Often in our fast and crazy daily life, we only have a few minutes or even seconds to convice and conquer.
You either shoot on target or miss it!
Imagine, your are dreaming day and night on meeting a certain person, whether a prospect you try to reach for years, an employer for whom you want to work, a celebrity you are a big fan of, or the man or woman of your life!
Suddenly there it is, just in front of your eyes, that person is waiting for the elevator! You enter both, so many thoughts crowd into your mind, words jostle with one another to express what you feel, the surprise effect leaves you speechless. Time you make up your mind, the opportunity is gone, vanished! Sound familiar?
One of my french acting friend was a big big fan of Woody Allen, Woody was his absolute art master, he would have give it all to meet him. One day as he was shopping with his wife in New York, he saw Woody coming out of a restaurant, my friend could hardly believe his eyes and started to stammer at his wife ” it’s wood.. wood.. wood… “.
A few seconds later when he could speak again the famous director was gone! My friend missed the opportunity of his career !
So always be ready! Always have your elevator pitch with you, be willing to embrace the possibilities life is offering you to make your dreams come true!
You are introduced to someone at a cocktail or you are at a dinner, a parent’s meeting, in a train, or simply waiting for the elevator, you have a few “stairs” to present yourself in a unique, appealing way, create an impression and hopefully exchange business cards or even better have the other person saying ” Tell me more “.
Elevator Pitch recipe :
1- Write in a few lines what you want people to remember about you and your service or product.
2 – Describe what you or your business are offering and especially the benefit, the famous added value which makes you different and unique. You could also add a client’s success story.
My written pitch could be : “I handle stage fright, especially in public speaking, the fear of being judged and criticized. I help people in their life and business to become as confident as an actor on stage! Right now I am working for a company to train their sales and marketing managers to improve their presentations and close more business. I am also coaching the CEO to give great interviews in the medias. Here is one of my client’s testimony : ” The coaching with Carmela was a turning point in my career from a regional to a worldwide executive for Essilor Group.”
3 – Then do not read what you wrote, be creative and exercise to improvise your pitch in 30 seconds, 20 seconds, 10 seconds. Take advantage of every opportunity to practice and perfect your pitch until it becomes as natural as you name to say.
Moral : “Always have more than one pitch in your bag !”
And for fans of Woody Allen including me I would like to wrap up with one of the lines he alone has the secret :
” I want to end with a message of hope…I do not have one. In exchange would two messages of despair fit ” Woody Allen
Carmela Valente