If you’re in the business world — any industry, any place — you’ve probably heard the term “elevator speech.” An elevator speech is a short, 30-second-or-less pitch that you’d present to someone who you’re meeting professionally for the first time. It’s kind of like your own commercial — you want to sum up what you do and why they need it, in as few words as possible.

Coin your own catch phrase.

The key to an elevator pitch is grabbing the listener’s attention. In one or two lines, you want to intrigue them enough to ask you questions and to learn more about your business. Many business owners have a tag line for their business ads. You need a tag line for your elevator speech, too.

For example, evaluate the differences between these two elevator speeches:

“Hi, my name is Zoe Smith and I’m an executive recruiter.”

Yawn.

“Hi, my name is Zoe Smith. I help companies become more profitable by matching them up with amazing talent.”

This is much better because it creatively defines exactly what Zoe does without putting a boring title to it that really doesn’t mean anything to the listener. Remember, this is your 15 seconds of fame so make it count. Describe what you do in a way that shows how it benefits the person who is listening to your speech. If you don’t grab them in the first 15-30 seconds, then they may be lost to your forever. And even if the person you are speaking to doesn’t need your product or service, she may know someone who does.

Now you’re probably wondering how in the world you’re supposed to accomplish this for yourself in 15-30 seconds. It’s not as difficult as it may seem if you follow these steps.

How to craft an effective elevator speech:

1. Make a list. Take a piece of paper or sit in front of your computer and create a two-column list. In one column, write down what your company provides or offers. Maybe you sell cosmetics or maybe you recruit employees. Whatever you, do write in the first column. Use the second column to describe how what you do benefits the buyers of your product or service. A cosmetics company benefits its users by making them beautiful. A recruiter finds talent that helps companies grow and turn a profit.

2. Write your opener. Just like a comedian opens his act with a gut-buster of a joke, you want to start your elevator speech with an attention grabber. A cosmetics representative who says, Hi, I’m Sue and I make people beautiful,” is probably going to elicit the response, “How do you do that?” Sue has just opened up the door to a more detailed conversation. She has intrigued her listener enough to want to hear more.
3. Practice makes perfect. Finally, your elevator speech should be something you memorize. It should be said like it is the first time you’ve said it, even if it is the thousandth time it has rolled off your tongue. This means you have to practice and perfect your elevator speech. Stand in front of a mirror and practice saying it to yourself. Record it and listen to how you sound. Practice it in front of colleagues, family members, or a friend who will give you honest feedback. Make changes and adjustments to your speech as needed.

   If you run through these three steps, the next time you’re out networking, your elevator speech will come out smoothly and naturally… and, hopefully, persuade the client to say, “That’s interesting. I want to talk with you some more about this. Do you have your calendar so we can schedule an appointment?” The words you’ve been waiting to hear!

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