A few years ago, I facilitated a training session for a global sales team. The team had been assigned the task of creating an Elevator Pitch — a self-contained value proposition of no more than three paragraphs.
A great elevator pitch is an understandable summary of what’s being offered and why it’s important. The whole idea is to tell your story in the time it takes to ride an elevator from the lobby to the floor on which your client’s offices are located.
Because of the limited trip time, elevator pitches must be self-contained, requiring little, if any, context or set-up.
After several hours of diligent preparation, the sales team leader stepped up to share the three paragraphs his team had constructed. “Before I start,” said the sales leader, “I do need to offer a little CONTEXT.”
And so he began
…and
… 21 minutes later
After he felt comfortable that he’d covered all the stuff we needed to know to understand what he was offering… he finally read the three paragraphs.
Silence in the room.
He stood there looking at me…
Waiting for me to say something…
My response?
“Unless your client is in Dubai [home of Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building], that elevator ride doesn’t exist!”
The moral of the story?
Less IS more!
Show your love and respect by:
- Owning your material
- Stating your value
- Keeping it short. Then…
- Drop the mic and exit, leaving them wanting more
SHOUT OUT
This week’s shout out goes to Adrian Smith, the architect of the Burj Khalifa building and the man who gave long winded people hope for completing their elevator pitches after all. Amazingly, he shared his idea while riding in an elevator and his original plans were created and submitted on a cocktail napkin (just kidding).
Until next week… Stay connected!
-Jeff
