Creating the Elevator Speech in 5 Easy Steps

One of the most important things we can do when we are out marketing or meeting with people is speak about our facilities in a quick, succinct manner that captures the attention of our audience. The best way to do that is through the use of the elevator speech.

The elevator speech is so named because it should not last any longer than the average elevator ride, or about 30 to 60 seconds. The elevator speech is one of the most powerful marketing and networking tools we have at our disposal yet is typically underutilized. 

It’s a tool that I have found useful to guide me in my conversations with office managers, receptionist and physicians. Think about the times you have gone into a new prospective office for referrals and it is busy. You have the undivided attention of the staff for only a very short amount of time. You should be ready with your elevator speech.

It is important to note that it takes time to rehearse the elevator speech. Here are five easy steps to creating the elevator speech.

1. Describe who you are. What is it you want the listener to remember about you?

2. Describe what you do. State your value phrased as a key result or impact of your facility.

3. Describe why you are unique. How do you set yourself apart from the competition?

4. Describe your goal. Be specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely. For example, if you have an imaging facility that performs screening mammograms, your goal is to have patients in and out of the facility in 20 minutes. One of my imaging centers does image-guided pain management procedures and one of our goals is that 50 percent of the patients will have 70 percent improvement in identified areas after their second injection.

5. Pull it all together and rehearse it. This is your elevator pitch.

It’s important that you keep your pitch fresh. As your business grows and changes so does your elevator speech. This is especially true in the healthcare industry where technology changes rapidly.

Also, you will want to have multiple variations of your elevator speech at your disposal for different audiences. Obviously there is a difference in the information a physician wants to know about your facility versus a referral coordinator. A physician will be concerned about report quality and outcomes where a referral coordinator will be more concerned with ease of scheduling.

Finally, be prepared. We work in a competitive industry and physician practices hear from lots of people like us so you have to be prepared to describe what sets you apart from the competition.