Do you have an elevator (10 sec.) speech?

I don't see the point of calling remodeling or basement finishing capital improvements. If the point is to communicate effectively to your potential customer why not just do it? If you do remodeling then say it, if you finish basements, then say that. I don't know why anyone would choose a company name or marketing that 9 out of 10 strangers would have a hard time guessing what your company does. Most small businesses don't have a couple million dollars laying around to spend on branding.

Don't get upset, but I'm highly doubtful your company has 30 unique qualities. Most companies would be lucky to have 1 quality that sets them apart from the competition. I guess a lot of it comes down to how you define a unique quality. But for me it is only unique if my customer percieves it to be. If you are having such a hard time picking that one unique quality out of your list of 30 that is probably because the 30 aren't really as unique as you might be letting yourself believe.

I don't know why you think the word remodeling gets mixed feelings. It could be that you are marketing yourself to the wrong customer or in the wrong way if they don't get what you do.

You might need to focus on one segment of your customer base instead of all of them. My business is Home Improvement, but if you cast that broad of a net you end up with very few fish in it. I mostly want kitchen, bathroom, basement work and decks, however to get it you have to market for each specifically. You can brand yourself differently for each market.

Sorry Agnessa, but I can't make it as complicated as you seem to want it to be. Someone asks me what I do, I tell them I'm a remodeling contractor. Nobody is going to spend $20,000 with me based on a canned introduction of less than 10 seconds.

I will agree with you I don't understand your beliefs in the power of a elevator speech or a USP unique selling proposition,or a VPS value positioning statement or whatever is the hot title of the moment, mostly I don't understand the confusion. Your most powerful version consists of simply telling people what you do. If you can't tell people what you do in 10 words or less the problem is with you. You can be a sanitation engineer or you can be a garbage man. My uncle has rode on the back of a garbage truck for 20 years and nobody has ever been confused when he told them he was a garbage man.

Aristotle said -It is simplicity that makes the uneducated more effective than the educated when addressing popular audiences.

You're right we got off on a tangent. Let's go back to your original post.

Agnessa said:

I see how people in other business have very strong elevator speeches. Can’t make one for myself? I can probably wrap it as blah-blah-blah residential capital improvements, or can I?

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I wouldn't advise using the words residential capital improvements. If 9 out of 10 strangers on the street don't know what you are talking about what more reason do you need to loose the jargon and use simple terms? People understand terms like: remodeler, contractor, designer, builder, decorator, handyman. In regard to not being able to come up with one for yourself - when I was a business consultant and a client would say that, I would tell them that was a sure sign they are most likely going in too many directions all at the same time and need to sit down and focus on where they want to go and tailor their presentations to the markets or customers they are in front of at that time.

Agnessa said:

What % of your clients knows what a capital improvement is and visualizes it as finished basement?

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Zero.

Agnessa said:

Word “remodeling” gets mixed feeling and a lot of questions.

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Fortunately for me I don't get the same response.

Agnessa said:

Another problem: I can’t pick that one quality that makes us unique. Don’t get me wrong, I can’t pick it from the list of 30 unique qualities we have.

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Don't get upset, but I'm highly doubtful your company has 30 unique qualities. Most companies would be lucky to have 1 quality that sets them apart from the competition. I guess a lot of it comes down to how you define a unique quality. But for me it is only unique if my customer percieves it to be. If you are having such a hard time picking that one unique quality out of your list of 30 that is probably because the 30 aren't really as unique as you might be letting yourself believe.

Agnessa said:

Any advice? Any examples of good elevator speeches?

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I stopped advising my clients about elevator speeches, USP unique selling proposition, or a VPS value positioning statements long ago when. I live and work in the West where people are extremely down to earth and found that plain, simple talk gets more business done then the slick 10 second speeches that were in vogue in the 80s and were reborn in the 90s again.

However, if you would benefit from them, there are literally dozens and dozens of books that touch on the subject. Just do a search for "elevator speeches". I have a feeling you will find few contractors or users of this site that have them or will put much value in them. That doesn't make it wrong or right, just a different point of view and way of doing business, since most of us here don't work in a world where you only have 30 seconds to pitch yourself to Donald Trump :Thumbs:

Is this a good one?

You start a conversation with a pretty woman and the subject comes up where she asks you "So what do you do?"

You look over your drink making stong eye contact and with a slight smile you answer "You, baby."

It's only a two word elevator speach but it does get to the point.