<p>Ah, the dreaded elevator pitch.&nbsp; You start to sweat and panic as it gets closer and closer to your turn to introduce yourself on a panel, in an audience, or wherever.&nbsp; Lists of things to say rush thorugh your head and then, when it is finally your turn, all you can think to do is say, "Uh, uh....I run a marketing consulting agency that helps people with marketing. Oh, yeah, it's called Red Slice and we do marketing for people who need marketing."&nbsp; Sit down. Pause, Stand up again. "Oh, yeah and my name is Maria Ross."</p> <p>Luckily that is NOT the elevator pitch I use!&nbsp; But that is because I have a great template for how to build one that I share with all my clients.</p> <p>The best thing you can do is literally pretend someone is running onto a plane.&nbsp; You've got 30 seconds to 1 minute to get them interested, help them understand what you do, and stand out.&nbsp; Then it's up to them to look up your site and get more info.&nbsp; As they are running through JFK, what would literally be the 2 or 3 most important pieces of insight you can share to engage, inform and delight them?</p> <p>We tend to get all caught up in the 20 things we COULD say, that we don't focus on the 3 things we SHOULD say.</p> <p>Step 1: Come up with your 2-3 most important messages about your business.&nbsp; If this is hard for you, make a list of everything to say about your business and start winnowing it down until you get to 2 or 3.&nbsp; This could be who you serve, what services you provide, what makes your business unique?</p> <p>Step 2: Come up with your opening salvo.&nbsp; Make it brief, tell me what you actually do, and add a little marketing spice to it.&nbsp; That could be referencing your mission, vision or tagline.&nbsp; For example, "Red Slice provides innovative branding, marketing and writing consulting services to small and mid-sized companies. We help people tell their story."</p> <p>Step 3: Make each of the main messages you came up with in Step 1 your 3 main points.&nbsp; Examples could be "We offer a range of services, from strategic to tactical" or "We sell unique pottery not usually found in the US" or "Our ideal clients are women" "or We provide baby clothes with style".&nbsp; Just a quick sentence will do.</p> <p>Step 4: Come up with an illustration for each of the main messages. "What I mean by that..." should precede these.&nbsp; In the above example, "..and what I mean by stylish is we offer baby clothes from top designers such as Kenneth Cole, Ralph Lauren and others."</p> <p>Step 5: Come up with a proof point for each main message. Why are you able to make that claim?&nbsp; From the above example of stylish baby clothes, "Our style has been recognized by InStyle and Redbook"</p> <p>Step 6: Once you have all 3 main messages, their illiustrations and their proof points, create a summary statement that leaves a lasting &nbsp;impression - and doesn't leave you concluding with "so, that's it!" which makes me cringe!&nbsp; This is also a good place to weave in your tagline. "Bottom line is Red Slice helps companies engage, inform and delight their customers and keep them coming back for more."</p> <p>Granted, you may not always have enough time to recite this whole thing (and it should only be about 1 minute total, speaking) but you can always just deliver your opener, 3 main points and summary statement.&nbsp;</p> <p>At first, you will indeed need to memorize this - but then you can make it your own as you get more familiar with it.&nbsp; Pick words you really would&nbsp;say - this is meant to be spoken, not written.&nbsp; And if you have employees, make them memorize it too so the general gist of what is communicated about your company is always consistent and clear, no matter who says it.</p> <p>Oh, yes, and don't forget to mention your name and your company name - you'd be surprised how many people forget this!</p> <p>A consistent and clear elevator pitch is essential for speaking engagements, introducing yourself, and for networking.&nbsp; Take the time to develop one that works for you - and it can evolve over time.&nbsp; Have someone not so initimately familiar with your company, or someone who is just generally good with words, write it initially for you. Might seem academic at first, but once you learn it, live it&nbsp;and make it your own, you'll be cruising.</p> <p>&nbsp;</p> 2009-04-16T23:59:15Z -9.05638 301 4210 true 14 8869 formula-for-a-winning-elevator-pitch 2 2009-04-17T12:30:26Z 2009-04-17T07:30:51Z

We know our businesses intimately, but when asked to sum it all up in 1 minute, we choke. Here's a surefire formula for building an elevator pitch that will make you a star

1 2009-04-17T18:27:46Z