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The Dreaded Elevator Speech – Important for Job Seekers and Attorneys

Guest post by: Alvah Parker

Article Overview: Life today is hectic and so is business. Everyone is in search of ways to make quick decisions on minimum information. Whether you have a business, work in a business or are looking for work you need to have a quick way to introduce yourself and grab someone’s attention. Hence – the elevator speech or the 30 second introduction.

The Dreaded Elevator Speech – Important for Job Seekers and Attorneys

The Dreaded Elevator Speech – Important for Job Seekers and Attorneys


Life today is hectic and so is business. Everyone is in search of ways to make quick decisions on minimum information. Whether you have a business, work in a business or are looking for work you need to have a quick way to introduce yourself and grab someone’s attention. Hence – the elevator speech or the 30 second introduction.

Why is it called an “elevator speech”? Suppose you are in an elevator and the person next to you says, “What do you do?” Using your elevator speech enables you to answer that question concisely in the time it takes for the elevator to get to the person’s destination floor.

No one ever tells you what happens after that but I’d say if you were successful in delivering a good elevator speech the person you were talking to would have questions or would want to continue the conversation (off the elevator!).

Since I have had several careers I have had several elevator speeches. I taught school in the early 60s. At that time I had never heard of elevator speeches and I answered the ‘what do you do’ question with “I am a chemistry teacher.” This invariably led to a long monologue on the part of the other person about how much he/she loved/hated chemistry. Even at an interview for a teaching job I don’t recall having to deliver anything like an elevator speech and I did get a job! It is different today.

One job I had at AT&T proved a challenge for my elevator speech writing ability. My title did not tell you anything about what I did. Creative Solutions Manager sounded very different from the work I actually did. Now when someone asked what I did it was really necessary to come up with something interesting. Here is what I said,

“You know how when you call a company and the operator keeps sending your call to the wrong place and you have to call back about 10 times before you get to the right person? Well I design and sell systems that allow you to dial a 10 digit telephone number and then choose from a menu of options so that you can dial directly into the department you want”.

At least that got people asking questions and that is the point of elevator speeches. You want to peak people’s interests so they want to ask more questions of you. It is like the headline on an article. If you still are answering the question with the name of your occupation like “lawyer” or “dentist”, you are missing a great marketing opportunity.

If you have been wondering how to become a rainmaker for your practice or how to get hired, the first step is to have a really good elevator speech that answers the questions: “What do you do?” or “Tell me about yourself”. In both cases you want to put your best foot forward by telling the person about what you can do for him/her with whatever product or service you offer. A good elevator speech must:


• Be brief
• Focus on the questioner and what he/she needs
• Invite continued conversation
• Emphasize your strengths and/or the problem you solve and the benefits you provide.

There are lots of different ways to write the elevator speech. My AT&T speech takes a different form than one I use today which is:

“I work with attorneys who feel overwhelmed and over worked and who want to take action to make their work more profitable and fulfilling. I do this by working with them on how to become a rainmaker, how to manage time, how to increase profitability and how to hire good employees.”

For another target market I use:

“I work with people who feel out of step in their career and want to take action to find an interesting new career that is more in line with who they are and what is important to them.”

Take Action
1. Write your own elevator speech. Do some research to find other forms and choose the one that is best for you.
2. Practice your elevator speech once you have one that you think is good. First practice it by yourself looking in a mirror and then use it at a networking opportunity. Does it work? Do others seem interested in what you have to say? Do they ask you other questions?
3. Listen to other elevator speeches. What can you learn from them? What makes them good or not so good? Take another look at yours. Does it need any changes?
4. If necessary rewrite your speech and keep testing it until you find one that is comfortable for you and that gets the kind of reaction you want.

Related Articles
  Developing Your Elevator Speech
  An Elevator Speech an Indispensable Tool for Self Promotion
  An Elevator Speech Can Open Closed Doors
  Your Elevator Speech: The Most Important Few Words in Your Business Life
  A Duck Walks into a Bar

Article Tags: attorneys, business work, decisions, elevator speech, job seekers, life today



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