Lessons

Lesson Info

Tool #1: Your Elevator Pitch

Lesson five we're going to go into some detail about tool number one, which is your elevator pitch. Now, some people say you don't need an elevator pitch, but I disagree with that. I think you need a way to answer the question, what do you do, which is concise and clear and get you into a conversation with people and that's really, what the elevator pitch is and just a little kind of highlights first, about the idea of the elevator pitch number one, you're not going to the top of the empire state building, right? Meaning that it should be short and often the trouble people have. So this is kind of another paradox. People say creative people say, uh, I don't like to talk about myself, but then once you get them talking, they won't stop, right? Or they're afraid that they're going to say too much or that so they don't say anything at all. So this is one of the problems, so you're not going to the top of the empire state building. It should be at the most fifteen words, all right? And we'...

re going to do examples of this, so be ready. It should be aspirational, not historical I think one of the places we get tripped up is that we think oh, what do I do? What have I done? And then they go back in their history and say, well, I did this this and this but if that's not what you want to be doing if that's not what you've decided you want to do in your future or where you want to take your business, then that's not what you should talk about nobody's going to say you're lying right? This is I think sometimes where the imposter syndrome comes in, no one is going to challenge you and say, wait a minute, you don't do that, but everyone imagines that's what's going to be happening and I think that could be another one of those parental things creeping in right so you are in charge of your elevator pitch and you should create one that aims toward the future and where you want to be going on what you want to be doing, not about your past also don't try to summarize yourself it's impossible, so don't even try right again. We're going to focus on the thing your prospects perceived they need it's not about you and think about engaging what would be engaging as opposed to clever I think clarity trumps cleverness and creative people for some reason we think we're supposed to be original or clever and we spend all of this time trying to come up with something that would be different but often that's just confusing to people right? So I highly recommend clarity boring clarity to get someone into a conversation so that you can show them how creative you are by asking all the right questions all right, any questions so far? Alright, good. So then, uh I want to present to you three different approaches to the elevator pitch because part of the problem is there's no right way there are so many different ways to do it and these air just three of the many ways you could do it. So the first one is you emphasize their pain, right? Remember I said your elevator pitch is not about you it's about them and in this context it's about their pain what hurts them that you can fix so here's an example of mine uh in fact, for the first ten years of my business this is what I said I work with creatives who hate to promote themselves their pain is they hate to promote themselves and often people would smile or they'd start nodding right and they'd be like, oh yeah that's me and that would engage them and then we would get into a conversation the problem in my case this may happen to you too is that, um they hated to promote themselves so much that they didn't do what I told them to dio and therefore it didn't work, so you have to be very careful with your language. You have to choose the right language that will allow people to help you help them, right? But you can focus on their pain and that can be very, very engaging. So be thinking before we get we're going to do this as the exercise be thinking about what is the pain of your prospects that you help solve or your app helps solve or your services help solve, right? What is the pain? And sometimes the pain could have to do with the way the work is done right could have to do with someone else who's helping them who is unreliable and your solution to that pain is that you're the reliable one, all right? Think about it very broadly. I'll give you another example, jill, who were using as a case study today. Jill anderson her elevator pitch is I revamp websites you're embarrassed to send your customers to write remember she works is creatives and the pain that they're feeling when they come to her right, this is the need they perceive is embarrassment so how does that relate to you? What? What are your prospects? Perhaps embarrassed about j k o any pain in the chat room well, it's, interesting people started sharing what their bachelor away two pictures are and will actually come to come to some of them, but definitely people are saying they're sharing how they into interacting and how they asked people what, that what people do is well, to feel that pain, but we definitely love to hear, okay, so let me I'm gonna go through the other two angles, and then we'll talk about some actual examples. So the another angle is you emphasize their perceived need so again what they think they need when they come to you, which may be very different from what they actually need and what you end up doing for them, right? We've all had that experience where they come saying, I need a brochure or I need a logo. No, you need an entire identity campaign, you need a website, you need to revamp everything, but that all they're focused on is I need a logo, ok, so here's some examples also from my point of view, the perceived need is I help creatives promote their services and avoid feast or famine when they come to me there, especially aware of the pain, feast or famine. And so I talk about in my blurb, I call it a blurb also the elevator pitch. Ah, helping promote your services and avoid feaster famine alright here's jill lynn's example I work with companies who need to update their web presence, so this could be in the category of boring and clear, right? But it's clear, I help I work with companies who need to update their web presence that is the perceived need that's, what's, top of mind and that's what you're trying to hook into is what will resonate with