Episode 15

How To Quickly and Effectively Convey Your Value

Discover the secrets to crafting compelling elevator pitches in "Connect & Convert" with Dennis Collins, as he shares expert tips for effectively communicating product value without sounding like a sales pitch. Learn how to create captivating and concise elevator speeches that leave a lasting impact and prompt action from your audience.

Transcript
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Hi there, you've landed on Connect & Convert, the podcast

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where we share insider secrets.

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For small business sales success.

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I'm Dennis Collins, your resident sales training expert.

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I've been successfully training salespeople and sales manager for

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over four decades, and my specialty is working with small business owners.

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Okay, so let's talk about today.

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What are we going to talk about today?

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One of the key challenges that I face when, I was managing

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salespeople and clearly as I.

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Train and coach salespeople is how do we establish our value without

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making it sound like a sales pitch?

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Okay.

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I'm just thinking right now of several groups of sales people that I, coach

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right now, I want to tell you something.

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They're wicked smart.

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With product knowledge.

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You cannot fake them out.

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You cannot ask them a question.

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They don't understand that they can't explain.

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They got that.

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They know the technical aspects of value.

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But here's the problem.

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It sounds like a sales pitch.

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So how to quickly and effectively convey your value.

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Okay.

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You've heard.

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I've heard.

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We've all heard of elevator pitch, right?

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I guess I heard that decades ago, and the idea was that you were supposed

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to memorize something about yourself.

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Usually it's about selling yourself that could be delivered quickly and

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succinctly and effectively in an elevator trip that might last 30, 45 seconds.

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Okay, so how can we apply that to the sales process?

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You may have only 30 to 45 seconds to make your point.

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I would say you may.

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You do have only 30 to 45 seconds to make your point.

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So how can we get that done quickly and effectively and yet still

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convey value in a persuasive?

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And a memorable way again, elevator pitch always in my world was about

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a personal pitch about ourselves.

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But today I want to explore how it can be used for your products and services.

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What is it if you haven't heard of it.

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It's a short promotional speech presented to a specific target

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audience to communicate the value of your product or service.

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And obviously to get someone to take action, okay?

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So let's talk, let's break it down.

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What are the elements of a great elevator speech?

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Number one, be brief.

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An elevator speech by design, by its very nature, must be brief.

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When I say brief, 75 to 100 words.

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Maximum 45 seconds.

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And a lot of people say, I can't do anything in 45 seconds.

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Yeah.

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If you want to get good at elevator speeches, elevator pitches, you

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got to number two, you got to make it interesting and captivating.

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It can't be off the cuff and I'm not a believer in scripts.

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I don't like to use scripts and sales, but here is one case where

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you do have to script it in advance.

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You have to work out your elevator speech in advance to get your word count right.

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To get the right words and to practice it.

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So make it interesting and captivating.

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Make it relevant to the receiver.

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Okay, think about who, are you going to deliver this elevator speech to?

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Who is that person?

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Walk a mile in their shoes.

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What is it that you can tell them that's relevant to them and interesting to them?

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And last but not least, be confident.

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Not wishy washy, not arrogant.

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Be confident.

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So be brief.

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Make it interesting and captivating.

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Make it relevant and be confident.

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Okay, let's dive a little deeper.

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Let's design an elevator speech.

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Okay, let me give you the framework to design your own elevator speech.

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Number one.

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Start with a captivating cook or attention grabbing statement to

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pique the listener's interest.

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That sounds reasonable.

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That's good advice for any communication.

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Number two, clearly articulate the problem.

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So what is the issue?

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What's the problem or pain point that your product or service solves?

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Number three, and this is the big one.

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Why is your service or product unique?

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What is it that you do that no one else does?

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How, what highlight the key benefits, the key advantages,

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the uniqueness of your offering.

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Number four, provide some evidence or testimonials.

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How long you've been doing this?

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Who says it's good?

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Okay.

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Obviously you can't get deep into testimonials, but get,

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give the listener at least.

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Some sample of a testimonial and number five end with a call to action.

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Yes, a call to action.

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Encourage the listener to your elevator speech to take the next step

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or to learn more about your offering.

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Remember, the goal here is to convey value quickly and effectively that will leave

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a lasting impression on your listener.

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Okay, couple tips.

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How do you make your elevator speech more interesting?

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By establishing the problem by using a hook.

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Let me give you some examples.

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Sometimes you use a thought provoking question.

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Posing a question piques the listener's curiosity and their interest.

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That immediately engages them and they're more receptive to

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the message that will follow.

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Number two, start with a surprising statistic.

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Hey, did you know a compelling anecdote can also grab their attention and make

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your elevator speech more memorable.

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Let me give you a couple examples.

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Here would be a good way to start your elevator speech.

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Hey, let's be real here dot dot dot.

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Hey, did you know that dot dot dot picture this dot dot dot.

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Ever wish you could dot dot dot.

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Hey, when was the last time you dot dot dot or hey, is it just me?

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Or maybe you, do you feel dot, dot, dot, fill in the blanks, a great opening of

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an elevator speech almost guarantees that they will hear what follows.

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So in future episodes, we'll discuss the other elements in more detail.

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That was just element one.

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Okay.

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Establishing the problem with a hook.

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Okay, we'll get into the body, the articulating the problem, offering

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your uniqueness, testimonials and call to action in later episodes.

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But let me close today with a sample of what the finished

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product could sound like.

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Okay, when I first started my sales consulting business,

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I discovered a common issue.

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Companies were spending a lot of money on sales training that wasn't working.

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For several decades.

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I've been providing a special kind of training, training that sticks training.

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That's not only remembered, but is utilized to increase sales by using

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my unique method of training that helps salespeople build new skills.

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Clients have seen major increases in closing ratios and

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a big boost in total revenue.

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If you'd like to hear more about how I do this.

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Let's set up a call soon.

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Okay.

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You can find me at DennisCollins@wizardofads.Com

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at connectandconvertpodcast.

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com.

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And you can find me here for the next episode of Connect & Convert.

About the Podcast

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Connect & Convert: The Sales Accelerator Podcast
Insider Strategies for Small Business Sales Success

About your hosts

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Dennis Collins

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Paul Boomer

I help businesses grow up after they've grown their revenue. Think about that for a moment. You'll understand what I mean.