Your Elevator Speech: Social Media Tip of the Week Video

I’ve been wanting get back into doing television again for a while and have spent a lot of time putting together my new studio. I’ll do a post in the near future telling you more about the studio and plans for future shows. And if you have a tip you’d like to share or question you’d like me to answer, please share it in the comments section below.

The content of the video will pretty closely mirror what’s written below but I’ll usually offer both for those that prefer text over video. In this first episode, we’re going to talk about your Elevator Pitch and how you can use it to connect with more people on Twitter & LinkedIn.

In your Twitter bio, you have only got 140 characters to convince someone you’re worth following. On LinkedIn, you get a longer profile but your headline is limited to only 120 characters.

The right elevator speech can really help you shine on Twitter, LinkedIn or anywhere you’re networking online or in person.
Most people I meet are naturally excited about their product or service and tend to go on and on about the features. Instead, you should focus on the key benefits your product or service offers.

Several years ago, I learned a lesson from a master copywriter for writing sales letters that can also be used to help polish your elevator speech. It’s called the “SWAT” technique.

It begins with writing down the features of your product or service. Now, picture that the most skeptical person you know is sitting across from you as you read them aloud.  As you finish, imagine that skeptic replying “So What?

 Next, write down your response to their “So What?” question and repeat the process. Once again, imagine them responding, “So what?” Keep repeating this process until you reach the point where there is no way they can truly respond, “So What?”

Let me give you an example. A few years ago, I attended a conference with over a thousand new entrepreneurs that were seeking to raise capital for a new business. That’s where I met Tom, a gentleman that was selling a service that was a perfect match for the attendees but he wasn’t having much luck making connections and asked for some help.

We used the SWAT technique to help Tom find his key benefit. It went something like this…
Tom: “My business will help you create your Subscription Agreement, Investor Questionnaire, Disclosure Document and your state filings.”

Prospect: Yeah, so what?

Tom: “So we cover the basics in terms of risk disclosure. And help you comply with Rule 506 of Regulation D. And we file your documents with the Securities and Exchange Commission.”

Prospect: Yeah, so what?

Tom: “So we help you raise more money faster and with greater success. Without us, you could face stiff fines, the loss of your investors and even face criminal prosecution for securities fraud.”

Prospect: Yeah so… um, wait.. could I get your card?

Now at the event, I recommended when people asked Tom what he did, he respond with, “I help keep people like you from  going to jail and losing your business.” A statement like that can startle people but sometimes that’s exactly the response you want, especially if you’re selling a product or service that people need but that isn’t particularly exciting. Now, people will naturally want to know more. And it worked really well for Tom.

Another thing to keep in mind, you don’t have to tell your prospect every single thing about your business. Instead, lead with your key benefit to build curiosity and let them ask to hear more.

Let’s see how this works with a Twitter bio. If we tweak Tom’s key benefit to fit Twitter’s 140 character limit, it looks like this:

“I help startups raise more money faster & with greater success. Without us, you could face fines, lose investors and even face prosecution.”

Anyone that owns a startup that’s raising capital is going to want to follow Tom after reading that bio.

On LinkedIn, you’ll want to incorporate the key benefit in the headline of your profile. The job of a good headline isn’t to make the sale. It’s to generate enough interest for people to read further. You’re limited to 120 characters so you’ll have to make every word count but you’ll have room to go into more detail below the headline. The bottom line is you always want to lead with your key benefit.

Try the SWAT technique to write your own elevator pitch and come back and share it with me in the comments section below.