Ever wonder why some people seem to effortlessly give an elevator Pitch while others feel tongue tied whenever someone asks them what they do.
When you give a 30-60 second Pitch about what you do, you are communicating on many levels. Your words and mannerisms tell people whether or not you are confident and passionate about what you do. The way you give your pitch tells people whether or not you are tuned in to them and what their problems are.
When you are creating your elevator pitch you need to keep these tips in mind:
It is essential that you keep it short and powerful. People stop listening after about 25-30 seconds. If you want to keep the conversation engaging, you need to stop and get them talking about themselves – even better if they are talking about the problem they have that you can help them solve. So even if you have 60 seconds to speak, make the first 30 seconds be your message and use the second 30 seconds to give an example of what you do.
Don’t tell your listener about the 20 different things that you do – boring! They will have checked out after the first two or three while nodding politely. Instead speak in benefits what’s in it for them. Here is an example – I help people who love their work and are really good at it to bring more cash flow and clients into their business so that they can enjoy their work again. (This is about them) and is much more interesting than – I do consulting, business coaching, life coaching, public speaking, etc. which is all about you. Stick to the main benefit you provide.
Your goal is not to make a sale right then and there but to spark the person’s interest enough to set up a second meeting to discuss the possibility of working with you. So focus you elevator pitch on the main benefit of the most common entry level service or first sale – the thing that most clients use you for first. Once they become a client, you can tell them all of the other services you provide.
Incorporating a powerful story into your elevator pitch that they can relate to does more than just saying I do this and I do that. Why does this work? Because people relate to stories and remember them. They want to know that you understand what they are going through. If you tell them about a client who was having a problem and how the person was feeling because of it, it shows that you are compassionate. Then when you tell them that you solved the client’s problem or helped the client solve it, and how solving it impacted the client, it shows that you are competent and that your services are worth investing in.
You want to engage your listener
Do you know how many people ________________________fill in the blank with the main problem your clients have? Well, what I do is __________________________________ fill in the blank with the solution you provide. Don’t tell them how you provide it, unless they ask and even then, keep it brief.
People buy with their hearts and justify with their minds. So it really helps people to want to buy from you if your give them a combination of a hard benefit that appeals to their logic and a soft one to appeal to their emotions.
- A hard benefit is one that gives strong results – ones that justify spending money. To say that my client was able to double her income shows that my services pay for themselves and it’s worth investing in.
- A soft benefit is a feeling benefit – this is the real reason that people buy. If I say that in doubling her income Susie was able to be at peace and enjoy running her business again. this is compelling to the person I am talking to who is stressed out all the time. It also shows that I understand and value her feelings.
For some reason our minds love specificity.
- If you say: I sell residential and commercial real estate people may or may not be interested. (After all, they know other real estate people who do the same).
- But if you say something specific like: I specialize in helping people who live in Manhattan who want to relocate to Northern New Jersey to find wonderful houses in great neighborhoods that they can easily afford. (That makes you an expert). Not only will the listener think of all the people he or she knows to see if anyone fits your client profile but you will be seen as the “go to” person for people in that situation.
You might think that it’s scary to narrow down your focus. You may find that people ask you for related services anyway.
If you want to succeed in creating a good elevator pitch, just follow some of the above tips. Practice it until it rolls off your tongue easily. As long as you do that, I’m sure you’ll reap the full benefits of the work you put in.
I wish you all the best at giving a terrific elevator pitch.
Here’s To Your Success,
Until next time!
Prosperously yours,
Jerry
P.S. Remember The Buck $tarts Here
Jerry Scicchitano 