Do you have an elevator speech? (A short 20 to 30 second speech to convince anyone why they should hire you.)
If you have one, how do you feel when you deliver it or are you frustrated when the other person beats you to the punch and pitches you with a couple of corny lines about how great they are?
Do you feel good and think the other person feels good? Or do you think that you have both been cheapened by a shameless, self promotional pitch?
Good sales and marketing is about understanding the needs of your potential customers, listening to them carefully and then explaining how your product or service delivers the benefits they are looking for.
Me, Me, Me or You, You, You
Good selling is about you the prospective customer but an elevator pitch is about me the potential seller.
It's starting from the wrong point and is just a broadcast.
I agree some people may be able to create enough attention to have people begging to learn more but it's not "I can save you the trillions of pounds you are currently paying the taxman by sharing a secret known only by me."
There is no credibility.
What would work?
"I am a sex god who..."
I don't think so. It may attract your attention and gain your interest but the credibility factor is still not there.
Listen to Michael Port
It is not just you and me who doesn't like the elevator speech despite the fact that many business gurus will tell you that you must have one.
Watch this video of Michael Port (see my Who is Michael Port article)
Let Michael explain his ideas on the "who you are and what you do" statement that isn't corny and then I recommend you click on over to Michael's website and sign up to his free Think Big Mondays club. This week's broadcast is about using Facebook for marketing and I will be commenting on it later in the week.
I am certainly in favour of a short summary of how you can help people which you have intentionally developed and rehearsed but it doesn't have to be corny and insincere.
Me?
I don't think I would deliver it in elevators but you can certainly capture your main essence in a couple of sentences and use it as part of your email signature, in your other marketing and as a way to introduce yourself on the telephone.
Here is another article along similar lines from The Guerrilla Consultant Website - The Trouble With Elevator Speeches.
It is time to stop the corny elevator speeches and pitches. That's a relief isn't it.
If you enjoyed this Michael Port video, there are more on this Michael Port Squidoo lens.
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