranger the specifics of your activity. However, this is very important if you consider each new acquaintance from the point of view of future opportunities.
In the West, business people use a little self-presentation in such cases called Elevator Pitch (Elevator Speech), which literally means "Elevator Presentation" (or "Elevator Speech"). Why in the elevator? Well, firstly, because the elevator is one of the most common places for a chance meeting of office workers. And secondly, the presentation should take no longer than a classic elevator ride - from 30 seconds to 2 minutes. The main goal of this short speech is to talk about yourself, attract new clients and partners, or even investments in your business.
The main questions you should answer during the Elevator Pitch are: Who are you?”, “What do you do?”, “What do you offer to your clients or partners?”.
Thanks to this structure, Elevator Pitch will allow you not only to clearly tell a new acquaintance about who you are and what you do, but also to possibly interest him as a potential client, partner or even investor.
First, you need to briefly, literally in one sentence, tell about yourself. For example, in my case it might look like this: "Hello! My name is Andrey Solovey. I am an Internet marketer". In the second part we describe the goods or services that we offer. For example - “I conduct advertising and PR campaigns on the Internet and administer communities on social networks”. And the last, most important part of the Elevator Pitch talks about what benefits your clients or partners receive as a result of cooperation with you. In my case: “It helps website owners increase the number of customers from search engines and social networks while saving advertising budget.”
When I first came across information about Elevator Pitch, I didn’t pay much attention to it, but when faced with the fact that people don’t always understand what I’m talking about when I say that I do Internet marketing, I decided to try this method. And now, when meeting people, I always try to use this short self-presentation.
And I advise you too!
How to do the right Elevator Pitch and what is it? The second story. Also true.
This time it happened in a different, but also international corporation, also in an elevator. Imagine the USA, Seattle, the first half of the 2000s. We were then doing a series of large projects for this corporation. I was in an analyst role and was preparing to be promoted to project manager. The role of the analyst (and the future project manager) is such that you have to actively communicate with completely different people. And a large share of success lies in the ability to evoke sympathy and affection. Otherwise, you understand, there will be no communication. And if there is no communication, then there is no necessary information, no cooperation, and no satisfied client, which subsequently causes a lack of money, contracts and business.
If anyone thought that there was an unnecessary preface and lyrics above, then he was mistaken.
Because sometimes (as in this story) the preliminary attitude towards you from the person who is important to you and with whom you will perform Elevator Pitch (hereinafter EP) is important.
Okay, now you will see everything for yourself.
I'm standing in the office, waiting for the elevator. Time passes, the elevator stops. I don’t really remember what I was thinking about at that moment, but certainly not about the EP. The elevator doors open. There are people there. But nothing, everyone down. There's still room. I'm coming in.
And then my good friend, a client representative, one of the key players (domain expert), turns to me. And I developed a wonderful relationship with her over the course of the project. We greet each other. As usual, American joyful and sweet, we add a little sincerity to this (at the expense of good relations).
Now it’s very important: the pause could have lasted until the first floor, we could have exchanged a couple of polite meaningless phrases, anything could have happened, but the following happened.
My friend introduces me to her colleague-acquaintance-friend. TA-dah! Here it is, a wonderful super-moment from the history of the EP. She introduces us. He tells in a nutshell about us, our company, our projects, our benefit, and about me (out of excess modesty I will omit it, but briefly the point is that he is a cool guy and the right person). He gives me his word, like add. I add: about the company, about the projects, about the useful results done and brought. Over months and even years of practice in sales&marketing English, over dozens and hundreds of meetings with different right people, words bounce off your teeth, you don’t have to invent something, mumble or pause. Just tell it like it is, inserting the right words as you go.
All this takes a few seconds. After all, you still need to have time to give the floor to a new friend. But you can't keep up. The fact is that this (1) acquaintance, 2) introduction, 3) a few key words) turns out to be enough so that, having started a conversation in the elevator, we continued a little, leaving it, and ended up with her inviting me to an important corporate event (we can go there if someone imagines restrictions for contract workers, yes, there are such, but this time it was possible), where we continued communication and found out the client’s needs, which we can satisfy in future projects.
Just a few floors in the elevator.
Just a few minutes.
It's just a matter of accidentally catching the right elevator with the right people.
Just to be introduced to a new acquaintance (to a new acquaintance).
And say the right words.
Business ;-)
For those who are wondering what happened next: naturally, I went to this meeting, inviting another project manager with me. We listened to the speech of our new friend, her plans and the essence of the initiative that she was going to implement at the corporate level, saving many tens and hundreds of millions of dollars. Time passed, and this acquaintance grew into a large and long series of projects for this client, into a considerable number of jobs for our company, and into good money. This was good money saved for the client. This was good money that came from a client to our company. The initiative was serious. And successful.
And again, Elevator Pitch started it all.
Anyone who knows me or follows my successes knows what I'm talking about. And so it was. Those were fun times ;-)
Once again (let’s commit to memory):
What did I sell or do? Well, in this case, they rather helped me sell it. Selling and recommending me. Nevertheless, explicitly or implicitly, my old friend and I sold the new one an opportunity to significantly save money and reduce corporate expenses.
How did it happen? In a couple of minutes. Acquaintance. A couple of phrases about yourself. Demonstrating value. Click! Invitation to the next meeting.
And this everything you need from an EP : CONTINUATION AND POSSIBILITY OF NEXT CONTACT.
And further. If anyone thinks that this is a miracle, then he is mistaken. This is luck that favors prepared people.