Five
Handy Hints on Your Elevator Pitch
The
best elevator pitch consists of about ten words: “I can help
you with that. Would you be interested?”
What
makes this so good is that can only be said after you have
encouraged the other person to tell you about an issue they
are wrestling with, after you have listened intelligently
and identified their need, and after you have related it to
whatever you have to offer.
The
old idea of piling into a lift with a complete stranger,
blurting out a catalogue of your talents between the ground
and the 31st floor and signing a contract before
the doors open again has had its day – if it ever had one in
the first place.
Nevertheless, opportunities do arise for you to state
succinctly what it is that you have to offer. Doing this
without rehearsal, on demand and under pressure rarely
results in a sparkling performance. This fact alone makes
some thought and preparation highly advisable.
A
good elevator pitch usually lasts 60 seconds or less.
Assuming your listener knows little about you it should
contain 5 key elements:
-
Who is your
typical/target customer (I work with…)
-
What are their needs (who
have a problem with…)
-
How do you meet that need
(what I do is…)
-
How does that help (which
enables them to…)
-
What does that deliver
for your customer (that means…)
The
most successful pitches persuade the listener just how much
better they will feel as a customer. This is a direct appeal
to the emotions, because even business decisions are first
made at that level.
Making your pitch informative rather than obviously
promotional will help retain genuine sincerity. Speak in
plain language rather than jargon. Exclude contrivances like
catchy phrases and ‘advertising speak’. And leave your
listeners with a need to talk to you further.
o - o - o - 0 - o - o - o
Many people set out to look for the forest
and get lost in the trees.
In your dreams
coaching gives you the space,
time and tools to break out of this self-perpetuating cycle, get
a clear picture of what you want and helps you design a suitable
route map to your chosen destination.
Your first success has been recognising the
need for assistance.
Your second is having the good sense to call for
it.
Call
Paul Hayward
on
01234 831631
"The biggest thing is to have a mind-set and a belief you
can win every tournament going in."
~ Tiger Woods
