It takes 30 seconds or so to get from the lobby to the penthouse in
an elevator — just enough time for a business person to make a
pitch and capture investor interest.

As coaches, we want to attract investors too — they are the ideal
clients in your niche market who are ready to invest in their
future by hiring you.

A Masterful Elevator Speech Does Three Things:

1. Succinctly describes your niche market, so that your prospect
sees that you specialize in helping them exclusively.

2. Identifies their most compelling challenge, so that your
prospect feels you understand their unique problems.

3. Delivers a value proposition, so that your prospect believes you
will help them succeed.

When you’ve finished your quick speech the natural response is
“Tell me more!” or “When do we get started?” or “I’d like to refer
several people I know to you.”

Your prospects become clients when they perceive that you can help
them have less of what they don’t want and more of what they do want.

From Broad and General to Pinpointed and Compelling

This is the usual first stab at an elevator speech:

I help women professionals discover how to have a more fulfilling
business and personal life. Through life coaching, which provides a
safe and meaningful place to explore options, we’ll design your
ideal life and put together a strategic plan to manifest it.

Not bad but not a winner. Why?
- The niche market (women professionals) is too broad and so the
speech can’t address unique challenges.
- The challenge (fulfilling business & personal life) is catch-all.
- The value proposition (design ideal life/strategic plan) is blah.

Remember, your goal is to the get the most ideal clients with as
little effort as possible. To compel the prospect to invest, you
must show them the value of your coaching in just 30 seconds.

See how specifics accomplish this:

Hello. I’m Jean Gordon. The name of my company is Sales Force
Coaching. I help women sales managers bring in their most
profitable year by engaging proven team leadership tools. Most
sales managers have made it this far on their formidable sales
skills. Now it’s time to align all of their talents and learn
simple new tricks to lead an inspired sales force, while they
easily earn an annual bonus. (pause) If you’re a woman sales
manager, let’s make this your best year yet!

Why is this a winning elevator speech?
- The narrow and specific market — women sales managers.
- The value proposition — most profitable year — speaks to the
unique challenges of sales managers: making profits, learning
management skills to lead a team, and earning bonuses.
- Jean asks for the business.
- And it doesn’t even mention coaching, which keeps the focus on
clear communication without having to explain something new.

Subtly adapt your elevator speech to the circumstances. The one
above would work best delivered to a group. Change “they” to “you”
for one on one networking or for writing on a website. Just don’t
lose the specificity in the niche market or the value proposition.

Get it Into Your Bones

If you’re still in the place where you have to look up your unique
benefit statement or your 30 second speech, then you are missing
opportunities to get clients.

In other jobs you’ve held, you took ownership, didn’t you? It’s
time to take ownership of your coaching business and do the most
basic thing you can to be successful: become masterful at your
elevator speech.

- Speak up.
- Make eye contact.
- Let your light shine through your eyes.
- Stand up straight.
- Don’t fidget or hide your hands behind your back.
- Have business cards with you to pass out.

Your prospects will respond with interest when your elevator speech
is compelling, conversational, sincere and memorable. Once you’ve
written your speech, there are three more steps:
1. Practice it at least 50 times in the mirror until it’s a part of
you.
2. Get out into situations where there is a high percentage of your
target market and use your elevator speech.
3. Infuse your speech with your passion for coaching and your
interest in your clients. Then, your light will shine through and
your offer will be very attractive.