What Do You Do?

The head of a firm asked me the other day to review his "elevator speech." Here's the advice I shared:

Create your elevator pitch as though you will be sharing it between swings on a golf course (okay, or on an elevator). You have only a few seconds to share what you do; share the information with the assumption that the listener has three other things on his/her mind. In other words, the listener is not paying full attention but has some curiosity. The best way to create an effective elevator pitch is to share it again and again with others verbally until you are satisfied that each listener “gets it” based on the response you receive. Expect the process of sharing and refining to take two to three weeks.

Here’s how to enhance your elevator speech:

· Simplify your message. Do you really feel comfortable delivering your pitch to a person who is only casually interested? Can you go with a shorter, simpler message that will cause the listener to either ask a follow-up question or share back to you what they heard?

· Slow down your delivery. Speak up and slowly enough that the listener will absorb your message—make eye contact. Fewer words said with meaning will make a greater impact. The idea is not to tell them everything in your opening sentence—just the essence of what you do in a teaser fashion to heighten their interest and cause them to respond.

· Take note of the response you receive. Evaluate each response and reshape your elevator pitch until:

o You are comfortable getting the words out in the most natural fashion possible (fewer words, more impact, a solid idea communicated).

o The listener’s response and follow-up questions satisfy you.

Here's what I tell fellow golfers between swings: "I help executives solve problems via introductions to professional service providers." Then I answer their burning questions.