What’s the REAL Elevator Pitch?

Let’s be real. You don’t have 30 seconds in an elevator with a stranger – you have 10. How often are you in an elevator anyway?

People are more likely to ask, “What do you do?” in a supermarket line, or on the sidelines of a kid’s soccer game, or in a protest against an awful autocracy. When people mislabel “the elevator pitch,” they are referring to the 30-second or 60-second “intro” at a networking meeting.

When someone asks you, “What do you do?” your energy level has to match theirs, so you can’t be as “big” as you are at your networking meeting with 20 people in the audience.

“Ya Know How”

In matching their low-key tone, you say, “Ya know how…,” and then you fill in the problem that you solve. For me, it’s “Ya know how some people hate speaking to a roomful of people?” And they say, “Yeah…me” or “Not me, but my sister-in-law.” Then I say, “I help with that.”

Then they ask, “How?” and I say, “I’m a speaker coach.” And that’s all the time we have. Hopefully, they ask for my card. More hopefully, they will get off at my floor to continue the conversation.

Real Life Examples

Here are some examples. Financial consultant: “Ya know how some of us are worried we will outlive our money? Well, I help with that.” Founder of charity for at-risk girls: “Ya know how we’re worried about young people and their futures? Well, I help with that.”

Relationships Make Business Happen

My advice: spread the word! Everyone who cares about you needs a short pitch for you, just in case someone says, “Your friend, Mimi, what does she do?” Relationships make business happen. Start asking your friends for their one-liners about what they do. Then give them yours.

Your Kids Need an Elevator Pitch

Even your children need a one-liner in words they can understand.

Let’s say you sell insurance. Little children cannot possibly understand the concept of insurance, but when you make it understandable, it pays off.

In real life, at a soccer game, one of the fathers sidled up to the insurance guy. He said, “Hey, my son said your son told him, ‘My daddy makes sure your daddy has money when he’s old.’ Really? What do you do?” It was a perfect opportunity to tell this guy about his business. And yes, the other father became his client – and a couple of other fathers did, too.

More Examples

Here are more:

• “My aunt helps people talk about their business in front of lots of other people.”
• “My mom takes care of your pet when it gets sick.”
• “My dad helps you get healthy and feel good.”

What’s your one-liner? Write it down. Edit it. Practice it. Memorize it. Share it.

Work with Mimi

We develop an idea from your dues-paying activity. Is it something new, something surprising, an old idea in a new light, or do you challenge a belief? If you say “yes” to one or more of these questions, we have a start.

If you want to develop your TEDx Talk or keynote, or your marketing speech to grow your business, call me for a 30-minute complimentary value discovery call. This is a FREE call. You get value to clarify how speaking can grow YOUR business, and we discover if we are a match to work together.

[Featured Image Photo Credit: Laura Foti Cohen]