5 Secrets of Elevator Speech

May 7 2021

5 Secrets of Elevator Speech

How to change your professional and business career in about a minute? One way, for sure, is to have a perfect elevator speech prepared. A succinct and convincing presentation of who you are, and what you can do for a person you’ve just met, can be a beginning of a new stage of your business’s development.

It is said that Steve Jobs would fire people who couldn’t promptly give a short and to-the-point answer to the question about their job, when asked in the elevator. He believed that it was proof that the person didn’t really grasp their role in the organization, or what the most important value created by them was. Is there a grain of truth to this story? We will probably never know. What we do know, though, is that it is a good idea to have your 20-storey journey speech – at the ready. Remember that your “presentation” must really be brief. Your surroundings can an additional challenge. Modern skyscraper’s elevators often don’t allow for an easy conversation. Ideally, your office that you rent provides the opportunity to continue your conversation in a stylish setting, discreetly, and without the need for a conference room.

-It is very important for the workspace to allow to carry on with the business conversation in a proper environment after getting off the elevator. Smartly designed offices to let offer such stylish corners with comfortable chairs, often in the vicinity of a coffee machine. You can expand on, or finish your business conversation and use this opportunity to establish cooperation. And such an opportunity may present itself  at any moment – Marta Kamińska from Solutions.Rent explains.

Five Dos and Don’ts of a good speaker

You only have several dozen seconds so:

  1. Focus on the facts and talk about results, your service or
    product offer, for example: “I help companies such as yours to reduce energy costs by as much as 30%.” By doing so you’ll get their attention;
  2. Avoid jargon and professional lingo – a great test of your presentation is to give it in front of your family. If they can follow
    , and can retell it with their own words – your success is at hand!
  3. Talk only about what is the most important. Present facts and specific advantages. It is helpful to put a piece of paper with the words: “What’s in it for me?” in front of you when practicing your speech.
  4. Try to excite their interest and make them want to continue the conversation after getting off the elevator (for instance, by asking them proper questions).
  5. Trust your own passion. If you are an expert in the field, and you believe in your product or service, you will be naturally convincing, and your enthusiasm will be infectious.

Read also: Business meetings – the importance of savoir-vivre

Your strength is trained authenticity

Practice your “part” in front of the mirror, but also believe that in the right time proper words will come to you. Your presentation must not be a memorized speech. Over-rehearsed, it will lack the most important bit – passion. And passion is the most effective in winning future business partners over.

Control your facial expression and gestures

What definitely needs to be controlled during the conversation is facial expressions and gestures. Smile when you speak, even if the other person cannot see you. The smile affects the tone of voice. The vowels sound fuller, which other people subconsciously interpret as honesty and self-confidence. It is good to remember about conservative and effortless gestures. If you accompany some of your points with a motion of your hand, it will look natural. However, don’t learn or use rhetorical gestures on purpose, because in most cases they just look ridiculous.

Maintain the eye contact

Maintaining eye contact is yet another important part of building a relationship during a conversation. Entire volumes have been written about the communication with our gaze, but one thing you need to remember is to look the other person in the eye. If you are talking to several people, switch your look from one person to the other in turn, because by doing so you show respect and that you believe in what you say. Remember not to stare hypnotically deep into the pupils of the other person. It can be misinterpreted as an attempt to dominate. It is good manners to look the other way every few seconds.

Business card

If your “presentation” was well received, but the circumstances don’t allow for its continuation, it is vital that you leave your contact information. The best way is a traditional business card. In certain circles, a carefree “let’s catch each other on LinkedIn!” can be seen as a lack of respect – or simply forgotten. In the digital age, the old-school business card is still one of the best tools for quick transfer of contact information, and thus, for developing business relationships.

To sum up – just a little nerve, self-confidence and many hours spent on the “elevator speech” will surely help you grow your company. The right choice of the office building, in a premium spot, where you can meet potential business contacts, will also help.

Are you looking for an office for your company? Click here and check out Solutions.Rent offices.

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