The Final Draft Communications blog is all about how to put your best word forward in business—in both writing and speaking. Recently, I wrote a post titled How to Elevate Your Elevator Speech. In it, I suggested several ways to improve your elevator speech (an introductory speech brief enough to be delivered during an elevator ride), and mentioned that its purpose should be to initiate conversations.

I recognize that some people are more comfortable preparing and delivering elevator speeches than others, and I had this in mind when, during a teleclass, I heard Marcia Hoeck, a dynamic business coach, say she has stopped using elevator speeches. I was intrigued. “Perhaps there is another approach that might be more effective for some readers,” I thought.

So, I asked Marcia to guest post about her conversational marketing strategy. The following post is Part I in a three-part series that presents a fresh, effective way to verbally engage with customers and contacts.

(Want to guest post for the Final Draft Communications blog? Let’s talk!)

By Marcia Hoeck

I hate elevator speeches.

I know that’s a pretty strong statement, but it’s the truth. I’ve always hated them — probably because I’ve always been so awful at them. And you might as well admit it — almost everyone else is awful at them, too.

Did you ever hear an elevator speech that really sounded natural or authentic? One that didn’t sound even the teeniest bit memorized?

I thought so. You agree with me, too.

But we always thought we had to have them. We needed a way to tell people what we did, and a way to do it consistently and succinctly. And we needed something to say when we were put on the spot in those dumb 60-second introduction sessions at networking meetings. Somebody invented the elevator speech and we all just went along with it.

But I’m here to tell you there’s a better way — thanks to Karen, who invited me.

I’ve taken a page from Lois Kelly’s book, Beyond Buzz: The Next Generation of Word of Mouth Marketing, and now use a conversational marketing approach instead. You really ought to give it a try. Maybe you’ll be able to ditch your elevator speech forever, too, like I did. (Okay, like I do most of the time. Sometimes when my guard is down, I get tricked into giving a lame, quasi-elevator speech left over from days gone by, and it always makes me squirm. The vestiges are still there, deep in the hollows of my brain, and it’s a difficult to habit to kick, I’ll admit.)

Conversational Marketing

Kelly’s book describes how traditional marketing and communications don’t really help people talk. They inform, promote, direct, and describe, but they don’t help jump-start conversations that get people to say (and I love this phrase Lois uses to test if a subject is conversational),

“Gee, that’s interesting, tell me more.”

How many times has a prospective customer said that to you when you’ve given them your opening line about your company or product — your elevator speech? Not very many, huh? Do their eyes glaze over instead? In fact, do you even expect anyone to react to your elevator speech — or are you so focused on just getting it out of your mouth correctly that you can’t even think about how the other person reacts, or trying to actually establish a relationship with them? You’re just glad it’s over!

How much would it be worth to you to actually have people say, “That’s interesting. Tell me more,” regularly, not just when you’re talking to people, but also when anyone in your company is talking to people? And how great would it be to have a meaningful, effortless conversation follow this, where you’re able to keep their interest with relevant ideas that help them to better understand your value?

Having Interesting Things to Talk About is Valuable

If you’ve ever tried to get anyone else in your company to hone an elevator speech, or tried to arm them with a description they can use when asked about the company, you know what I’m talking about. It’s bad enough when you do it, but it can get really bad if you have others who have to carry the message, too — it can come off as stilted, prepared, salesy, and not at all interesting. And if the listener’s eyes go into a far-off stare, most likely you and your people just talk faster about your products and services, as if talking faster will make people suddenly wake up and listen. At least it’ll get the ordeal over with sooner. (And when you’re not around, your people won’t use the elevator speech you prepared for them, anyway. Betcha.)

We always knew that marketing was about having a conversation, a relationship with customers, right? Some of us have just had difficulty keeping the conversation interesting for our customers. Kelly contends:

“Studies have found that the more customers participate in meaningful conversations and interactions with companies, the more likely they are to purchase a product or service and recommend it to others. For marketers, this suggests that we need to find ways to involve customers in more conversations that are meaningful to them.”

This sounds like just what we need in an elevator speech, doesn’t it? Something to jump-start conversations, to get people to ask you to tell them more! Otherwise, it’s just an exercise. Just wasted words.

Make Meaning

Surveys say that people don’t trust companies, and that the only way to gain back trust is to communicate in new ways. One way to do this is with meaning making — meaning making helps make sense of an idea, an option, or concept, and shows people how it relates to what they already know. When they don’t see meaning, customers tend to become skeptical and indifferent.

In Parts II and III, I’ll present two key steps you can take toward making meaning using relevancy, context, pattern making, and emotion (the most powerful ingredient for understanding) and uncovering talk-worthy ideas. Stay tuned!

Like this post? You’ll want to join Marcia’s 4-week teleclass program, “The End of the Elevator Speech,” starting on March 2, 2010.

For 25 years, as owner of a leading strategic branding and marketing communications firm in Toledo, Ohio, Marcia Hoeck lived what she now teaches. Through trial and error, study of other entrepreneurial organizations, and her own vision for seeing how people and business opportunities match, Marcia developed simple high-impact, low-cost systems that enabled her to drastically reduce the amount of time spent managing her business, while increasing her revenues. These philosophies and customizable systems allowed her to create a business with great flexibility and time to pursue other ventures.

Marcia now shares her secrets as a business coach, showing how it is possible to create a culture that works for you — both spiritually and productively — to get your business out of that stuck place, get problems off your desk, and free you to do what you started your business for in the first place.

You can reach Marcia at marcia@hoeck.net. Get business tips and check out her services at www.mybreakthroughbusiness.com.