What you say about yourself is almost as important as what other think about you! Not only does this make up part of their initial impression of you and what you do but more importantly the things you say about yourself eventually become self-fulfilling (therefore whatever you say make sure it’s the best it can be…).
For these reasons one of the best things any practitioner can master is what has become known as the Elevator Speech. This idea gets its name from the imaginary situation that if you were in an elevator with a total stranger and you only have 20 – 60 seconds before they reach their floor – how do you reply to their question of “What do you do?” in a way that grabs their attention and peaks their interest before they get out and you have lost the chance to impress them for good…
(An elevator was probably picked because of the shortened time frame you have before someone gets off for their floor – it could easily have been named the Slurred Party Speech – the length of time you have at a party before someone walks of bored and annoyed – although that is not quite so snappy!)
So given that shortened time frame – what would you say? Well, as I have already hinted, it is important you grab their attention and get remembered so they don’t get bored, tune out or forget you – and I have found one of the best ways to do this is rather than proceed to tell them what you actually do, phrase it in such a way that tells them what you CAN do FOR them!
In order to do this – think about all the end results your clients have achieved from using your services, all the fantastic things they can now do and all the great opportunities that visiting you has opened up and you will then be able to use these benefits to hone your speech. Keep it in the front of your mind when you are planning your “pitch” people buy / act on results!
An ideal way to find the best things to say about yourself is to let your subconscious do it for you. The great thing about this is that this often happens whilst you are asleep so there is even less work to do on your part!
For example, have you ever been stuck trying to find the solution to a problem (the answers to crossword puzzles is a good one) and you have gone to bed and either during the night or first thing in the morning you have woken up and there is the answer – on the tip of your tongue, the very first thing that comes into your mind when you wake up?
You have?
Therefore just before you go to sleep put a pen and note pad next to your bed and think about what you would like to say about yourself, how best to describe you and your practice or any other point you would like your creative inner self to act on – and then go to bed! Although it sounds crazy (and you will have to trust me on this until you try it for yourself), during the night your subconscious (which is always trying to help you – if you will just let it) will figure it out for you and give you the best answers in the morning.
To help your subconscious along just recall some of the things your clients always say to you when you have done your normal terrific job…
For example (and these are only examples to get the ball rolling and your own creative juices flowing) they may have said something along the lines of:
You got them their life back…
You allowed them to play with their grandchildren, play golf, work again etc…
You are a God send…
You have enabled them to do what they always wanted to do…
You have removed their pain…
You have allowed them to enjoy their retirement…
I am sure a few ideas have sprung to mind already
Couple this with high-lights of what you actually do – and you will need to look for the edge and twist on this as well – and you are well on your way to the perfect pitch. Instead of saying you are a Chiropractor, Osteopath, Massage therapist, Acupuncturist etc. and that you remove subluxations, spinal lesions, balance energy meridians, you remove muscle imbalances etc. – you may want to say (and once again after a good nights sleep I am sure you can do better) that:
I use a system of healing over 5000 years old
I remove any roadblocks from healing and allow the body to repair
I slow the aging process
I restore balance, harmony throughout the body,
And so on
So, by combining the two you have created an Elevator speech that will spark interest, the desire to learn more – and pull prospective clients into your clinic like moths to a flame! Because when someone next asks you what you do, how much better is it than instead of saying:
“My name is Mr. Jones. I am an acupuncturist and for 20 years I’ve been helping people with all sorts of problems….”
You say:
“I use a system of healing over 5000 years old, passed down through the generations to restore balance throughout the body and allow people to do to the things they really want to do…”
Now which one do you think will get peoples attention and them longing to know more?