The computer system is down.

The office is in a tizzy.

And I’m about to experience the best health care service ever.

Our doctor wants to order a routine test for my 20-month-old daughter.

She grabs her computer, mumbles something about having to find her team, and hustles off.

30 seconds later her team arrives.

Fastest response ever!

I’m not kidding.

When the computers are working, it can take 30 minutes to get someone into the room to run this test.

Today they set the land speed record.

Because the doctor had to go find her team.

And she (and they) couldn’t hide behind computer messages.

And it gets me thinking about your Elevator Pitch.

And the real dangers hiding behind technology.

Because when the doctor breathes a sigh of relief.

It’s not because my daughter’s tests are normal.

(Even though they are).

Nope.

It’s because her computers are back up.

Whew!

Now she can go back to communicating by computer.

My loss, I guess.

“How long was the system down?” I ask.

“15 minutes.”

Incredible.

Just long enough for me to experience outstanding customer service.

So here’s today’s challenge.

For the next 15 minutes, turn off your technology.

Go ask your colleague that question in person.

Hand-write a note to a client or prospect.

Invite someone to coffee for this afternoon’s break.

Call that contact instead of replying to their latest email.

For the next 15 minutes connect with people.

Instead of technology.

See how it improves your customer service.

How do you connect with people?

Happy Networking!

She’s not kidding.

I’m sitting in the Fenway Park bleachers as the Red Sox blow a 9-0 lead against the Yankees.

And there’s a man in a purple body suit running down the aisle.

Memorable.

And it gets me thinking about your Elevator Pitch.

Because the woman next to me recognized Purple Man from earlier in the game.

And you want prospects to do the same with your Elevator Pitch.

Here are 3 Elevator Pitch Tips for being as memorable as Purple Man.

1. Consistency

If Purple Man changes the color of his body suit.

You won’t recognize him.

Yet people constantly change their Elevator Pitch.

In the misguided notion that you have to “tailor it to your audience”.

That’s a big mistake.

Because if you keep changing your pitch.

People won’t recognize you.

Oops.

So choose a message and stick to it.

How consistent is your Elevator Pitch?

2. Questions

Why is Purple Man purple?

I have no idea.

And if I run into him at a future game I’ll ask him.

Hopefully he’ll have a great answer.

And those are the two keys to your Elevator Pitch.

It should make people want to ask you a question.

A question for which you have a home run answer.

What’s the question you really want to answer?

3. Simple

He’s purple.

That’s all I remember.

And it’s enough.

If you ask someone to remember one thing.

They will.

If you ask them to remember two or more.

They’ll forget it all.

So be one thing.

What one thing do you want people to remember about you?

Happy Networking!

I don’t know any artists.

And I want to surprise my wife with a keepsake drawing of our Back Bay condo.

So I tap my business network for ideas.

My inbox quickly fills up.

With artists.

Talented artists.

Any of whom could do the job.

I immediately contact one of them.

I don’t know if she’s the most experienced.

Or talented.

Or technically sound.

I just know that I want to talk to her first.

And it gets me thinking about your Elevator Pitch.

Because that’s what you want.

For your prospects to want to talk to you first.

So what are you doing to stand out from the crowd?

Here are three ways to move your product, service, or resume to the top of the pile.

1. Grab Their Attention

This artist showcases examples of her art on her website’s front page.

Striking examples.

Compelling examples.

No need to scroll.

Or click.

She puts her best foot forward.

It’s certainly not everything she’s ever done.

Or everything she’s able to do.

It’s targeted examples of the best work she’s done for her clients.

Now that’s attention grabbing.

What grabs your prospect’s attention?

2. Engage

Now that she has my attention, I start clicking around her website.

I find a great customer success story in her blog.

About a purple begonia.

Now the only thing I know less about than art.

Is flowers.

But in three short paragraphs she shares her passion and connection to her art.

It’s very personal.

Very human.

I want her to bring that passion and connection to our drawing.

Which customer success story engages your prospects?

3. Connect

But the real reason I picked up the phone is much simpler.

I want a beautiful drawing of my Back Bay condo building.

And this artist has several.

Beautiful drawings.

Of Back Bay condo buildings.

On the front page of her website.

I know exactly what I’m getting.

So I pick up the phone.

To inquire about about a very specific, narrowly focused result.

And the question for you is:

What specific results do your prospects want? 

Happy Networking!

I’m their first customer!

Which seems strange.

Since I dodge moving permits every day while parking in the Back Bay.

But today is a watershed day at Boston City Hall.

I’m the first customer on their new computer system.

It’s not the first time they’ve sold a moving permit.

It is the first moving permit they’ve sold using their new system.

And there’s something very humanizing about a bureaucracy learning new skills.

Everyone apologizes about the wait.

Everyone eagerly gathers around the computer screens as they enter my information.

Everyone breaks into a big smile (and snapps pictures) as the permits roll off the printers.

