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| Special Email Note: A very small number of you may be receiving this email twice due to a glitch in our email system. If so, please disregard this second email and accept our sincere apologies. -- Don Martin Public Affairs |
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| Issued Quarterly
July 2010
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Vastly improving your personal "elevator speech"
A quarterly newsletter of helpful tips and information from
Don Martin Public Affairs, Austin TX
Issues Management, Communications Strategy, Media Relations, Public Relations,
Crisis Management, Legal and Litigation Support  |
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Company Information
Don Martin |
901 Rio Grande
Suite 203
Austin, TX 78701
Ph 512-328-2900
Fx 512-328-2908
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[Editor's Note]No talk about crisis management or media relations or such. Instead just a refresher on a topic that is vitally important to everyon....
The much-dreaded "Elevator Speech" is a prime example of a communications challenge when business is at stake and it's up close and personal....whether it's small business of one or 100.
But if you own a business, sell your services, market products, or are accountable for creating more business for your employers, this simple little conversation is arguably the most important way of letting people know what you're really up to and creating a business opportunity...complete with words, emotions and body language.
It is a way to express who you are (not merely "what you do") and to create a memorable and authentic conversation by engaging with the other person.
It usually begins with the question, "What do you do?" Robert Middleton of Action Plan Marketing (www.actionplan.com) says "people usually make the mistake of answering that question. We give people the "do" instead of something else that would really get attention."
Middleton isn't suggesting that we avoid a direct answer. Rather he suggests that we provide a richer answer by following a a particular set of rules by which a response to that question is most effective and memorable.
1) The First part comes when someone asks, "What do you do?", is to describe your ideal Clients. "Here's who I work with... Here are my ideal (or typical) clients..."
2) The Second part is a description of the Client's problem, challenge or concern. "These are the problems, challenges and concerns that they deal with."
3) The Third part is a description of the ultimate outcome that you offer your Clients. "Here's the outcome, result or solution I provide."
4) Finally, the Fourth and final part is to provide a short story or case study example.
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Special thanks to James A. "Jim" Baker (MBA) for introducing me to this concept. Jim's firm, Revenue Rising, provides Business Development Expertise and Consulting for Professional Firms. Call Jim at (52)55404949 or email him at jim.baker@revenuerising.com if you'd like help with your own elevator speech.
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Note - As an example, here's my own personal elevator speech:
"I work with companies, individuals, developers and attorneys who have potential public issues coming up in Central Texas. I work with them to develop a communications strategy, or with managing issues, the news media, or helping with crisis communications. Here's the usual outcome: with a plan in place we can usually minimize the public impact of an issue, or even avoid it becoming a problem altogether. Either way, we proactively manage the issues in advance to the client's benefit."
"Here's an example: I worked with the large Sun City project in Georgetown where we knew the announcement of the project would have major impacts -- the project would essentially double the size of Georgetown. We worked with all major elements of the city, from the city-owned utilities, to the library, to the university, social services, and schools and took a broad array of these individuals out to see other Sun Cities and to let them ask questions of their counterparts. As a result they came back glowing about the project's positive impacts (which of course was highlighted in the local newspaper) as well as the potential pitfalls. As a result the city welcomed the project, and these opinion leaders were informed about reasonable items to discuss in the project approvals."
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