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The number one marketing rule is "Sell Benefits" The products and companies that excel are ones that push benefits, not features.

The origin of many business relationships is the elevator speech. Those first few words that set the stage for putting two people closer together that may result in a long term and very profitable business relationship

If your elevator sells features, you may get off at the wrong floor. Take a poll, no one really cares about you, except maybe your dog. What they care about is them. The old WIIFM "What's In It For Me?" And what's for them is not your opening salvo that says YOU are the number one dental floss producer in Alabama.

Your elevator speech, those 13 words or less that follow the question (you should love to hear) "What do you do?" should be laced with benefits and beg the follow up question "Oh? Tell me more!"

"I play a major role in helping people avoid root canals!"

11 words that cannot be met with "ho hum". If someone said that to you, you would have to ask, even if you just came from the molar mechanic with a clean bill.

The carefully crafted elevator speech solves a problem, eases pain, does something nice. It does not state name and title. "I'm the VP at Acme Ball Bearings" Yawn.

"I help cars go faster and ride smoother on less gas!" Now you've got my attention. And who knows, I may have a brother in law who has a company that east ball bearing for breakfast and buys them by the train car load.

Write your elevator speech on a piece of paper. Cross out all the features and amplify the benefits. Make life easier in 13 words or less and they will beat a path to your door.

Just for fun, tell the next ten people you know (not in your company) that you just read an article about elevator speeches. Ask them to tell your their elevator speech.

10 people. Haw many stumble and mumble unprepared? How many blurt out a company and title. How few actually tantalize you with 13 words with a great big hook in them? 10 people... go on, you will be very surprised.