Why Elevator Speeches Defeat Sales

There are few offenses in business worse than challenging the validity of the near sacred “elevator speech,” that one-minute message verbalizing the unique qualities of what a salesperson does or sells.

The need for the “elevator speech” seems obvious since hordes of salespeople fumble and stumble when asked what they do. Even though they may have adequate knowledge of what they sell and the company they represent, they’re unable to verbalize the message clearly and succinctly.

As someone said, “If you don’t have an elevator speech, people won’t know what you really do.” It’s no wonder that sales managers make it a top priority to motivate their people to prepare and practice mini-messages.

If all this is true, then why knock it? Why challenge something that’s needed and useful to a salesperson?

To put it bluntly, an “elevator speech” is damaging because it’s a one-way, robotic “conversation” that defeats sales. It “tells” but doesn’t “sell.”

Whether it’s in person, on the phone or in emails, it’s time to slam the door, hang up or hit delete. It’s time salespeople got the special memo: no one cares who you are or what you’re selling.

The “elevator speech” approach breeds disaster. It undermines and kills sales because it fails to engage customers. In fact, it has just the opposite result: it bores the listener. No one wants to spend even 60-seconds listening to people talking about themselves. It’s far and away the most successful method of driving prospects away.

‘Thanks for Asking’

So, what should a salesperson say when someone asks, “What do you do?” Instead of pressing the “elevator speech” button and jabbering about the products or services they sell or the company they work for, the best response is simply to say, “Thanks for asking.”

The next step gives salespeople the opportunity to begin a conversation. What this takes is a captivating statement that compels someone to ask what it means.

Here are several examples of how to do that:

• “It’s my job to snoop around and find where my clients are spending money needlessly.” Much better than saying, “I’m a consultant.”
• “Businesses depend on me to make sure they have a constant flow of new prospects.” That’s far more interesting than saying, “I’m in marketing.”
• “My customers depend on me to make sure they won’t run out money when they need it most.” Much better than saying, “I’m a financial advisor.”
• “I help my clients take advantage of new, profitable opportunities.” Much better than saying, “I’m a commercial loan officer.”

By now, the picture should be clear. When a salesperson makes this type of statement, it opens the door for the prospect to ask a question: “How do you do that?” or “What does that mean?” Now, the situation is right for moving forward and starting a conversation.

By engaging people in such a way that they are intrigued, they will want to know more. Now, they are the ones asking for additional information.

This approach requires thinking and, most importantly, careful listening. It also forces salespeople to think about what they really do and then express it in a way that pulls prospects closer.

On one occasion, the president of a company asked what I did. I responded by saying, “I help CEOs avoid embarrassing themselves.” He then asked, “Can you explain that?” I did, saying, “I help them recognize that they are too close to the business to manage the company’s marketing objectively.”

As long as salespeople are “stuck” with the “elevator speech” mindset, it’s difficult, if not impossible, to actually engage others.Without this involvement, potential buyers tune out.

The shift from “elevator speech” to “engaging conversation” is not difficult. It begins with asking the key question, “What is it that I really do for my customers?”