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Going Up? Make Sure Your Elevator Pitch Isn't Going Down

Written by: Tom Long

Article Overview: When you only have 15 or 30 seconds to make an impression - are you ready?

Going Up? Make Sure Your Elevator Pitch Isn't Going Down

If you met your dream client on an elevator, would you be able to provide a 30-second business pitch that would leave him wanting to know more? Here are some tips to help you make a memorable and lasting first impression.

* Make an impression in 30 seconds. An "elevator pitch" is a concise, concrete, exciting snapshot of your business that leaves a potential client with a good understanding of the services or product you provide and a desire to learn more.
* Define your product or service in a unique way. In one or two sentences, describe what you sell or provide. Convey one to three aspects or specialties of your business that you are passionate about; point out how you rise above you competitors; and define how you add value to your customers' businesses.
* Define your customer. Is your typical client in the finance industry? Does your product help senior citizens? Do you provide accounting services to mid-size businesses? In one sentence, summarize your typical customer, or the type of customer you hope to serve.
* Write it until you get it right. Write your "elevator pitch" down. Work on it until it feels right and gets your point across quickly. If your business occupies more than one niche, try to combine them or craft a few pitches that you can use with different prospects. If you are having trouble, ask your current associates and clients what they value most about your services – chances are, someone else will, too!
* Practice, practice, practice. Practice it out loud – in front of a mirror. The more you practice your pitch, the easier it will be to deliver, whether you're talking to a friend at a party, a prospect on an elevator or potential clients at a networking group.
* Keep it fresh. Although you want your delivery to roll off your tongue, remember that over time you will need to adjust your pitch as your business goals and services change. If you are trying to attract a different type of clientele, you need to be able to tell them how your services or product can add value to their business.

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Article Tags: accounting services, business goals, clientele, current associates, dream client, elevator pitch, finance industry, first impression, good understanding, mid size businesses, networking group, niche, pitches, prospects, senior citizens, sentences, snapshot, three aspects, typical client, typical customer



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Re: Quote of the Day - "The only people witho - Thanks for sharing this Evan, there are some very powerful quotes in there, I particularly like this one:- You are now at a crossroads. This is your opportunity to make the most important decision you will ever make. Forget your past. Who are you now? Who have you decided you really are now? Don't think about who you have been. Who are you now? Who have you decided to become? Make this decision consciously. Make it carefully. Make it powerfully. regards, Mal.
Pitch Like A Girl: How a Woman Can Be Herself and Still Succ - Pitch Like A Girl: How a Woman Can Be Herself and Still Succeed Ronna Lichtenberg 2005 From the inside cover: "As a woman, you probably feel uncomfortable when it comes to promoting yourself and asking for what you want." WHAT IN THE HECK IS THIS, I asked myself when I read that. Women are the fastest growing business owners in the US and Canada, there are t housands of women executives and CEOs - though not as many as might be expected, admittedly, yet the book opens with this surely out of date stereotype. However, as she continued to give examples of women who had high paying jobs but were routinely not paid as much as men because it hadn't occurred to them to ask for raises, etc., I decided it was probably true for a majority of businesswomen... Anyway, more of the info from the jacket: "Other books have told you how to get what you want by being more like a guy. Pitch Like A Girl tells you why its an advantage to be who you are and how to do better by bringing more of yourself to work." The TOC: 1. Pink and Blue 2. The Quck-dry Chapter 3. What's In your head that's not in his 4. The Me, Inc Mindset 5. Visioning: Discover What You Really Want 6. Identifying Prospects 7. Pre-pitch homework and heartwork 8. Crafting the pitch 9. Pricing the pitch 10. Packaging the pitch 11. Delivering the pitch 12. Closing Conclusion A Word to the guys The Empathy Quotient The Systemizing Quotient Bibliography And on a side note - non-fiction books without indexes - of which this is one, annoy me.
Why women don't charge more - I just read a chapter in Pitch Like A Girl: How a Woman Can Be Herself and Still Succeed, by Ronna Lichtenberg that deals with this. THe chapter is called Pricing the Pitch. "In a WAll Street Journal article about what might be holding women back from corporate success, Terry Dal, a former vice president at Wells Fargo bank, said, "Good girls don't advertise; only prostitutes advertise. We feel dirty promoting ourselves." The author's advice: The first step in getting the money you desserve is to understand the market rate for your offering. Not what you think you need, not what they're willing to pay, but the going rate for similar goods and services offered in your area by someone with your skills and experience. Then, seek expert advice. "Men routinely consult lawyers, financial advisers, exxecutive recruiters and any other paid counselors to help them assess what constitutes a fair fee." Your research into going rates should not lead you to a single price for your pitch but rather a range of prices - both a market range and a personal range, which should overlap but won't necessarily be identical. In pricing, one size does not fit all. The final step in determining your price is to consider what you think you'd be paid for the same job if you were a man. The author also discusses why women usually discount their prices (must'n't appear too over-confident), the difference between discounting and "giving a discount", and other issues. I'd advise every woman wondering about what to charge to read at least this chapter of the book.
List of a few legitimate online business - Well My main methods to make money so far are adsense,affiliate marketing and freelancing and I think these are some more sites that can help me to make some more money.Your reviews are welcome: ::linkworth dot com>This site is awesome and offer lots of ways to make money. ::mturk dot com>complete simple mini task and get paid ::microworkers dot com>complete simple mini task and get paid ::shorttask dot com>complete simple mini task and get paid ::istockphoto dot com>sell stock photos ::eHow dot com>Make money writing ::Bukisa>Make money writing ::Associate Content>Make money writing ::Triond>Make money writing ::fiverr dot com>$5 freelancing job ::cpalead dot com>make money by completing offer ::peerfly>make money by completing offer
Facebook and Business - While on the Elevator today I read that MySpace and Facebook are surpassing adult-sites in traffic volumes - just thought that was interesting fact. As far as your business is concerned I think that having a Facebook account is viable as long as you keep it business and the most important thing to increase your traffic would be to link up with people well-known in your business-circle. e.g. if your were in the Marketing Business Circle I would link up with people like Dan Kennedy, Mike Filsame, Yanik Silver etc. People linked up with them will now start pouring into your content.


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