CRAFTING YOUR ELEVATOR SPEECH What Works for Introducing Yourself to an Employer

CRAFTING YOUR ELEVATOR SPEECH What Works for Introducing Yourself to an Employer February 27, 2013 C5 CONSULTING, LLC Martha Artiles, Katherine McCary Managing Partners www.consultc5.com Certified WBE, Disability Owned & Operated PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL

Agenda • The Elevator Speech- Definition, Values & Goals • Live Your Messaging: Why, How, What • Word Choices • Build your Elevator Speech! • Test Drive Your Speech • Resources • Upcoming Webinars PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL

Elevator Speech An elevator pitch, elevator speech, or elevator statement is a short summary used to quickly and simply define a person, profession, product, service, organization or event and its value proposition. PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL

Value Clearly defines • Who you are • Why you do what you do • How you do it • What you do (help employers and people with disabilities) PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL

Goals Results Oriented: • Creates value/meets a need in the employer mind • Gains interest from a prospective employer • Takes you to the next step: setting a meeting PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL

Live your Messaging WHY HOW WHAT PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL

Build the Employer Message • WHY • Because the future needs everyone. • People with disabilities can and want to work. • Diversity drives innovation. • HOW • We place qualified individuals with disabilities in jobs that help keep America’s businesses running productively. • We help businesses to meet their diversity and compliance goals. • WHAT • We work with talent with disabilities who will help your business thrive. • Employers report that our individuals are valued members of their teams. • Individuals with disabilities are innovative, mature and diverse. • Our individuals are job ready in areas: ….. PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL

Messaging Ideas • The future needs everyone • There is a proven business case of hiring people with disabilities: Higher retention rates Offer a diversity of views, opinions and experiences Experienced in innovating and adapting PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL

Word Choices List some words that describe you or your organization: (Hint: Use business terminology, not agency acronyms) • Established, recognized, experienced • Professional, business acumen, subject matter expert • Responsive, innovative, relationships matter • What other business words would you suggest? (CHAT) PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL

Build YourElevator Speech • Who • Why • How • What • Goal PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL

Who What would you like the listener to remember most about you? • Keep it short: Describe who you are • Choose strong, clear words PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL

Why • Diverse talent drives innovation to maximize business success • People with disabilities are an untapped talent pool • People with disabilities represent every other diversity dimension PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL

What • State your value phrased as key results or impact. • This is your tag line! • This should allow the listener to understand how you or your organization would add value. • Describe why you are unique. PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL

How • Describe how you meet employer needs • Describe how you match those needs with your candidates • Show how what you do is different or better than others. • State your commitment to long term relationship satisfaction through (how you ensure this): Onsite tours, business research, on-going support following placement, etc. PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL

Goal • Concrete, defined and realistic • Include a time frame • Final step -should be readily apparent to the listener what you are asking of them PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL

Tips Your created speech • Be flexible. If your audience asks a question or looks like he/she wants to interrupt, be willing to go in another direction. • After all a pitch is designed to start a conversation. If that conversation starts sooner than later, well done. • Be careful to keep it personable, not a memorized monologue. It’s a targeted conversation, not a sermon. PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL

Suggestions for WHY Connect your organization to business- • Diversity initiative • Focus on talent • Community commitment • Employee Resource Groups • Employee engagement/volunteerism • Marketing efforts • Compliance (benefit not threat) PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL

Test Drive Your Speech • Write it down. • Get your colleagues to review the written speech. • Practice by yourself. • Create written scenerios and possible roadblocks. • Have your colleagues/employers critique (vet) your speech. • Rewrite if necessary. Learn from experience. • Practice, practice, refresh and practice more! PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL

“Vets for Hire” Sample • Why: The future needs everyone. • How: We place highly qualified veterans with disabilities in jobs that help keep America run smoothly. • What: • We work with veterans who will help your business thrive. • Employers report that our veterans are unusually dedicated and professionally mature. • Our veterans are job ready in areas like computer programming, system analysis, etc. PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL

Who is C5? C5 Consulting, LLC was created by two former senior business executives steeped in global diversity and disability leadership who saw the significant need for collaboration of all those engaged in inclusion strategies to move the employment opportunities forward for individuals with disabilities and gain return on investment for talent and shareholder value. Their combined expertise of more than 65 years in Corporate America means that clients can rely upon their business acumen to help promote diversity for business success. To change the landscape of diversity, disability must be included as a strategy. C5 takes a collaborative approach to moving the needle to full inclusion, benefiting business through innovation, access to talent, increased market share and supplier diversity, therefore improving organizational performance. Certified WBE, Disability Owned & Operated PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL

C5 Messaging Why, What, How Why: Diverse talent drives innovation to maximize business success What: We change corporate culture How: We provide training, education and resources to business and community based organizations to leverage full inclusion PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL

C5 Elevator Speech • Disability is the emerging diversity dimension with global implications. (why) • We use our 65 years of corporate experience and leverage our professional network in disability inclusion to bring forward best practices. (how) • We provide strategic planning, consulting and training in areas including recruiting/retaining, inclusion for the business and CBO community. (what) PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL

Q&A PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL

Resources • Harvard Business School Elevator Pitch Builder (www.alumni.hbs.edu/careers/pitch/) • Mind Your Pitch: www.mindyourpitch.com • Business Know How: www.businessknowhow.com/money/elevator.htm PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL

Upcoming Webinars APSE Webinar Featuring C5: March 27, 1pm EST “Becoming the Provider of Choice for Federal Contractors: How OFCCP Regulations Can Maximize Your Success” http://www.apse.org/registration/webinar/index.cfm C5 Webinar Series (Six Programs): “Setting the Stage for Disability Inclusion” 4pm EST March 27, April 10, April 24, May 8, May 22, June 5 www.consultc5.com PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL

C5 Consulting, LLC Our Mission C5 Consulting helps organizations change their culture to include people with disabilities in the workforce to ensure diversity and business success Our Services Private and Public Sector, Community Based Organizations, Government, Business Leadership Network Affiliates Contacts Martha Artiles, Managing Partner Martha.Artiles@ConsultC5.com Katherine McCary, Managing Partner Katherine.McCary@ConsultC5.com www.ConsultC5.com PROPRIETARY & CONFIDENTIAL

CRAFTING YOUR ELEVATOR SPEECH What Works for Introducing Yourself to an Employer