30 Second Elevator Speech

30 Second Elevator SpeechThe Brain Dump

• Get to a quiet place where you will have NO interruptions for 2-3 hours. Turn off your cell phone and make sure no one will come in to bother you. Start writing down ideas. Don’t think about making sense. Right now you are warming up your mental generator and generating raw material. These questions will help get you started.

30 Second Elevator SpeechThe Brain Dump

• Think about your business. What Words or Short Phrases Are Brought to Your Mind?

• Choose the 2 Most Descriptive Words.• Reflect upon these words, their meanings and

associations, and write down what you notice. This is from your own thought process. What do they mean to you?

• Now, use other sources. Look them up in Thesaurus.com. What are their Definitions, Synonyms, and Associated Words ?

• Write Sentences using them.

30 Second Elevator SpeechThe Brain Dump

• What Images Come Into Your Mind when you think about these words (mental pictures)?

• Describe the Images in detail. (Colors, placement of things, details, scenes if they are like a movie)

• What Thoughts or Emotions Do You Have as you think about these words (hope, trust, satisfaction, fear, sadness, etc)?

• Take each thought or feeling and describe them and why they make you feel like that. Is it something related to childhood, college, a good memory, a bad memory, a family memory, etc. This will help you develop stories.

• What Questions do the thoughts or feelings generate?

30 Second Elevator SpeechThe Clean Up

• What can I remove to make this simpler• What jargon is being used that I can reduce to simpler terms• What words aren’t necessary• What stories or words can I use to Paint a picture my listener will

remember• What can I do to use as little words as possible• What clutter needs to be deleted• What stories or anecdotes help enforce my points• How can I quickly illustrate the benefits• Where can I remove terms and references to the process• Have I used any labels I need to remove (company name,

profession)• How can I make sure it can be understood by grandparents,

spouses, and children

30 Second Elevator SpeechThe Clean Up

• How can get to the point quickest• How can I make it more concise• How can I make it more clear• List the benefits -not the features!!! – A seatbelt is a feature; a safety device so

that your loved ones and children are protected is a benefit.• If I ask you what time it is, don't tell me how the watch works• Group or prioritize the benefits to identify the single benefit that is the most

compelling reason for the customer to buy the product, service, or concept• Define your audience• Define your objective• Define your desired image or style• Define your key message• Develop the story

30 Second Elevator SpeechPutting It together

• Nobody cares about your company; they care about people• KISS- Keep it short and simple• Make sure you are telling your story in plain language• Remember that most people have stereotypical images of various

professions. To avoid being labeled with stereotypical perceptions, do not put labels in your Elevator Speech. Another label to avoid is the name of your company.

• Remove jargon from your Elevator Speech. Check to see that you are using simple, conversational words. Simplicity is the key. Everyone needs to understand what you're saying in layman's terms.

• Get to the point. It’s not everything your business does just enough to wet the appetite.

30 Second Elevator SpeechPutting It together

• Start an outline of your material using bullet points• You don’t need to add any detail at this stage• Simply write a few notes to help remind you of what you really want

to say• Take each note you make and write a sentence about it then connect

them together with additional phrases to make them flow.• Go through what you have written and change any long words or

jargon into everyday language.• Go back through the re-written material and cut out unnecessary

words.• Boil it down to the essentials: WHAT you do, WHOM you serve, the

BENEFIT(S) your clients reap• Try Different Audience Approaches College kid vs. grandparent

30 Second Elevator SpeechPutting It together

• Reduce your message to a couple key notes in your head• Pretend you have to explain what you do to a fifth-grade

elementary class.• What is the single best statement that will lead me to what I want?• Can I comfortably build a case around this statement?• Develop your message one segment at a time• Try to make it memorable using humor or nicknames

30 Second Elevator SpeechThe Hook

• What grabs my attention?• What is my objective?• What excites me about the subject?• What is my subjects primary concern or pain?• What scenes do I want my listener to see in their mind?• What is the single benefit that will be most compelling to my

listener?• What is the most humorous part?• Does the hook lead to my objective?• Does the hook relate to my listener?• Is it better as a statement or a question?• Do I have an anecdote or personal experience that will work?

30 Second Elevator SpeechSample

I’m Paul Baxter, I help guide and take away the nervousness for people who want to get a new home. I still remember how confusing it was trying to figure out what was going on when I bought my first home. The Loan Officer never called me and was down right difficult to get on the phone. My realtor didn’t have any better luck figuring out what was happening than I did. It left such an impression, that today, I am known for being really good a communicating with both the buyers and the realtors. Needless to say, neither the Loan Officer nor the Realtor got a referral. I don’t ever let that happen to my realtor partners.

30 Second Elevator SpeechSample

I’m Paul Baxter, I help local real estate agents get more listings and buyers. I met Sally Agent a few months ago and introduced her to some educational materials I have. She has won $XXXX in new listings just in the last couple of months. She calls me Captain Strategy now. I don’t know about super hero names, but I do know, the more I help my partners grow their business, the more mine grows.