|
Your
Comments on This Section Are Welcome
In
addition to a resume, a key marketing tool required is the 60-second
elevator speech. An elevator speech is a sound bite – a brief description
of what you are looking for, the added value you bring to the employer
and a request.
It
is critical that the elevator speech be short, concise and contain
a “call to action” or specific request. If the listener is left
confused about who you are, what your added value is, or how they
can help you, you will not get the desired results.
Market
research has shown that the average person’s attention span is 60-90
seconds, which is why TV commercials are 30 or 60 seconds long!
So your elevator speech should be 60 seconds.
General Elevator Speech
You
need to be completely comfortable giving your general elevator speech
to anyone at any time. You meet someone at a social event, a conference
or a business meeting, and the person says, “What do you do?” or
“What are you looking for?”
The contents of general elevator speech include:
- Your value proposition
tagline
- What you are looking
for – your career objective & target industry/companies
- Experience
- Added value you provide
to an employer
- Call to action –
which will vary depending on the type of person to whom you are
speaking
Sample General Elevator
Speech
"I’m an international
marketing and branding leader and I’m currently seeking marketing
opportunities in the technology industry. I have 10+ years of
B2B marketing experience in the technology and telecomm industries.
My added value is helping companies dramatically increase their
brand awareness and market share. For instance, at ABC Networks,
I led an international team in delivering consistency in messages,
branding strategy and identity throughout the company. This resulted
in a seven-fold increase in brand awareness in 18 months. Most
recently, I was the SVP of Global Marketing Services for Exell
Inc. – where I increased market share 50% while reducing headcount
by 30%. I’m looking for a customer-focused B2B company where
I can again lead the effort to build brand awareness and market
share. Could I get 10 minutes of your time to discuss companies
you know of, which might fit this profile?"
Networking Group Meetings
The
recent creation of networking groups – a group of “in transition”
people coming together to help each other – has given rise to the
need for a slightly modified elevator speech. The contents of networking
meeting elevator speech is very similar to the general one, but
takes into account that your speech will be one of 10-50 delivered
to the group, one after another. You need to make it easy for the
audience to remember and relate to you. You do this by
- Start with your name
– spoken slowly and clearly
- Listing the companies
you have worked for, in case others have worked there or want
contacts there
- Abbreviate your accomplishments
- Give very specific
call to action
- Repeat your name
and tagline at the end
Sample Networking
Meeting Elevator Speech
"I’m Joe Jones,
international marketing and branding leader and I’m currently
seeking marketing opportunities in the technology industry. I
have 10+ years of B2B marketing experience in technology and telecomm
-- for Digital, Bay Networks, Nortel Networks and Marconi PLC.
My added value is the ability to dramatically increasing brand
awareness and market share. For instance, at Nortel, I led an
international team in delivering a seven-fold increase in brand
awareness in 18 months. I’m looking for a VP of Marketing position
at a customer-focused B2B company where I can again lead the effort
to build brand awareness and market share. The help I'm
looking for tonight is contacts at any of the following companies:
ABC Inc, FDD Inc and SWQ Inc. In addition, I'd love to get
the names of any recruiters with whom you have a good relationship.
I'm Joe Jones, international marketing and branding leader. Thank
you."
|
TIP: At
networking meetings, it is critical that you say your name
slowly and clearly.
It is the
most important part of your elevator speech. In addition,
you need
to repeat
it at the end of the pitch to help people remember who you
are and
what you
want from them.
|
|