MindTools.com has developed guidelines for crafting an elevator speech, if you've never created one before:
http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/elevator-pitch.htm
The elevator speech is a fantastic tool, one you should definitely utilize. But . . . how long has it been since you revisited your elevator speech and updated it?
Is it covered in dust?
Why not take the time this week to make it a priority to revise your elevator speech?
Got your elevator speech updated?
Ready to take it to the next level?
Many business continuity professionals have worked in their current company for years. They know all of the members of upper management, and the members of upper management have at least an average understanding of your company's business continuity program.
But you may have limited face-time with members of upper management: perhaps you see them in a weekly staff meeting where you're expected to very briefly give an update. Unless you schedule time with them, which can be challenging, you don't have a lot of opportunities to:
- sell yourself: your skills, your initiative, your ideas;
- sell your business continuity program: not just update them on the latest development, but tout the progress that has been made in the program in the last year(s) or remind them of challenges that have been overcome; and
- sell your vision:
- what area(s) do you feel needs to be a focal point of the business continuity program this year?
- what ideas do you have about changing the status quo?
- what do you need management support to do this year?
The Alec Baldwin movie "Glengarry Glen Ross" utilizes a sales saying: ABC = Always Be Closing. It means everything should ideally be done with one goal in mind: taking you a step closer to making a sale or closing the deal.
Always Be Closing
Be prepared to use even a brief period of time (like an elevator ride) when you have the captive attention of someone in your organization crucial to your success or the success of one of you initiatives. Here's a sample elevator speech crafted to highlight a problem in the organization, what is already being done about the problem, and an idea that requires the buy-in of executive management:
Note that last sentence asking for a commitment to meet and discuss scheduling on a specific day. Without that sentence, you haven't asked for the "sale", you haven't necessarily made progress to closing the deal. You could go back to your office and hope he considers what you said . . . or you can Always Be Closing and ask for a commitment before he steps out of that elevator.
If those two paragraphs look long, consider this: with no practice (and a little bit of a slow southern drawl) I read it out loud in 47 seconds.
Experiment with developing several elevator speeches for different situations to accomplish different goals. Practice them so you are always ready.
As business continuity professionals, it's what we do: always be ready!
Never get caught not knowing what to say again.
Always Be Closing
Be prepared to use even a brief period of time (like an elevator ride) when you have the captive attention of someone in your organization crucial to your success or the success of one of you initiatives. Here's a sample elevator speech crafted to highlight a problem in the organization, what is already being done about the problem, and an idea that requires the buy-in of executive management:
"Did you know that at the last fire drill, it took 45 minutes to clear the building? I spoke with the fire chief and she said a building this size should be able to evacuate in half that time. One of the lunch-and-learns I've scheduled for Business Continuity Awareness Week in March, is for her to come in and stress exactly how quickly a fire can spread through a training video they use. I'm especially concerned that employees who require assistance aren't being evacuated fast enough.
"I'd like to increase the frequency of our fire drills until we improve the evacuation time, of course working around critical business periods. Combined with my awareness initiatives, I know we can do better on employee safety. Can I book some time with you next Monday to discuss the fire drill scheduling?"Look at the sentence in red: it ends on a positive note that shows confidence.
Note that last sentence asking for a commitment to meet and discuss scheduling on a specific day. Without that sentence, you haven't asked for the "sale", you haven't necessarily made progress to closing the deal. You could go back to your office and hope he considers what you said . . . or you can Always Be Closing and ask for a commitment before he steps out of that elevator.
If those two paragraphs look long, consider this: with no practice (and a little bit of a slow southern drawl) I read it out loud in 47 seconds.
Experiment with developing several elevator speeches for different situations to accomplish different goals. Practice them so you are always ready.
As business continuity professionals, it's what we do: always be ready!
Never get caught not knowing what to say again.
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