Many
of us have missed out on very big opportunities to scale higher heights in our
careers, businesses, climbing the academic ladder, etc. But after reading this
article today, I believe missing out on such crucial encounters, would be a
thing of the past. Because
we would think, draft, refine, practice, fine-tune, and memorize how to deliver
that elevator speech/pitch that doesn’t tickle the ears but actually intrigues
our listeners to the level where they rather request to meet us again to hear
more from us on the subject.
I
believe some may have missed the opportunity to woo their most preferred life
partner, land their dream job, etc., and had to settle for another suitable
option, simply because when it mattered most, they failed to take an action –
they failed to speak up! In those few seconds, when the opportunity presented
itself they allowed it to pass by; they didn’t gather the courage and
confidence to say what they wished to say.
Why
do some people allow this to happen?
Most
people fail to make a good first impression in the nick of time because of,
their fear of public speaking, their unpreparedness, inability to find their
voices, and lack of confidence to simply get to the point! You must already
identify where your interest lies, and have a list of influential people in
that area, whom you would wish to meet. Now, if you haven’t already tried to
book appointments with them, it is important you do so. Because if you tell them
you have submitted several letters to their personal assistants, they can
always go back to confirm. You need to understand what they deem as valuable to
them, and be sure you can add that value they are seeking, to what you want to offer them
or your customers – in the case where you’re looking for an investment partner.
It must meet their needs, serve the needs of your customers. Without factoring all these, your influential person might not be
interested in listening any further than those few seconds of the present encounter.
What
must you address in your elevator speech?
When delivering my elevator speech/pitch, this is the format I prefer using most: a brief summary or introduction of who you are,
what you offer, who you serve and the benefits you bring to the table of those you serve. This is what
would attract that influential person to ask you to meet them again, or to grant
you an immediate appointment because you caught his/her
attention. You may think that this kind of introduction is simply
for businessmen and businesswoman. But that is where you have it all wrong. You
could be a student, looking for a scholarship opportunity, or an internship or
field attachment, etc., and this brief introduction of yourself to an
influential person could link you with the right scholarship bodies to send your
applications to, the right companies to drop off that internship request, but you must prepare for it.
And it only happens when the listener finds value in what you say you have the potential and capacity to deliver or provide. This is not about cronyism or your social capital or
networking prowess - that has its own influence but can be limited by your incompetence. This is about you making that intriguing first impression
all by yourself and showing what God has endowed you with; the creative abilities which leaves your listener(s) no other choice than to seek further
audience with you. The power of your 15 – 30 seconds introduction, summing up
all that we have detailed above, is what we call your “elevator speech or
pitch”. In this context, we are defining a pitch as a persuasive speech meant
to convince someone or a group of people to take a favourable action in
response to your call or towards your proposal.
When
can an elevator speech be relevant?
Assuming
you are in an elevator ride and just before the door shuts at the immediate
floor, you hear the voice of an influential person you’ve been seeking to meet
for years. S/he calls out to you, requesting you to hold the elevator door for a second to allow them into that space with you. Once they
join you in the elevator, the person may request that you press the button for
the floor they are headed to. Mind you, the person could choose to press the
button on their own – this right here, presents an opportunity for you to compose yourself and deliver your elevator speech/pitch. And you have just enough time from that
floor to the next floor when you hear the ‘ding sound’ and s/he gets off the
elevator. Tick Tock! Tick Tock! Tick Tock!
Mistakes
we often make
Meeting
your influential person is neither the time to overindulge in pleasantries. Don't be caught up repeating “Oh it’s a pleasure to meet
you” or “Hello I’m a great fan of yours” with grins and
giggles that evaporates your seconds away. Nor is it the occasion to request for autographs and selfies, when you
haven’t made that key pitch. First things must be done first. I love taking pictures and I
do take pictures with my role models, influential people and others who inspire me a lot,
anytime I chance upon them. But I always make sure my elevator speech has been
taken care of, if it’s my first time meeting them or after I have made that
appointment with them, probably exchanged business/complimentary cards, before
requesting for pictures or selfies if they wish to do so and have the time to
do so.
When we talk about the elevator speech, it can be delivered at a
function, a seminar or conference you’ve attended and you've been presented with that encounter, to meet that special someone during the coffee/lunch break, it
could be a chance meeting at a friend’s wedding reception or any other
gathering. So don’t take it literally, that it has to be delivered only when
you are inside an elevator, per se. Please, that is not my intention at all - the
reason why “elevator” is added to this is to re-echo the importance of timing
in all of this. And the fact that an elevator usually offers most of sales men or women an opportunity to probably meet the Group CEO for instance, of a huge firm, to pitch a sale proposition or idea to. You have barely 30 seconds - not minutes, to
enjoy this ride with the person. So it is deal or no deal!
