No Elevator Speech? - No Business!

Your Elevator Speech is a cornerstone of your business. Without an Elevator Speech, success will be much harder to achieve, maybe even impossible. It is more important than your Mission/Purpose Statement. Your Elevator Speech is more important than your Marketing and Business Plans because it gives them clarity. It is more important than your bookkeeping system because without it you won’t have anything to enter.

Your Elevator Speech is the essence of your brand. Without it you lack direction and focus. Without it, clients can’t hire your because they don’t know what they are buying.

Your Elevator Speech affects every aspect of your business.

It’s important. Really, really, really, really, really important.

Did I mention that it’s important?

Yea, I know that most entrepreneurs don’t have an Elevator Speech and they have a business. I believe they could have better business and a better bottom line if they had one.

In “Now What? Tell Everyone - Part I” I talked about the basics of your Elevator Speech but I want to go a bit deeper here.

I have seen a lot of people confuse an Elevator Speech with a tag line. They aren’t the same but it helps to have a tag line first and your Elevator Speech should bring that tag line to life.

So let’s start with your Tag Line:

There are three elements to a good Tag Line:

• It should be memorable

• It should be relevant

• It should demonstrate the value of your brand (hint: it’s not about you!)

Start by writing down the benefits (not features) of your services and summarize them. Refer back to the list you made in Topic #8. Now brainstorm a list of words that relate to your business and services.

Here’s how I did it:

My tag line is “Your Work, Your Business, Your Life”

First, I listed out the benefits of my blog:

• I educate women on what the Virtual Assisting Industry is.
• I provide information on trends in the VA Industry and Small Business.
• I educate women on the benefits of having a solid business foundation and how to set it up.
• I provide information on tools and resources for Virtual Assistants.
• I share ideas and suggestions on working effectively and efficiently at home.
• I consult and coach Virtual Assistants on starting, managing, marketing and growing their business.

Words relating to my business:

Work at Home, Mom, Virtual Assistant, Small Business, Entrepreneur, Businesswoman, Internet business, conversation, community, family, fun, personal growth, business development, goals, dreams, kids, technology, support, services, information, education, experience, independence, income, skills, abilities, marketing, and the list goes on…

From this I realized that as an entrepreneur and a mom, with my abilities and skills, my Virtual Assistant Business had allowed me to do work I enjoy, have a business I am passionate about and design my life, my way. From my conversations with other women, I know there are a lot of other women who want this too. I am passionate about helping others achieve their dreams. I have always had this focus for my clients and with ProVA By Design, I could share this journey with other women who aspire to be Virtual Assistants.

From there “Your Work, Your Business, Your Life” just kinda jumped off the page.

Your Elevator Speech

Once you have developed your Tag Line start brainstorming your Elevator Speech. Use the list of benefits and description words you used for your Tag Line and expand.

Take out a sheet of paper and at the top of it write:

Who are my ideal clients? Now brainstorm the types of clients you want to work with. Are they solo-entrepreneurs, boutique businesses in your downtown, or Tech businesses who are great at technology but need someone to handle the people side of business?

Beneath that list or on a separate sheet write:

What need do I fulfill for my clients? Again just brainstorm all of the things you can help them with. Translate your skills and abilities into solutions for your clients.

Now put that all together in your Elevator Speech. Keep it short and be crystal clear. Use imagery or humor to grab the listener’s attention. Be enthusiastic - show your passion! Entice them to want to know more; try closing with an open-ended question and start a conversation.

That’s your primary goal here - to engage them in conversation and once you do shift the focus to them and their business. Make it all about them. Because your business is all about them.

Check out my Welcome! Page and About Me page for variations on my Elevator Speech. These are longer than an Elevator Speech should be and I use abbreviated versions for face-to-face conversations but they might give you some ideas. There is also a very brief “generic” elevator speech in Topic #8 that you can use to get started.

Now take your Elevator Speech and review your Mission/Purpose Statement as well as your Business and Marketing Plans. Use it to fine tune and add clarity to these tools.

Know Elevator Speech! - Know Business!

Once you have your speech don’t just pat yourself on the back that you did it. Yes, it gives clarity to all aspects of your business but you won’t have a business if you don’t share it. Use your Elevator Speech to grow your business, meet new people, and enjoy your journey!

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