Knock ‘Em Dead

Do you know what to say when someone asks, "So what do you do?" Given this opportunity, a well-scripted response--known as your elevator speech--should begin flowing off your tongue.

An elevator speech is a 15- to 30-second spiel that helps to sell your service or product. Here are the main components of a great elevator speech:

1. Your first sentence should have a "hook" to get the listener's attention. It should describe you and your company. "I'm Betty, and I invented a product that fulfills every mother’s dream." Being a mom, I'd want to hear more about this amazing product.

2. Make it easy to understand. Refrain from using jargon or technical terms.

3. Be specific when describing your product or service. There should be no question about what you and your company represent and whom you are marketing to and why. But keep it brief.

4. How does your product or service help your audience? Why should they be interested?

5. Define your competition. Explain what makes your product or service different from that of your competitors. Be specific about what sets you apart.

6. Share your experience and background. It will help build confidence in you.

7. Target your elevator speech to your audience. You should have a couple of versions prepared and rehearsed. This'll help you sound natural in front of a variety of audiences. Be confident and make eye contact with your audience. This may be your only chance to sell yourself and your company to this particular person or group of people.

8. Share your speech with others and ask for honest feedback. Ask them whether you are hitting the key points. It's hard to accept criticism, but developing your elevator speech takes work.

Once you compile your speech, practice, practice, practice. Don't worry about memorizing it verbatim; the focus should be on remembering the main components. As you rehearse, ensure that your enthusiasm is coming through. People won't be captivated and moved to action if you don't sound enthused.

Network often so you can use your speech. Networking also presents opportunities for you to hear others' elevator speeches. Pay careful attention to what you think was great about their speech and what you think didn’t work. Avoid those mistakes in your speech. Use these lessons to continually enhance your speech.

Your business will continue to evolve and so should your elevator speech. Revisit your speech frequently and modify it as needed. You may have the best product since sliced bread, with the best packaging; but if you can’t go out and sell it, it won’t matter. You'll know that your speech hit a home run if you audience begins asking questions. You have just opened the door to a potential sale.