Elevator Speeches... The old sales adage says that you should be able to communicate the core message of your product in the time it takes to go up a couple floors in an elevator... You have between 30 and 90 seconds to tell the person locked in the elevator with you why he should buy what you have to offer. Yes, I know what you’re thinking... People don’t talk in elevators. You walk in, turn to face the front of the box and try not to touch anyone who is also in the elevator with you. Saying hello will get you a strange look. When would you ever use an elevator speech? Even if you’re in the middle of a discussion with someone, when you enter an occupied elevator the automatic reflex is to stop talking.
So if you’re in sales or in a job search, when are you going to use an elevator speech if not in the elevator? Some unemployment professionals may disagree with me; I believe that elevator speeches are a tool to help folks prepare what to say when asked questions while networking or interviewing. However, if a person took 60 to 90 seconds to recite a whole elevator speech, it would come off as pretty artificial and contrived.
Picture this: you’re in line at a wedding reception either for the bar or the buffet. A person walks up behind you--the line isn’t moving all that fast--so you say “hi.” They say ‘hi” in return. “Great wedding,” one of you say. The other says “yes, (as the line moves up a step) they’re a beautiful couple. By the way, (holding out a hand) my name is Jim Jameson.” (Shaking hands) “Hi Jim, I’m Jacqueline Daniels, how do you know the lovely couple?” Sooner or latter as the line get closer to the desired end, someone asks the other, “What do you do?” So what do you do?... you dive right in with your well practiced elevator speech. And what do you hear next? The guy behind your new friend saying, “Hey buddy, you going to order a drink or what?” Your new friend darts over to the other open bartender and says, “Make it a double!” and you never see them the rest of the night. Why? Because they are there to dance, eat and drink, see friends and remember how wonderful it was when they were married.
If social occasions aren’t the best place to use your elevator speech, where do you use this all important tool that people have been telling you needed or you’d never find a job? Job Clubs, Networking Groups and Professional Networking Events are the best. I go to an early, breakfast networking event where after forty minutes or so of informal networking we circle up and go around the circle giving our elevator speeches. It’s a smashing time, really great fun! Then people mingle some more to exchange cards with those they hadn’t met before the circle. We exchange leads and asks questions and the group slowly dwindles as people go to work.
At the wedding, it’s better to tell them what you do and then ask what they do. Develop a rapport where you can learn something about the person. If you realize that they are someone you can network with, find a means to follow up with them after the wedding. “Well Jim, we need to get back to the party, it was great meeting you. Maybe we can get together sometime for coffee? I’d like to learn more about your company... are you on LinkedIn? Would it be okay if I sent you an invitation to connect? Great! Enjoy the rest of the evening.”
BTW, next week I’ll not be posting, I’m off to St. Paul, Minnesota to visit with some friends and celebrate our 30 year reunion.
I am sometimes challenged with job seekers that tell me that they are actively working their job search and when we review their calendar I quickly realize that job clubs are their principle means of job search. Sadly, this is a misuse of a beneficial resource.
In May, I heard a key note speaker who turns out to be one of the first to utilize the concept of Job Clubs in the USA. Joy Maguire-Dooley is a social worker, author, career transition and networking guru. I also consider Joy to be a friend. The joke between us is that Joy knows everyone; if you need a contact somewhere, Joy has a name and phone number to share with you. There is a saying that goes something like, "With Joy in your life; you'll land a job." Anyway, if Joy didn't invent the concept a job club, she was one of the very first to employ its practice. Joy teaches that a job search requires a WOW factor... this is something that takes practice to develop!
Activity vs. Accomplishment
It's my belief that many in job transition have received the wrong idea about job clubs and networking. I'll hear folks say that they were networking yesterday and when I dig a little deeper I learn that they went to a job club, A.K.A. networking session. What did they come back with... Hand bills and business cards from the seven others around their table. This is activity without accomplishment, no WOW here. Real networking should be moving the job seeker closer to the goal; in this case getting a job offer. If you come back with only seven hand bills you're not really moving toward an interview and a job offer. Job clubs are the first place to network, not the only place!
Job Clubs are the Practice Arena
At the beginning of your job search attending one, two or even three job club meetings a week is a great opportunity to practice your networking skills and your job search tools, not to mention your WOW. A job club is a safe and hopefully mutually beneficial environment. Practice your elevator pitch, your success stories, how to listen effectively, how to ask for business cards, how to join a conversation and how to end a conversation and move on to the next person. After you've gotten these tools and skills down, going to more than two job club meetings a week is a misuse of your time. Use that time to meet with those contacts who are working. Use that time to meet with people you've just been introduced to. Use that time to build up new relationships and utilize the skills you've practiced. Use that time to put the WOW into your job search.
Teri Clancy, Joy Maguire-Dooley and Sally Morrison are the founders of CareerPartners3 and the authors of, A Taste for Work... Your Menu for Career Success.
Elevator Speeches... The old sales adage says that you should be able to communicate the core message of your product in the time it takes to go up a couple floors in an elevator... You have between 30 and 90 seconds to tell the person locked in the elevator with you why he should buy what you have to offer. Yes, I know what you’re thinking... People don’t talk in elevators. You walk in, turn to face the front of the box and try not to touch anyone who is also in the elevator with you. Saying hello will get you a strange look. When would you ever use an elevator speech? Even if you’re in the middle of a discussion with someone, when you enter an occupied elevator the automatic reflex is to stop talking. 
At the wedding, it’s better to tell them what you do and then ask what they do. Develop a rapport where you can learn something about the person. If you realize that they are someone you can network with, find a means to follow up with them after the wedding. “Well Jim, we need to get back to the party, it was great meeting you. Maybe we can get together sometime for coffee? I’d like to learn more about your company... are you on LinkedIn? Would it be okay if I sent you an invitation to connect? Great! Enjoy the rest of the evening.” 
