I don’t know about you, but I’ve been to a countless number of weddings over the past few years, and while each was very different, they had at least one thing in common—the best man speech.
I’ve seen a lot of best-man speeches. Most good. Some bad. And a few were just a touch inappropriate.
I’ve learned a lot from these speeches and have realized that they aren’t too different from a sales pitch. In fact, I think there are a few things we can learn about selling by looking at a good best man speech. Here are a few examples.
It’s Not About You
The best man should never be the center of attention. The speech should always be about the bride and the groom, and every word uttered should help keep the focus on them.
The same can be said about a sales pitch. It’s not about you or even your products. Your sales pitch should be about the customer and what kind of value you could provide. The moment you make it about you, you start to lose your audience.
You have to answer that big question inside the customer’s head—What’s in it for me?
No Insulting The Bride
While the groom is fair game, the bride is off-limits. That’s just how it works.
In the instance of selling, your competitors are the bride. No, you don’t have to pay them compliments, but you have to avoid insulting them.
The worst opener you could ever deliver involves talking about why your competitors are incompetent instead of why you are competent and what value you could provide. It’s always better to stay positive.
Keep It Short
Don’t. Drag. It. On.
I don’t care how good the speech is—if it’s pushing the 15-minute mark, people are going to start zoning out. Heck, the bride and groom are going to start zoning out!
Put simply, you have to know when to stop talking. There is no magic moment. You have to let your gut and your experience tell you when enough is enough, but as a rule of thumb, error on the side of being more concise. Let the customers talk too.
How many best man speeches have you witnessed in your lifetime?