Elevator Speech vs. Elevator Questions

By Coach Cary Bayer

Some business development experts encourage you to create an elevator speech of 30 to 60 seconds so that you can tell anyone in a short descent or ascent what you do, so that you can elevate your business by adding your fellow passenger to your client roster. Such advice is wise indeed.

Once you've created an elevator speech, I suggest that you create elevator questions. I'm a firm believer that you can get more clients by asking provocative questions than simply lecturing someone on what he should do. People are told what to do by bosses, spouses, commercials--you name it. When a person asks what you do, you tell him, and he shows interest, instead of telling him that he should get an adjustment, massaged, have an energy session, or be hypnotized, ask him, "Do you have pain in your body?" (if you do bodywork) or "Do you have conflicts and anxiety in your life?" (if you do counseling). When he says yes, which he will do because--if he's an adult in the 21st century who commutes in bumper-to-bumper traffic, or is bumped around by straphangers in urban subways and railroad cars, or has a boss, a spouse, or a kid--he has pain in his body and conflicts in his life. You can take that one to the bank. Then ask, "Would you like to be free of pain in your body?" or "Would you like a peaceful resolution to the conflicts and anxieties in your life?"

If you ask him where the pain (or anxiety) is, he'll tell you, and you're just a question away from taking a check from him to your bank. The next step is to ask if he'd like to book a session to relieve that pain (or anxiety). Of course, he would, although he may say that he needs to think about it. Let him. Give him your business card, then ask another two questions: namely for his card, and for permission to call him within a week if he fails to call you. Why? So you can direct the matter instead of being reactive. Then call seven days later if he forgets to call. When you remind him who you are and how you met, ask him again if he'd like to be free of the specific pain (or anxiety) that he mentioned. As Hamlet said, "That's the question."

For more information visit www.CaryBayer.com.