Before reading this week’s Tip of the Week, participate in this discovery exercise: Imagine a chance meeting with your ideal suspect. This is a person you really want a chance to sell to, but you simply have not been able to get their attention. Your chance meeting will not allow much time and you must make the most of it. Please take a minute, pull out some paper, and write down what you will say.
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In selling circles, the scenario that I just described is often called the elevator speech. The idea of the elevator speech is to make an impact with a suspect even if you are only in the elevator together for a short ride. Now that you have written your elevator speech, answer the following questions.
1. What was your objective? What did you want to accomplish?
2. How many words did it take?
3. If you were the suspect, how would you respond to the introduction you just wrote?
4. How confident are you that you would accomplish your objective?
5. How frequently have you used this same approach?
For many people, including experienced sales professionals, writing an elevator speech is a challenging assignment. Some argue that it is much easier to actually engage the conversation than to write it. It may be easier but it is far less effective. When you write your elevator speech you have the opportunity to clarify your objectives and choose your language in advance. Research shows this is far more productive than acting in the instant. Additionally, preparation does not diminish your ability to be spontaneous – it enhances it. When the time for action comes, the time for preparation has passed and if you are not prepared, you are not likely to be as brilliant as you would like to be.
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