Who of us has been stuck in an elevator with a prospect/higher up/Grand Poobah who might just benefit us in some way, if only we can remember that damn elevator pitch??
It’s been awhile for me. And to be honest I was never that fond of EP’s to begin with. Why? Because I’m OVER a world that pitches at me with a fire hose! And I bet the “prospects and poobah’s” of the world feel the same way. You too?
The Maya Angelou quote: “People won’t remember what you said, they won’t remember what you did, but they WILL remember how you made them feel” is one of my guideposts. And I know if I want to spark curiosity and interest and even some humor – then my standard issue elevator pitch, while factual and accurate, will just provoke yawns.
So I’m at work on something different. Introducing the Three Ingredient Story. It’s a quick little ditty that hits all the informational marks while also eliciting an emotional response.
The Three Ingredients:
Something on who you are:
This is an invitation to authenticity – something true and even relatable that you can share about where you are: in life, in your job, in this elevator. Example: “I’m a working mom and small business owner grappling with how to make online meetings more engaging.”
Something on what you’ve done:
Now we’re talking about credibility – What’s your most recent success? Let yourself get excited about it. Example: So I got a tech team together to produce an online bookmarking app called “Nugget”. And though I’m not a techie – I’m good in the pitch contests. Good news: we sold Nugget for a nice price. Better news: this gained me 3 new entrepreneurs as presentation training clients.
Something on what you want:
The Call to Action: Example: I love working with introverts and entrepreneurs on the cusp of greater visibility!
Pretty simple right? I’ve practiced this “pitch story” and it’s around 40 seconds. That’s enough info to answer the question: “What do you do?” while gaining some interpersonal traction.
Am I selling something? Of course. Like Daniel Pink says: “To Sell is Human”. But is this a sales-y pitch? Not really. I’m sharing something I do, have achieved, and want in a story form. Try it and see if it works for you!