The 60 second introduction is not unique to Trusted Business Partners; in
fact it is not even unique to Tips (referral) Clubs. It is an integral part of
most business, clubs, social gatherings and service organizations. The elevator s
peech is used in everything from board rooms, to churches to family reunion, or just standing in line at the bank.
The reason may not be to state your business and what you are looking for (like how we use it at a TBP meeting). For example it could be to let others know who you are and how to contribute to a common goal within an organization, etc.
I have heard countless elevator presentations over the years, some great ones and many that could have used a little work to get their point to the target audience
The great ones all had one thing in common, they were prepared. With that preparation came the focus off taking the speech from point A to Point Z all in Just a 60 Second Span.
The goal of having a well prepared and rehearsed elevator speech, when it comes to structured networking should be to teach your fellow members to be your extended marketing arm in the course of their daily activities.
You might be thinking to yourself its only 1 minute, I can wing It I’ve been doing this for a long time. This attitude on the surface is not good if only for the fact that while you are trying to think of something to say, you are not giving the people speaking your full attention.
I know where that train of thought is coming from. I used to feel the same way. In fact I felt that sometimes it was better to adjust my speech to react to something that was said in the meeting. It wasn’t until later that I found out the true consequences of not having a prepared speech.
Your elevator speech should be ingrained in your mind until it becomes a reflex, so that no matter what the situation is it’s there at your fingertips to use on a moment’s notice.
My “Ah Ha Moment” came a few years back when I was backstage at a convention getting ready to go out in front of hundreds of people to receive an award. There was a person there also waiting to go on stage. This person would have been my perfect power partner and I would have never thought I would have had an opportunity to meet him. We started talking to kill the couple of minutes before we went out to address the assembly. He ask me what I did and I went blank. I don't even know what I said. He got called to the stage before I could recover I went out about 10 minutes later and never saw him again.