The "elevator speech” defines a brief explanation of an idea, business or person’s qualifications. It is meant to send a specific and influential synopsis very quickly without sounding too much like a sales pitch. The idea is that if you were to run into the exact “dream’ person that needs to hear your pitch, you would be able to accomplish this in the time it takes to ride an elevator - 3-4 sentences. Tops.
Every Salesperson should have an elevator speech and be constantly updating and enhancing it. Every entrepreneur has mastered the elevator speech (or if you haven’t, you probably should). Marketers are realizing that they have less of the consumers attention than ever before, even they are trying to make a connection in 30-45 seconds.
But what about the rest of us?
Simon Sinek has done extensive research on the power of “Your WHY”. He says: “The WHY is the purpose, cause or belief that drives every one of us” and argues that: “The whole concept of WHY is grounded in the tenets of the biology of human decision making”.
Every day we make about 35000 (!!!) decisions, and often go about most them blindly, or on autopilot. How often do we wake up, and get to work without even thinking about the commute, other vehicles, the weather, what to eat for breakfast, if we are even eating breakfast, making breakfast at home, making coffee at home, stopping for a latte, etc.
We make decisions every day without thinking about the long-term consequences. We wonder why we are broke, out of shape and tired all the time, but don’t know the “WHY” of our day-to-day existence. What are you passionate about? Why? What are you doing to support those passions? What is your WHY?
When we meet people we often ask: “What is it you do?” and get the typical “I am a school teacher”, or “I own a contracting business”. We are asked: ‘What are your hobbies”, we respond to these ‘WHAT questions” with “WHAT answers” – “I am a cross fitter”, I volunteer at the National Park”. What would you say if someone asked you ‘Why are you a contractor?” or, “Why do you volunteer?”.
Example:
I am Marc. I am the Sales and Marketing Manager at Express Employment. I volunteer my time on many board of directors in my community. I have a wife, 2 kids and a beagle. I want to retire early, so I focus on savings and passive income.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORING!
How about this:
Everything I do is intended to make my loved ones better. I am passionate about helping local companies find extraordinary people, and creating a sustainable and thriving community. I strive to connect with everyone I meet on a personal level.
Which one sounds more like a man with purpose?
Sitting down and thinking about your “elevator speech” that defines who you are, can be strenuous and challenging, but I promise it will give you more clarity in your day-to-day life. What are you passionate about? What is your current focus? Think about it! Have a good Monday!
-Marc