Has The Elevator Pitch Bottomed Out?

The lift door opens and there you are face to face with someone who could benefit you or your business.

Don’t waste a word

You have them captive for no more than 30 seconds. What do you say that will make them interested enough to say “give me a call.”

Hence the birth of the elevator pitch, a short prepared speech that clearly explains what you do and what benefits there are for others.

All you want to do is spark enough interest for the person you’re talking to to want to take the next step.

Bumble through those 30 seconds and the opportunity is lost. Pull it off and this could be your next big client.

Consultant Tony Reiss

Master coach and Consultant Tony Reiss talks about the Wow, How, Now method of preparing an elevator pitch.

Whatever you call it you must command the other persons attention and want to make them not only want to hear more but make time to talk to you about it in the future.

But in this day of every decreasing attention spans is the 30 second elevator pitch already too long?

According to New York Times bestselling author, Daniel H. Pink ‘the traditional elevator metaphor of the 30 second pitch is in need of a tune-up, especially in the digital marketplace of ideas.’

Author Daniel H. Pink

Pink talks about his “Six successors to the elevator pitch.”

Chance meetings come along all to rarely, so don’t blow it. You can’t buy those opportunities to sell yourself and your product or service.

Be prepared

• Work on a 30 second speech stating what you do and how it will benefit the other person.
• Explain how you do it better than the others, perhaps with a brief case history.
• End with a question. ‘How does your organization train new staff members?’

After you have written your pitch, read it out loud. Read it to someone who can give you a critique. Then rewrite and rework it until you’re happy.

Now the tricky part. Although you’re speech is well rehearsed, the last thing you want is for it to sound like a 30 second commercial. So after learning what you want to say learn to deliver it in a relaxed conversational style.

 Be flexible

If the person your talking to interjects with a question answer it clearly and succinctly. That means no jargon, no shop talk. Then go back and finish you pitch.

As in all things it’s all about preparation and practice.

Do that and your pitch will become second nature and those ‘chance meetings’ will have tangible benefits.

If you’d like help on your ‘elevator pitch’ or presentation skills contact me at Good Innings Media.