PITCH YOUR NEXT BIG IDEA IN 30 SECONDS OR LESS
Article by Marlo Wright
Photo Credit: Mike Nguyen
Magazine: Issue #22
Captivate in 30 Seconds or Less
A 30 second elevator pitch is a brief introduction about you and your business. It should make people want to know more about your services/products.
It's not about promotion… but it is! There's a way to promote what you're doing without appearing as such. People will forget the first thing you said if you say too much.
Struggling to stay within in 30seconds means you haven't put much thought on how to be concise in talking about your business. Business is short sound bites that attract attention.
Once you've considered all these things, and developed your pitch it's time to PRACTICE!!!!! Time yourself. Practice in the mirror, with expression, inflection in your voice, and gestures you make.
{ If there are multiple things you do, sometimes it can make you sound flighty -- not that there are many people doing multiple things i.e. Richard Branson, but it’s best to use terms like conglomerate, corporation, company etc to talk about the depth of what you do.}
It's for sure not the time to promote events you have going on.
Imagine if you bumped into a potential investor, and just before you got on the elevator they asked what you do… but are on their way to a meeting. What would you say?
Could you captivate them so when the doors open, they hand you a card and say, I want to hear more, call my assistant. Setup a meeting!
Confidence or lack there of, can make or break your business. I recommend a toastmasters group. A lot of people talk to be talking. I learned a lot about concise speaking when I was on the circuit for radio interviews for one of my books. There’s no time to belabor points.
{When I interviewed for the Michael Baisden radio show - a once nationally syndicated radio show, my interview was 2min 30seconds! Could you have done it???}
Are you able to articulate what you do? Or do you just use a bunch of filler words?? We use twice as many words as men. Think about speaking to a man, get to the point. The more you practice, the easier it will come.
Speaking intelligibly about your business is nothing more than knowing what you know. Getting to the point of what you know. And allowing others to hear about what you know. A mini showcase.
Next time the spot light is on you, will you look polished? Or uncertain about your own business? If you're uncertain about your business, then why would I want to do business with you?
