In 2016, the Republican Party started the Presidential primary with 16 candidates. Not to be outdone, the Democrat Party started the 2020 campaign with 24! During the subsequent debates, most candidates spoke for less than 10 minutes and were able to answer only a few of the many questions asked.
With so little time to present themselves, each candidate needed to be succinct in every answer. This is similar to developing an elevator speech about your business. An elevator speech is typically a way to introduce yourself or company. A candidate in a Presidential primary debate needs to make an introduction, lay out a clear policy position, differentiate it from other candidates, recruit donations and recruit votes in one statement. It’s quite a task!
What lessons can be learned from watching the debates, and how can you apply them to your business?
Keep Your Message Short and Simple
Your company’s benefits may be complicated to explain. The list includes a wide range of services, products, financing options, and supporting functions that customers may have interest in. A common pitfall is trying to explain all these opportunities at once causing customers to get overwhelmed and stop paying attention. Instead, pick the top two benefits for your customer and start the conversation there. Once the customer is engaged, you can present the other services during the discussion. If time gets cut short, at least you’ll have presented the best two opportunities and can build on those in subsequent interactions.
Keep Your Message Consistent
Your message needs to be consistent from conversation to conversation. It also needs to be consistent between your customers and with each company representative they interact with. Hearing a simple, short message with consistency over time from multiple company representatives gives your customers confidence that internal communication is high, and the entire team is on the same page. Relationships can be built and expanded by every one of these interactions. It takes an organizational commitment to make this happen, but it will pay big dividends in customer satisfaction.
The remaining Presidential primary debates will provide great examples of how to promote your company, no matter what your political leanings are. Each candidate spends considerable time and resources to best craft each response in both the words used and the manner in which those words are delivered. Watching the debates can help to change your initial customer interactions from a standard elevator speech to a meaningful interaction that will lead to more sales!