The
reverse is also possible, where you are the person who joins this influential
person inside the lift, elevator, or you walk into a gathering where they are
standing or seated. In this instance you can only assume based on which floor
number is lighted up, to know where they are headed to, or through their ongoing conversation and disposition, you deduce when to take the chance to walk up to them and
make that formal introduction. But if there are several others inside the lift or
around them at this occasion, then you need to be very observant and determine
when to make the first move. If you are fortunate and they happen to be getting
off at a floor further ahead either descending or ascending, or they happen to
be staying at this event for a long period of time, then that gives you additional time
to strategise on when to make that move or impression on them. And don’t also forget the
fact that others may join your elevator ride or join you at the location where you and this influential person may be seated. Do not be overly anxious that they would listen
in, to your conversation at that time. But be confident, comfortable and convinced about your message and what you seek to achieve. Be ready to take that chance immediately the environment is conducive
especially at events; but in a lift you have to take your chance as soon as
possible, in order to nail that appointment, you’ve desperately been looking
for.
Remember,
the elevator pitch or ride is not to make an immediate sale, you’ll be wasting
your time and their time. You want an opportunity to seek a much lengthier
appointment to further discuss your purpose and intent. Don’t make it awkward
by trying to get products out of your bag or documents out of your brief case –
you would only be losing precious time needed to make eye contact and to share
your thoughts with them. Unless again, you have a much longer elevator ride or
they are spending much time at this event and they personally request to see evidence
of what you’ve discussed with them. Be tactful, yet purposeful.
What
must I include?
So
now, let’s get into the nitty-gritty of how your elevator speech should sound
like. Note that, this must be authentic, it must be a true reflection of your
personality, your brand, your product offering, and not an attempt to
impersonate anyone else on the market or industry, simply to win this influential person over or seal this
deal.
There is nothing worse, than being given the opportunity to showcase what
you said you had, only to discover that you’ve missed your lines, you don’t
have any supporting materials or anything to proof your capability to deliver
when contracted. So if you do not have a prototype, say so, if what you are
pitching is a work in progress, you must say so at this very initial but
crucial encounter. Influencers understand that there are be incredible opportunities out there, that start from little beginnings. Let them decide to grow with you. Don't give off a false impression.
There
are several formats or templates out there, that you can choose to adopt. But
what I have found really useful, is what I indicated early on, as the my preferred format. To
reiterate, you must let them know who you are, what you offer, who you serve
and the benefits you bring to the table of those you serve. I have found this format very
simple, easy to remember and it gives the executive summary, so to say, of
yourself.
In
conclusion
An
elevator speech/pitch can be shaped to serve the needs of the one you’re
interacting with. It requires intentional practice. It must in no way be
deceitful. But it can table out what you can accomplish or serve that specific
person. You may have expertise in 3 or 4 areas. But when you meet an
influential person whose needs only focus on 2 of these areas you specialise
in, be sure to make mention of those and leave the rest for another occasion.
Time is of the essence, and you have between 15-30 seconds to make that
intriguing impression. I hope you would take a cue from mine, and structure
your own pitch. Feel free to email it to me, so we tweak, fine-tune and shape
it into a great handy and easy to memorize one. Hope to come your way again
with more tit-bits on how you can develop yourself to scale higher heights. At
Perissos Horizon, we are delighted when our clients and customers are scaling higher
heights in all their endeavours.
MY
PITCH TO MY PUBLIC SPEAKING TRAINEES / PROSPECTIVE CLIENTS:
Hi,
I am Patricia Dzifa Mensah-Larkai, a trainer, mentor and coach. I'm also the Founder and Lead Consultant at Perissos
Horizon, where we help people that are suffering from Glossophobia, to overcome their
fear of public speaking. We do this through training, coaching and mentoring
sessions; that equips them with tips, techniques and tools to find their voice, gain
confidence and become competent communicators so they can market themselves, their
brands and their products. You can contact us via: Perissos.Horizon@gmail.com
to learn more about our other services.
PATRICIA DZIFA MENSAH-LARKAI, DTM
FOUNDER, LEAD CONSULTANT - PERISSOS HORIZON
Instagram: @Perissos.Horizon
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