CATTLE RAISERS COMMUNITY
Of things that concern cattle raisers…
MEMBER NOTES
Elevator Speech By Claude Koontz, Association Promotion Committee chair
“A
N ELEVATOR SPEECH IS A SHORT summary used to quick-
ly and simply defi ne a process, product, service, organization, or event and its value prop- osition. The name ‘elevator
speech’ refl ects the idea that it should be possible to deliver the summary in the time span of an elevator ride, or approximately thirty seconds to two minutes,” according to Wikipedia. In recent articles, we encouraged our readers to
engage non-TSCRA members about the value of asso- ciation membership, whenever and wherever such an opportunity presented itself. To make such member- ship pitches more effective, we should provide some framework for our members to personally defi ne the association’s value, cite examples, and develop a fi nal conclusion, in effect, develop a personal elevator speech. The goals of an elevator speech are:
• Be compelling: Illustrate the purpose of TSCRA. (Ex- ample: ranching is a complex business and requires specialized skills to help ranchers investigate cattle theft and address legislative and regulatory issues.)
• Be clear: Translate TSCRA’s purpose into something meaningful to the listener. (Examples: TSCRA ex- ists to protect the ranching way of life; or, TSCRA helps ranchers do the specialized jobs they can’t do on their own.)
• Be convincing: Use stories or statistics to establish your point. Personal examples are great. (Examples: in the last decade TSCRA special rangers have re- covered $50MM in stolen cattle and equipment; or, in 2015 TSCRA tracked and worked on more than 700 legislative items.)
• Be concise: Get to the point! Summarize your points and end with a clear call to action. (Example:
10 The Cattleman November 2016
TSCRA multiplies the infl uence of all ranchers and landowners. We need you to be a TSCRA member “to help protect the ranching way of life.”)
Here is an example of an effective elevator speech. HEADLINE - (Clear, simple, conversational). TSCRA’s 17,000 members rely on the organization to help with things that
ranchers simply can’t do on their own. SO WHAT? WHO CARES? In the last decade, TSCRA special rangers have recovered nearly $50MM in stolen livestock and equipment, all without accepting a penny from taxpayers. Or Ranching is a tough business. Since 1877, TSCRA has sup- ported unique services — law enforcement and lobbying — that ranchers don’t have the time or resources to do on
their own. POINT 1 - (Illustration, story, statistic). Imagine if a new road was planned across your best pasture. As an individual, where would you start to fi ght this? Who would you call and how would you get them to listen to you? Who is going to
fi ght on your behalf? POINT 2 - (Illustration, story, statistic). Imagine your cattle are stolen. Local law enforcement does not have the resources to investigate livestock theft. TSCRA special rangers are commissioned by the Texas Department of Public Safety and/or the Oklahoma State Bureau of
Investigation specifi cally to investigate agricultural crimes. CONCLUSION - TSCRA exists to help ranchers address their most serious threats and multiply their infl uence. We need all ranchers to join together to strengthen this collective in- fl uence and protect the ranching way of life. Join TSCRA to- day to help ensure ranching will exist for future generations. We encourage you to use this framework to develop
your own personal elevator speech, so next time you are asked about that TSCRA decal on your vehicle, you will be armed with cogent case for TSCRA membership!
thecattlemanmagazine.com
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