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What our members have to say...
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"Thank you for your email yesterday regarding an extension of your services.
In fact I now have the necessary investors in my business, one of whom came
through Business Angels & we are now quite advanced on the project. I would
highly recommend any potential entrepreneur to acquire a partner through
your organization. Thank you again!"
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Eric Sanderson - Naremburn Child Care Centre |
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The Elevator Pitch – Four Elements That Get Results.
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If you’ve ever attended a business networking event you’ve likely been forced to participate in an undesirable activity. One of the common features at the events hosted by these groups is that the members are given the opportunity to make a presentation before everyone in attendance. The participants are expected to give a 10 to 15-second commercial to promote themselves and their companies.
It isn’t easy for most of us.
Many people struggle to speak before a large group but building the confidence to do so simply takes time and repetition. Progress can be realized even more quickly by actually writing the message and practicing by ourselves. This may ease some of the discomfort and I can assure you that it will get easier as you gain experience.
One of the things I’ve learned about speaking publicly in these situations is you must remember that, when their time comes, everyone else in the room feels some of the same discomfort as you. They’ll normally have at least a little bit of sympathy when you make a mistake. I say “when” because unless you’re one of the rare natural speakers you should expect to make a mistake. Don’t sweat it. Simply note what you could have done better and make the change for the next presentation.
After experimenting with numerous variations I’ve come up with this 12-second commercial:
My name is NOT Bill Gates…but it is Bill YATES. I’m the Principal Partner for Splash Management. We develop and implement trendsetting marketing campaigns for small to mid-size companies. Connect with me on LinkedIn because I’ll use it to learn more about each of you. My name is Bill Yates.
Because this is a commercial I treat it like a commercial. I include the 4 things that nearly every commercial requires. Catch, description, engagement and reward.
1. The Catch – By saying “I’m not Bill Gates” I give everyone the chance to remember my name. I admit that it’s corny and it gets little more than a courtesy chuckle but it definitely works. If you can come up with a catchy tag line then I suggest you use it. Ralph Barnaby, a contract administrator and project manager in the construction industry, has a great tag: “I blew up Texas Stadium”. I remember Jeff Loy because he describes himself as the “Swiss Army Knife of Marketing and Communications”. David Vogelsang says “I sang, you sang, Vogelsang”. Karen Granade, a genius marketing professional, also has a solid catch. “I’m Karen Granade. Pull the pin and I make GREAT THINGS HAPPEN.
2. The Description – I describe my company. “We develop and implement trendsetting marketing campaigns for small to mid-size companies.”
3. Engagement - I give a call to action. “Connect with me on LinkedIn”. After all, the purpose of any commercial is to get someone to engage your product. As a pitch, by definition, we need a closing statement. Mine is the chance to have a business professional, and potential business partner, review my background. Note that I’m not a LION and I don’t connect with just anybody which is explained in this article.
4. Reward – I offer an incentive. “I look forward to learning more about each of you.” Everyone in the audience hopes to promote themselves and their businesses so why wouldn’t they want someone to review their accomplishments on LinkedIn?
I close by repeating my name.
This works. I can directly trace more than one of my business partners back to my elevator pitch. I know that they’ve reviewed my LinkedIn page, which sent them to my website, which allowed them to get to know me and my company at their leisure.
A few additional notes. Be cognizant of your body language. Hands in pockets or arms folded will convey a lack of confidence. Conversely, being too animated could be a distraction and may seem insincere. A couple of subtle hand gestures should be enough and taking a few glances at the faces around the room while you speak may help too.
Depending on the type of audience it might not be a bad idea to adjust your message a little bit to better match the interests of the group.
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