This is The Public Speaker’s Quick and Dirty Tips for Improving Your Communication Skills, with your host, Lisa B. Marshall.
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How to Make a Good Pitch
My 5 year-old twin daughters have been begging and begging to go to a haunted house this year. But I am a humungous scaredy cat! So instead, I made a big deal out of walking through the spooky Halloween section of my local Target store. In fact, we were walking down the aisle and I said, “Oooo, girls look at that scary candy dish.” My daughters reached out their hands to touch it and suddenly a skeleton hand slapped down on their hands. They screamed in stereo. Of course I screamed too. My daughter, Daniela, immediately turned to me and said, “Mom, maybe we could go to a haunted house next year?”
Even though I do get frightened very easily, I LOVE Halloween. It's such a fun holiday and best of all it’s my birthday. I wanted to do a special Halloween episode but I didn't have any ideas. So I asked for a suggestion on The Public Speaker Facebook fan page. Matt, Robert, Jennafer, Steve, Jim, Joe, and Alex all made some great suggestions.
The Elevator Pitch
I decided to go with Alex's topic idea. He wrote, "How about tips for going ‘door to door’ like when trick-or-treating? How do you convey important information in a short period of time?"
Ah, the old "elevator pitch" (you know, talking about yourself or your ideas in 30 seconds or less); now THAT can be scary. Scary to deliver, and unfortunately, at times, a horror to listen to.
Of course, this skill is very important to a salesman or entrepreneur. I once heard a phrase that has stuck with me, “When you mouth is OPEN, so is your business. When you mouth is closed, so is your business." But if you think about it, it's equally important for job seekers, podcasters, speed-daters-- really everyone, even perhaps, witches. You never know when you might be called upon to quickly cast a spell or explain an idea or be direct about who you are and what you do.
So is there a trick to making your elevator pitch a treat?
How to Create Your Pitch
To help folks with this skill, I generally provide a skeleton, a bare bones model that works like magic. It takes all the horror and terror away.
First, it helps to think of your pitch like a very short commercial. Brainstorm the bigger messages that set you apart from the competition. It needs to be clear, concise, and compelling. Carve out five core ideas:
your name or area of expertise,
- how you help,
- what you do,
- why you’re different or the best,
- and a call to action.
- For example, here's mine:
An Example of a Good Pitch
1. Hi, I'm Lisa, Lisa B. Marshall.
2. I’m a communication expert who helps people improve their public speaking, interviewing, networking, and web communication. [That was my name, expertise, and how I help.]
3. I offer workshops, keynotes, and consulting. I'm also host of a weekly podcast called The Public Speaker and I recently completed an audiobook on interviewing skills, called, The Public Speaker's Guide to Ace Your Interview [That was what I do.]
4. My programs are packed with research-based content that is very practical, actionable, and fun. [That’s why I’m different or the best.]
5. To listen to the free podcast, or hear a clip from the interviewing audiobook, or to learn more about my services, visit www.lisabmarshall.com [And that’s my call to action or what I want you to do.]
It’s a lot of information to eek out in only 30 seconds. So it’s of grave importance to practice. If you go on and on and on, people will look at you as if you were really wearing a Halloween mask and definitely will be afraid to do business with you. You can have a slightly longer, say 2-3 minute version, but don’t change the bones of the pitch; just add a bit more meat to the skeleton.
How to Practice Your Pitch
By the way, you can modify the bones of your pitch, slightly, for an investor pitch. In this case, you’d include
- the high level concept (what it is),
- what it does (what problem does it solve and how big is that problem),
- what you’ve done (your past successes),
- why this particular investor (why it fits),
- and the call to action.
No matter the length or specific model you choose, you’ll want to bat it around with your colleagues and potential clients to ensure your pitch screams your most important points. You might even consider sending practice videos using Viddler or Oovoo or going to networking events (or maybe costume parties this time of year) just to practice and see how people react.
How to Modify Your Pitch
For sure you’ll want to modify your pitch based on the feedback you receive. In fact, you’ll need to have several versions to not only keep it fresh, but also so you can tailor it on the fly. Not everyone listening will respond in the same way. You should always adjust your pitch for the person who is listening. For example, if I am talking to an individual, I focus on coaching services; if I’m talking to an organization, I focus on consulting projects, keynotes, and workshops. Finally, remember to refine your pitch as you and your business grow. For example, I just added a mention of my new interviewing audiobook to one of my pitches.
So there you have it: some tricks to make your elevator pitch scream. Beware: One of the most important things professionals can do is to learn how to effectively speak about themselves and their business to others. Delivering an effective elevator pitch doesn’t have to be scary. By using the bare bones skeleton, you can now deliver an interesting and compelling--yet quick and succinct--summation of what you or your company does.
This is Lisa B. Marshall; passionate about communication your success is my business. Happy Halloween everyone! I hope you didn’t find this episode too candy corny!
Announcements
My new audiobook is called, The Public Speaker’s Guide To Ace Your Interview: 6 Steps To Get The Job You Want. You can check the some rave reviews at www.interviewextras.com. If you know someone that is interviewing, buy this audiobook for them, The Public Speakers Guide to Ace Your Interview on iTunes and Audible.com for $5.95. Think about it, for the price of a cup of coffee and a bagel, you’re helping your friend get a job! Now that’s a great gift, right?
Next, I want to publically say thank you to all the people who supported my possible nomination for an award in the Podcast Awards Business category. I received lots of encouraging emails. Thanks!
As I write this, the nominees haven’t yet been announced. However, weather this show gets nominated or not, I’d like to encourage you to show your support for your favorite podcasts by voting everyday during the voting period at www.podcastawards.com.
Administrative
Connecting
Finally, I invite you to join my newsletter or visit the Facebook Fan Page. I’d also like to invite you to join my networks on (LinkedIn and Twitter). Links can be found at publicspeaker.quickanddirtytips.com.
If you have a question, leave a voicemail at 206-350-7970. Or send email to publicspeaker@quickanddirtytips.com. For information about keynote speeches or workshops, visit lisabmarshall.com.
