Ditch Your Elevator Speech: How to Have a Fascination Conversation

Imagine. We all needed permission just to be ourselves–which is what gets and keeps our clients. Refreshing to let that old elevator speech fade in my brain. Nicely writen.

This shows the importance of being fully self-expressed.  Goes hand in hand with carrying a caring attitude of passion and compassion.  It eventually becomes a natural way of being and the conversation turns into connection that turns into relationship, business or otherwise.

Love this!

I’m loving this approach… much more natural and generally what I fall back on anyway because as you say – memory fails for the pitch and it just doesn’t sound cool.
Well done Nancy!

Nancy I sooooo agree! I’m really glad you brought that up because this isn’t about unlearning everything about talking about your business, but rather knowing the context and the frame of mind to follow. There are times when we do need to have that little encapsulated bio, but rarely does it serve us in conversation. I strongly suggest people have a compelling statement about themself, who they work with, what results they help you achieve, etc but it’s better served showing up as a bio, an introduction when you’re about to speak, or on the inside jacket of your book.

Amen, Sister!

This is exactly what gives networking a bad name. (and soooo many other things we could talk about for days)

It’s a CONVERSATION, not a PITCHFEST! 

Something happens to people when they go to a networking event.  They turn into networking robots and recite mission statements and web copy and sound absolutely boring and ridiculous.  The sad thing is, we’ve ALL done it because, like you said, that’s what we’re told to do.

The pitch does nobody any favors. It really doesn’t allow us to showcase ourselves and our business in a way that actually makes others want to know more.

My advice to my clients and workshop participants has always been to be prepared to talk about your business.  That’s where I think most folks fall down — they “wing it” or rely too heavily on a pitch, when they should spend some time becoming comfortable with talking about what they do.  Think of what you do for your clients — the benefits they receive and the transformations they undergo as a result of working with you.  Think of key words, phrases or concepts you’d like to share.  Then, be ready to have a conversation, not a recital.

Thanks for punching the pitch in the gut and pointing us to a new way of networking!

Cathy Jennings
No Pressure Networking

I agree that a more natural conversation has the potential for information to be retained longer by both parties and may improve the probability of a longer term business relationship.  However, there is a risk.  By sharing the time available you risk the loss of control of the time available to get your message out. The conversation sharing may turn into a competition for that parcel of time. In the elevator the 30 seconds is more apt to be yours alone.  Bottom line, you have to be prepared to do both.  I don’t think that you have to tell all in 30 seconds.  I believe in either scenario that you have to have 2 prepared sentences about your business that have the big “Wow” factor.  Your objective is only to make the other person feel “they want to know more” and to walk off the elevator together.

Goddess bless you, Nancy. All through my business training I was fighting this instruction as well as the constant pushing your goods approach. But the coaches said I was resisting selling. I really examined myself about this and I’ve worked and keep working on clarifying the transformation I offer. Still, no matter from which angle I look at it, the elevator pitch as the “right” and required answer to the what do you do question feels unnatural; more a conversation stopper than a conversation starter!   I’m so glad that you validated my feelings. That must have been my sigh of relief you were hearing! (LOL)

Hi Nancy, just catching up on reading this. You should connect with Michael Port. He is a business coach too and also explains the history behind it agrees that the typical “elevator pitch” was never meant for what most of us do/try to use it for. I think you’d have plenty of people who would join you on a Ban It! crusade

Nice!! Fortunately nobody feels the need to do elevator pitches in our elevator, and there are 36 floors from where I am – its deathly quiet! I wonder why that is? Do you think they are all bored from elevator pitches in the past and it has died out like a dinosaur?

Thanks Nancy.  It’s so easy to fall into the redundant elevator pitch approach.  I appreciate the tips.