The Importance of a Good Elevator Speech

I’m not sure exactly the first time I heard the concept of the “elevator speech,” but I knew that the concept immediately made sense. To summarize an answer to the question “what do you do” in 60 seconds—about the time it takes to ride an elevator in any high rise building—is such a simple, yet profound idea.

I admit, though, that before it became known as something you need to do in business, there were times where I’d be flustered. “How can I explain what I do quickly and concisely without minimizing it” I would think and, after some hems and haws, the elevator trip would be over.

Now, people expect you to have an elevator speech ready, whether it’s about what you do or, perhaps, if you’re in a job interview and the HR person asks you to “tell me about yourself.”

At our recent Home Helpers National Conference, one of our owners, Mitch Williams, gave a brief presentation and in it he shared his elevator speech. I think it’s perfect—here it is:

“I’m Mitch Williams with Home Helpers. We take care of America’s greatest generation. We give seniors complete control over where they live and how they live. We do this by providing exceptional, heartfelt Caregivers who we place in their homes to help them with Activities of Daily living such as bathing, light housekeeping, cooking, medication reminders and transportation. We make life easier.”

Mitch follows the basic concepts of an elevator speech without it sounding like it’s just some boilerplate that he’s memorized. Of course, hearing Mitch deliver it in person helps because he truly means what he says, which comes through in how he says it. Here are the keys to make your elevator speech great:

1. Introduce yourself, then make your audience care. “I’m Mitch…we take care of America’s greatest generation” 
2. Explain what you do. “We give seniors complete control over where they live and how they live”
3. Give examples of your expertise. “We do this by providing exceptional, heartfelt Caregivers . . .”
4. Have a solid conclusion. “We make life easier.”

Sometimes you might want to end with a call to action depending on the situation. I know Mitch always has a business card ready in case someone responds with an interest in his office’s services. He also practiced his elevator speech—out loud—until he got comfortable with it. Now he’s given it so many times it flows naturally.

I know we’re not breaking any new ground here, but we all need reminders every once in a while to make sure we’re doing all we can to present the best possible version of ourselves. I hope this reminder helps someone reading this, which makes it all worthwhile.