them because they already have it in their mind, all right, and the third angle is that you emphasize thie outcome or the result for the benefit of the work you do, you're not talking again remember it's not about you, you're not talking at all about what you actually do, you're skipping over that and you're talking about what they're going to get from it. So if it's an app, what is the benefit of the app? All right, so here's an example of mine, I helped creatives get better clients with bigger budgets, you don't care how I do it, I'm just gonna help you do it and that is also a perceived need often, but they may not be aware of it. Here is jill anderson's I create websites that drive more traffic that's one way of doing it, she could have three versions of this right there could be ten possible outcomes of the work that you do and you should try many different examples many different ways of talking about what you do to see what is most engaging for people. All right, so the three pitches I'm in the three angles now, I would like to you hear and see some actual examples. All right, emphasize the pain, emphasize what they think they need. Emphasized the outcome with the result and the benefit. In fact, maybe let's talk a little bit first, about which of these seems most doable, which is the one each ofyou gravitates to the most. Who wants to go first? Justin? Sure. Um, I think, uh, I gravitate towards the outcome now. Come. Yeah, yeah. It's like the one. Okay, what about you? Right now? I did too. Mostly because it seems more positive. I feels always a little problematic when you mentioned the negative and then sew deny the negative it's more affirming and attractive in a way few spinning things on the positives. An interesting point. I've heard that before, and I think it can work both ways, because if people I sense that you really understand the pain that they struggle with, they automatically open up to you, yeah, so I would experiment with both ways, zane, I go towards the pain points whenever I'm coming over, the new software products you, yeah, because I feel if you can solve someone's pain, that they'll be willing to pay for it. All right, because it's true pain, absolutely okay, but to online nobody's actually, yet mentioned number one. Really? Yeah, not a tour. Three and two seem to be the most popular it's. Interesting, I think it's a little bit more of a mental stretch to think about the pain. Or, actually, maybe this is part of the fact that it's it takes effort to get yourself out of your own you and think from the prospect or the clients perspective and be aware exactly of the pain that they're talking about. Raina, I'm thinking about my own business and wondering, does do all of my clients. Even all my ideal clients, have the exact same paint point, because if I do find myself by one pain point and it doesn't actually. Right completely overlap there's then I could be alienating them if you know if I hit the exact pain point I can see how powerful that would be though so that's a good point and I think that um when we're thinking about pain, it may not be just one in fact, when we look at the example of jill anderson's website her home page she essentially has three questions which address different pain points right? So you can put many options out there in the same way that with your elevator pitch you can say I do this I do this I do this does any of that resonate with you, right? I mean, you can be creative and flexible with this these ideas all right here's a new little thing I've added to the segment it's called what would you do if before we get to the exercise I'm gonna put it out there to the chat room and to our in studio audience what would you do if you were talking to someone you've never met at an alumni reunion or anywhere and you don't know which angle to use? How do you decide what do you do, justin, what would you do start asking questions you know, just engage with them and ask what what they're doing and you know, kind of get a sense of where they're at in their career and and what their you know, once the conversation continues kind of figure out what their pain points are you know what keeps you up at night? What? You know what air you're what's challenging in that in that space? I don't know about that space you know exactly good answer ask questions anyone else want ad take the same approach I would start with questions usually figure out people's challenges and then tailoring you know how I could be helpful in resourceful challenges? You know, I'm just thinking if if it's somebody at an alumni meeting or something where I'm not sure if they're even remotely in my a target audience, I might also use the definition that I most comfortable with and that is more most aligned with my own goals basically my ideal pitch for my ideal client even if they're not that's a good idea because you don't know who they know, right? I mean, we need to think also less concrete lee about the people were actually talking to and think about everyone in their network and who they may be able to connect you with. What are people saying in the tack room? Johnny is saying that curiosity just trumps all on dso sarah cold followed in let's say yes, she goes into information gathering mode and three eighteen media was saying they're asking questions is what they would do first because not everybody is your client it may turn out this is just you know, an interesting conversation you'll have but it may not lead him they don't need anywhere and you know, one of the ideas behind this question also is that you have to be the one to ask first what do you do because if the other person asks first then you're like wait you tell me first and then and you can say that you could say you know what I will tell you but it would be helpful so I can makes say something more meaningful to you if I knew first what you do and what you need you can say something like that right? Okay so now let's go to the exercise four lesson five so in the workbook you have what I called the elevator pitch work sheet which is essentially gives you the three different angles and space to write them down um but here is the exercise and again we'll start with the online audience and then we'll we'll we'll talk with the studio audience and they will go to the online so think of your favorite or ideal client right? Because the