Kiss ‘em goodbye!

One sure fire way to run off a prospective customer is to start into a complicated diatribe on why this feature of your business does this or why that feature solves this problem and on and on and on. We’re talking elevator pitches and Rule #5: Keep it simple.

You can’t create a story for every SKU in your product database. Most companies have dozens to thousands of product and service varieties. The object here is to identify the top several products or services and create a compelling story about how each makes the lives of your customer better.  

Script each story and work on using the precise words that best deliver your message. Once you get the words just right, practice saying it out loud. Practice saying your pitch out loud over and over until it becomes natural. You want to deliver your pitch in a natural, unrehearsed way that only comes from rehearsing.

The real application of Rule #5 is to only use one story per pitch. You should have an arsenal of pitch components at the ready for use when that particular component is needed. When you meet an individual with a particular pain, pull out that pain point and merge it into your pitch.

The research suggests that you only have about ten seconds to say something interesting before the other party tunes you out. You can’t possibly tell a complicated story in such a short amount of time. If your business is complicated, boil your pain topics down into bite-sized talking points that you can get across quickly. If you’re having trouble, go back to the customer’s pain and your product benefit bullet points. Brainstorm with your team or a colleague to find the right words to make your complicated story simple. This is where prior preparation really pays off.  

Do you have a great elevator pitch that you’d like to share? If so, list it in the comments or send me an email.