Hi [fname],

I know that’s a pretty strong statement, but it’s true. I’ve always hated them — probably because I’ve always been awful at them.

They just never came naturally to me and maybe that was the problem — did you ever feel that way too? I just don’t like them!

I’ve taken a page from Lois Kelly’s book, Beyond Buzz: The Next Generation of Word of Mouth Marketing, and now use a conversational marketing approach instead. Read about it below and give it a try. Maybe you’ll be able to ditch your elevator speech forever, too, like I did.

With best wishes of success for you,

Marcia E. Hoeck, President, Hoeck Associates, Inc.

For more on this subject, see How to get prospects to say, “That’s interesting, tell me more”, from the Marketing Tips archive.

Lois Kelly’s book, Beyond Buzz: The Next Generation of Word of Mouth Marketing, describes how traditional marketing and communications don’t really help people talk. They inform, promote, direct, and describe, but they don’t help jump-start conversations that get people to say (and I love this phrase Lois uses to test if a subject is conversational),

“Gee, that’s interesting, tell me more.”

This sounds like just what we need in an elevator speech, doesn’t it? Something to jump-start conversations, to get people to ask you to tell them more!

Make meaning
Surveys say that people don’t trust companies, and that the only way to gain back trust is to communicate in new ways, according to Kelly. In addition to traditional marketing and communications, create conversational marketing approaches, and have something interesting to talk about. One way to do this is with meaning making — meaning making helps make sense of an idea, an option, or concept, and shows people how it relates to what they already know. When they don’t see meaning, customers tend to become skeptical and indifferent.

There are steps you can take towards making meaning, using relevancy, context, pattern making, and emotion — the most powerful ingredient for understanding — and uncovering talk-worthy ideas.

First, talk to the five-year-old
It’s been proven that meaning can most effectively be conveyed by tapping into the five-year-old in your customer through stories and conversations. In her book, here’s how Kelly suggests we get that five-year-old to really “hear” our marketing messages:

The five-year-old likes to argue and reason, and uses words like “because”:
You need to explain “why” and “why not.”

The five-year-old uses five to eight words in a sentence:
You need to keep it brief, and use short sentences.

The five-year-old is interested in cause and effect:
You need to explain, “If we do this, then this will happen,
if we don’t do this, that will happen.”

The five-year-old understands and uses comparative terms:
You need to use analogies to help him understand.

The five-year-old enjoys creating and telling stories:
You need to tell stories. Storytelling is one of the best ways
to help people understand, retain, and repeat ideas.

The five-year-old likes to use swear words:
You need to use disruptive ideas and language to get attention.

(Notice the word “disruptive” — I’m not suggesting that you go out and swear at your
customer. Rather, that you might need to shake him up to get his attention.)

What can you explain about your organization, product, or service in “why” and “why not” terms? What brief, short sentences could you use about your organization, product, or service? What cause and effect statements could you make about your organization, product, or
service? What analogies can you use? What stories can you tell? What disruptive ideas can
you use? Answering these questions will help you make meaning for your
customers in conversational ways — the first step in ditching your elevator speech.

Tune in to the next issue of Marketing Tips for Conversational Marketing: Ditch Your Elevator Speech — Part 2

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