problem also with these pitches is that you have to know who you're talking to so create one in the context of a particular person who is your ideal client or your favorite client and write three pitches with that person or company in mind one each for the three angles right pain ah perceived need and outcome and don't be alarmed if it's not easy this is actually often one of the hardest things for people to dio all right so we actually don't have a lot of time for people to write but people could be doing it in the online chat room and if anyone in the studio wants to off the top of their head give us one they might be a bit rough but I just say it's never perfect right my elevator pitch is always growing changing improving it's never perfect right so I helped start ups create unique brand identities through strategy design and software development okay say it again I helped start ups create unique branded entities through strategy design and software development interesting one thing I like about it is you say who you work with first and then what you do for them that's another angle it's another formula for your elevator pitch and the reason it helpful is because if you're talking to someone who fits that description their ears were well perk up and they'll keep listening because otherwise you know how people just space out when you're talking to them and our attention spans are so short so if you say I do this bubba bubba bubba for this person they may not be listening by the end so it's great that you say here's who I work with first and here's what I do for them great anyone else with an example? Yeah, I inspire and help thought leaders to develop on dh strategize, transform, informative educational experiences that people want to buy. So I feel like there's a little too much jargon in there. Justin, right, I think we have to be kept couple of jargon because on the one hand, it's like a code language for people that says, I understand your language and we can bond, but on the other hand, if they don't know the language, it could be alienating and also there's a little blah, blah, blah there, so I would aim for clarity on dh just, you know, normal words whenever possible, but you're on the right track, and it sounded to me like that was more about the outcome, then the perceived need or the, uh, the pain and you also mentioned thought leaders on I thought that was the jargon that kind of sparked it in my mind, because do people think of themselves as thought leaders? Or is that something they want to be right? You're trying to hook them into their perceived need. So will they recognise themselves in your blurb that's a question that you lost them? Wade got a lot of honesty in the chat room that we, oh no, justin raina, thank you I work with growing food companies and organizations who need to update and improve their branding online and offline communicate beautiful that's beautiful here's who I work with if you're one of them keep listening and here is the effect and also the perceived need your more about the perceived need I would challenge you to think about what the effect of the work is because that is sometimes more engaging yeah I have I haven't alternative me here I work with growing food companies and organizations and help them be more competitive on the shelf on an offline I like that one much better okay yeah right because that um resonates with the language that they'll they're probably thinking about being more competitive right so again this is about putting yourself in their shoes thinking about what language do they use for themselves and how will they recognise themselves? And I also like the fact that you use the word growing food companies because that specific right it's not all food companies and it narrows the field and may alienate people although it's kind of general enough that everyone may think of themselves as growing right so that's very strategic excellent all right did you you're smiling saying did you want to say something no alright good okay great was a lot I shall tell you mine because I feel very lucky in a way that what I do people are very interested in so when I say, well, I'm a broadcaster and I'm not an author that's really? I feel I need to say because they will instantly I'll get excited disabled so what are you working on? But I think not everyone has that advantage, some of them that the people being anyone could say I'm a broadcaster and an author yeah, well, that's true, but I kind of have to be to have the next two minutes conversation, but I like this one from kathleen alise because she when people say what you do, she says I give female business owners back their time insanity on beautiful immediately people say, oh, tell me more yes, so she's a witch and I feel I have the same uh I do feel it's lucky that that's what I do, people are interested. Um, I'm sure that's fine for you, j k o but I want to caution people from using labels announce actually because if I say I'm a consultant or you say I'm a designer or anyone says I'm a film producer or a video producer or an illustrator like we think we know what that is and what it means and already then you've lost the opportunity to explain to them what exactly you do and I think that labels can be a conversation stopper rather than a conversation starter and some here to learn, too. So I think this is great. Thank you. And sometimes I think people actually do it to stop the conversation because remember, we don't really want to talk about our work. So the thing I can say that will stop conversation the quickest unconsciously, I think that's what people do nobody in the room, certainly, and nobody in the chat room, but I've seen people do it let's just say this one. Well, how can I say my pitch with a downturn accent like jacares? I'm really from illinois. I just do this compressed people cheryl had a girl once said, I virtually work with consultants to help consultants with the administrative task growth and stressful deadlines I found, I was bit wordy again. I wasn't really sure what I understood that it is a little wordy, but I think it's in the right direction because she's talking about who she works with and the idea of stressful deadlines, I mean, that might be enough. And lady says my business is business to business and business to consumer. I'm already lost this way too many business agreed.