Have you created an elevator speech? You are busy working to build your business and bringing in more clients not only so that you can help more people to recover their health and feel better, but so that you can make a living as well. In your day to day life, you will no doubt come across people who will ask you what you do. And every person you meet is a potential client, so each time you are asked that question, it is good to have a short speech prepared that clearly defines what you do, so that you can represent yourself fully. This prepared speech is also known as an elevator speech or elevator pitch. This type of speech was born from the question “what would you do if you were in an elevator with your dream prospect and only had the time it takes from the bottom of the building to the top of the building to tell them who you are and what you do?” This is a very important question, because first impressions are vital, and you may often find yourself with only a short amount of time to communicate everything you need and want potential clients to know about you and your business.
So how to you write an elevator speech that really allows you to convey what you do to someone who has no idea what an FDN practitioner or functional health coach is or does?
A good elevator speech has these components:
Length– 30 seconds is ideal, but never any longer than a minute! Less is definitely more with an elevator speech.
Clarity– be sure to use language that is easy for everyone to understand. For example, in FDN we talk about functional lab testing and functional health coaching, but not everyone will understand what that means. Many people don’t even know what a health coach is, and surprisingly few people understand functional approaches to health. So it is important to break down what you do so that everyone can clearly understand. Keep the words in your elevator speech plain and avoid more intellectual words that your audience may not understand. You may be tempted to try to sound smarter by using these types of words, but you run the risk of a potential client not understanding and being confused.
Problem– what problem do you solve? If you work with a specific target market (i.e. menopausal women, or women from ages 50-75), include that in your speech.
Solutions-What are the solutions you provide? How is it that you are benefiting your clients and what types of benefits do your clients typically see when they work with you?
Authenticity-be you and be real. You know what you do best, and being yourself and sharing your passion for what you do is one of the best ways to promote yourself. That authenticity will shine through!
Take the time to write out your elevator speech and go back and edit where you need to. Once you have a speech that you like, then read it for one or two family members or close friends and get their feedback on it to be sure that they understand everything clearly. Once you feel comfortable with it, then it is time to memorize it! You have to be completely comfortable with giving your speech so that it comes across naturally and relaxed, and not as if it is a rehearsed speech. Familiarity is the key!
Writing and learning and elevator speech is the best way for you to guarantee that you will share what you want others to know about what you do. It’s a powerful marketing tool to have in your arsenal for those times when people ask you what you do! You may just end up with a new client as a result.
