In 22 years of building networks,  I’ve never delivered an elevator speech. Resorting to holding a complete stranger captive while subjecting them to a thirty seconds of verbal torture  in a fifty square foot steel box that’s plummeting down thirty floors has never been appealing to me.  I think most people would rather endure a fart in an elevator than a sales pitch.

I know what you are thinking, Elevator Speeches are not just for elevators.  That’s right it’s a sales technique that involves a quick, memorized statement that describes your product and service in a few seconds.  It’s true, if you are in business for yourself, its important to have a concise statement that explains what you do.  We all need to develop one.

On a side note, I’ve had some memorable elevator experiences. About 10 years ago, I had a rare opportunity and an uninterrupted six-story elevator ride with author and motivational speaker Jim Rohn.   What a great experience with a great teacher. I took a ride with Baseball Hall of Fame Pitcher, Nolan Ryan back in the 80s.  I didn’t even know who he was until the stainless steel door slid open and we were greeted by swarms of raving fans. I attended a conference in New Orleans in 1998 and ran into a couple from Seattle that I had not seen for over ten years.  Later that year I bumped into another friend I had not seen for over ten years at the Airport in Sydney, Australia.  It wasn’t in an elevator, but what are the odds of that?

So what are the odds that an elevator speech, USP sales pitch will create a connection?   We’re taught: Consolidate what you do into a Unique Selling Proposition (USP)  — a concise commercial that will have your prospects begging you to hear more.  Yeah, right. If it’s all about how, “I am so great, look at me”, you know as well as I do, they don’t care!   For me, using the proverbial “three foot rule” diminishes my ability to communicate effectively.  I feel disingenuous.   I believe people appreciate genuine connection and interaction rather a sales pitch and business transaction.  People think that Social Networking on-line (Internet) is new. No,  it’s been going on, off-line for 1000s of years.  Whether on-line or off-line, developing and promoting your business is a courtship process not a one night stand.

How many business cards have you accumulated from brief encounters with sales reps?   Most of them end up in a stack in my drawer or in the round file.  Here’s my advice to myself and anyone reading this blog post.  Get good at talking with and relating to people.  Go out and meet people, make friends, ask about them and complement them.  Ask them what they like dislike, what they are interested in, etc… Become good at making friends and connecting them to others.  Support them in their business.  Help them find customers.

Don’t talk to everyone you meet with a sales motive or a sales pitch embedded in your message. Try it sometime.  It sure takes the pressure off!  It’s amazing how many people get interested in us when we are “genuinely” interested in them. Do you remember that old acronym FORM – Family, Occupation, Recreation – MESSAGE.  Boy I know that the old MLMers and sales reps love getting to the MESSAGE ASAP. Forget the message.  Focus on the value creating a connection and perhaps a new friend.   Here’s our assignment — Let’s go out and practice this with no motive, no agenda.  Create value for a friend and you will have a friend for life!  More on this later.