Reason #10 – Is the Elevator Pitch even relevant anymore in 2017?
Good question!
Let’s consider the stats. Consumer research tells us that:
On average each of us is exposed to over 5,000 different brands every single day.
Every single day each of us will see over 360 adverts.
Each worker receives over 120 emails every single day.
And right now the modern human’s attention span is down to just 8 seconds (less than a goldfish at 9 seconds).
If that’s what you face as an entrepreneur, then it sounds to me like you need a highly compelling, seriously concise, high impact message about your business that makes people want to know more.
Call it your elevator pitch, mission & vision, brand story, sales pitch, your key point of interest. Whatever you call it, you need to have a highly compelling, seriously concise, high impact message about your business that makes people want to know more.
(if your reason is one of the 10 on this list, have you heard of Elevator Pitch School?
Reason #9 – My business is entirely online.
So, you work from home in your tracksuit, selling from your laptop and don’t actually need to meet people in person. Awesome!
This means you have to be doubly convincing since people never get to meet you in person. Remember, they’ll be viewing your website on one tab, with the YouTube cat videos, facebook posts, emails, and word documents on the other tabs.
It means your website copy has to be short and sharp; your about page, promo video, webinars, explainer videos, online brochures etc must capture their attention and deal with all their internal objections as though you were sitting right next to them.
Unless you’ve got one of those great businesses that just sells itself, in which case: no, you don’t need an elevator pitch. You need to sell your secret!
Reason #8 – what I do is too complicated to be summarised in a short Elevator Pitch
In 1863 Abraham Lincoln gave the Gettysburg Address, which almost single-handedly established the primacy of equality and the representative government. And how long was that seminal speech?
45 minutes? Nah!
18 minutes? That’s Ted Talk length and it wasn’t a Ted Talk.
5 minutes? Close but no cigar.Pound for pound the greatest speech ever given lasted a total of… 2 MINUTES!!!
Still think what you do is too complicated to be explained in 1 minute?
Reason #7 – I hate public speaking and presenting!
I hear you and you’re not alone. Go way back to Moses (not Charlton Heston. The real Moses) and you’ll find even he couldn’t stand public speaking.
And Moses said unto the LORD, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue. – Exodus 4:10
But unless you know a way to hide forever, there’s a strong chance you will have to speak to others about what you do. My greatest tip to nervous public speakers (above all the little tricks & techniques of presentation skills)…
HAVE SOMETHING GREAT TO SAY!
Public speaking is much harder when you aren’t confident about your content.
(if this is your reason, work on your Elevator Pitch now with my free cheat sheet)
Reason #6 – What is an Elevator Pitch anyway?
That’s an easy one.
Exactly that! The concept of the elevator pitch apparently dates back to early Hollywood, where scriptwriters would have the length of time of an elevator ride to pitch a movie to a studio exec. True history or not, the point is it is a short but powerful statement about what you’re doing, designed to get people interested enough to want to find out more.
Reason #5 – I prefer to tell stories
I’m with you. I love stories too so you’ll get no argument from me if this is your reason. Here’s everything I know about using storytelling to get what you want.
Reason #4 – I don’t know what to put into my elevator pitch
This is a surprisingly common thought and you shouldn’t feel bad if this is your reason. We all invest so much time in building our business that it’s easy to lose sight of the importance of focusing on our brand message.
Don’t worry, I got your back. Elevator Pitch School is made exactly for people like you who have a great business but need help developing a compelling message about it. I’ll be covering everything you need to know on this whole subject like:
- what is an elevator pitch?
- how do I actually start my elevator pitch
- what do I say about my competition?
- how do I highlight the value of my product/service?
- what should my call to action be?
- how do I handle my nerves?
- what do I do with my hands when presenting?
- how do I practise my pitch?
You’ll get 15 Template Example Elevator Pitches for different professions from Accountants to App Developers to compare to your own. You get to join my private Facebook Group so you can engage directly with me as you create your new elevator pitch.
Here’s a few words about it from me.
Click here to enrol or get onto the waiting list and get a Free Elevator Pitch Cheat Sheet
Reason #3 – I don’t go to networking events
Me neither (at least not as often as I probably should). They’re too often treated as a cattle market full of people trying to sell instead of just connect.
While networking events are certainly one of the instances when you need a compelling elevator pitch, they are by no means the only occassions. Think also about:
- your website about page
- promo videos
- brochures
- sales pitches
- new client meetings
- webinar introductions
- trade show presentations
- event introductions
- business presentations
- finally getting your grandma to understand what you do
Basically, anywhere you need to tell and convince people about what you do, in a short space of time.
Reason #2 – What I do (my product/service) speaks for itself
You know what, if that is really true, you definitely don’t need an Elevator Pitch.
But is it? I mean think about it. Let’s take Apple, Steve Jobs and the iPhone. Great leader, revolutionary product that people literally queue for days to get their hands on. They still do big launches, and big pitches, and big marketing campaigns.
In fact, Steve Jobs’ launch of the iPhone in 2007 is in my opinion still the greatest elevator pitch ever given.
Don’t fall for the ‘If I build it, they will come’ fallacy. No matter how great your product or service or idea, if you cannot convince other people of its benefits, it will not succeed.
Reason #1 – I just haven’t thought about it
I get you. Believe it or not, this makes perfect sense.
We are all so preoccupied with working in our business, we forget to work on our business.
The good news is, it’s never too late to start. And since your competitors are also probably not really thinking about developing a powerful and concise message, this gives you a head start.
Don’t waste it!
Hope to see you at Elevator Pitch School
Kolarele Sonaike