Five steps to a PERFECT elevator pitch
Last Updated on Tuesday, 20 March 2012 21:49 Written by Debbie Fay Monday, 01 August 2011 15:53
The good news (and bad news) is that you're not alone. The really great elevator pitches are few and far between (something else you're probably painfully aware of if you're out there networking).
Bad news because you're forced to sit through them, good news once you've got a KILLER pitch and you can be in the super star minority. Here are 5 steps to get you there.
1.) Figure out what you DO: Sit down somewhere quiet with a pen and paper and think about what you DO. Not what the name of it is, but what it actually means to the people you do it to or for or with. Next, think about why people come to you to do this thing. What problems are they having that you solve? What wishes do they have that you make come true? How do you improve something in their businesses, bodies, houses, lives? Last, what is the happy result of what you DO? These three things; problems your clients face, what your solutions are and the great results of those solutions will become the key elements of your elevator pitch.
2.) Don't be the Italian Chinese Restaurant. I know, I know, you're multi dimensional and multi talented. You are a great accountant AND a terrific yoga instructor. Good for you, but don't put both of these skills in your elevator speech. Why? Well, let me put it to you this way; when I drive by the Chinese Italian restaurant I keep right on driving, These two cuisines are both appealing, but they have nothing in common with one another. I'm not sure which one, if either, the chef does well, and I'm not going to eat there to find out. You may very well be great at both accounting and teaching yoga, but by talking about both of these skills you diminish your impact (and someone's desire to work with you) by half. Don't be afraid to put yourself in a very narrow niche. You may think (incorrectly) that it narrows your playing field, but in fact it enables people to point to you and identify clearly and easily what you DO. BE the tax guy or BE the yoga guy; you can't be both.
3.) Make it Short and Sweet: Ideally, you want your elevator pitch to take less time than the time allotted. You may have a lot you want to say, but we don't have the time or the mental bandwidth to hear it. Trust me, the most memorable pitches are those that hit the high notes and END. Say it and sit down.
4.) Be Brave: This is no time for equivocating, no time for waffling, no time for "maybe"s and "sort of"s and "just"s and "if"s. Take a big deep breath and tell people in 100% no wiggle room absolutely positively CERTAIN language what you do, who you do it for and how it helps. Period. Oh, and don't hide behind 6 syllable jargon words and and unknowable acronyms. Confusing your audience is never a good idea. Pretend you're talking to a hard to convince 8 year old or 88 year old.
5.) PRACTICE: Yep, even a 45 second speech needs to be practiced, and practiced a LOT. First, you want to hear what it sounds like OUT LOUD. The only way you can do that is by saying it OUT LOUD. Once you've got it sounding the way you want you need to get completely comfortable with it. This is where practice comes in. according to Michael Motley, a professor at UC Davis, we all have a physiological reaction to public speaking; (interpreted by most of us as fear, it's really more like adrenaline). Unfortunately, these physiological phenomena occur the minute or so before we begin speaking and continue through the first 45 seconds or so once we've begun speaking. I've just described the entire length of an elevator pitch. Given this, being completely comfortable with one's elevator pitch is essential. Practice your pitch the night before, and always on the way to any networking event.
Do these five things and you'll have yourself an elevator pitch delivered with confidence, conviction and clarity. One you've really thought through, narrowed down, and practiced. That way when you stand to deliver it, you can SMILE and insure you'll be heard before a word comes out of your mouth.