Total time spent at City Hall: 20 minutes.

I had budgeted an hour.

So I’m way ahead of schedule.

I’ve had one of my favorite breakfasts.

And I have a smile on my face.

And it gets me thinking about your Elevator Pitch.

How do you keep your pitch sounding new?

Here are 3 ways to make all your prospects feel like your first prospect.

1. First Timers

It seems like everyone has already heard your Elevator Pitch.

And it’s not true.

And that thinking puts you at a disadvantage in front of new prospects.

All networking groups and events attract new people.

Give your Elevator Pitch as though no one has ever heard it before.

Because most of them haven’t.

How do you pitch new prospects?

2. Repeat Offenders

You think that everyone remembers your pitch from last time.

They don’t.

And until they can mouth it along with you (like Billy Crystal on his birthday phone call from mom)

They don’t know it yet.

Give the same pitch every time.

Because every time you change it you leave your best prospects in the dust.

So develop a power question, a compelling example, and a call to action.

And stick to your Elevator Pitch!

How consistent is your Elevator Pitch?

3. Lifers

Have you had this experience?

The more you work on your Elevator Pitch the less it sounds like you.

That’s because you generalize when you want to specialize.

Here’s the question that will make it so much easier to refer prospects to people in your network.

At your next one-on-one simply ask:

“Do you mind telling me about a recent customer success?”

I guarantee you’ll gain new insights into even people you’ve known for years.

Want people to send you more referrals?

Tell them about a recent client success.

What client success story do you use in your Elevator Pitch?

Happy Networking!

Here’s the conversation:

Me: “Do you mind me asking, what were the top three reasons you hired me?”

My Client: “You’re an Elevator Pitch Coach.”

Just like that I understand how my clients describe what they want.

They are not looking for a communications coach.

Or a leadership trainer.

Or even a marketing expert.

I’ve never had a client come to me with any of those issues.

Yet I meet a lot of people who want help with their Elevator Pitch.

I spend years struggling to differentiate myself.

And my client knows the answer off the top of his head.

It gets me thinking about your Elevator Pitch.

Have you asked your clients why they hired you?

Here’s how a career coach, community leader, and customer service coach use their client stories to differentiate their services:

1. Margie’s Pitch

Margie realizes that her Elevator Pitch falls flat. People nod their heads. No questions. No conversations.

She’s giving her bio instead of connecting with her prospects.

It only took 20 minutes to come up with her new Elevator Pitch.

Here’s Margie’s Elevator Pitch

2. Mary-Alice’s Pitch

When Mary-Alice describes the features of her community for entrepreneurs, it sounds like every other social media site.

Even worse, she never mentions the easiest way for her to keep in touch with her prospects.

It only took an hour to demonstrate the real benefits of her community and strengthen her Call to Action.

Here’s Mary-Alice’s Elevator Pitch.

3. Andrea’s Video Pitch

Andrea’s a business coach.

There are a lot of those.

Including me.

Yet she and I never compete.

Because I’m an Elevator Pitch Coach, and she’s a Customer Service Coach.

Check out how she weaves her client’s story through this video interview to clarify her customer service techniques.

Pay particular attention to 24:42 where she gives an inspiring Call to Action.

And to 25:35 where she gives a power tip to fast-track your promotion.

Happy Networking!

She’s excited to promote her membership site for entrepreneurs.

And struggling to describe her site’s features in a way that differentiates it from all the other social media sites.

Here’s what she started with:

mosaicHUB is an online business community that connects entrepreneurs to each other and to service providers and resources to help them launch, run, and grow their businesses. People can post questions in the open forum, find answers in our resource center, and cast hubVotes to recommend great providers using our community driven ranking system.

While this is an accurate description of the features.

It’s not very engaging.

Because it doesn’t give any indication of how entrepreneurs actually interact with the site.

In fact, it could describe describes any one of a number of membership sites.

That’s what happens when you generalize.

And even worse, it’s missing the most crucial element of an effective Elevator Pitch.

A strong Call to Action.

In Mary-Alice’s case, it’s very straightforward.

Her goal is to get people to sign up for a free account.

And she never mentions it.

After going through our one hour Elevator Pitch Coaching process, she now says:

If I asked you to think of the biggest challenge entrepreneurs face, you’d probably think of finding funding or protecting intellectual property. What we’ve found is that entrepreneurs crave a reliable, constant, trusted community for support and guidance. Let me give you an example. One of our members recently posted a question to our open forum: “How do I stay motivated?” Several community members offered ideas and suggestions. The next day I received a personal note from this member, enthusiastically thanking me for running a community that keeps him focused and motivated as he moves his business forward. My name is Mary-Alice, and I’d like to invite you to join our mosaicHUB community. It’s free and only takes 30 seconds to sign up at mosaicHUB.com.

What do you think?

Which of Mary-Alice’s Elevator Pitches do you find more engaging?

“What would you say if you found yourself in the elevator with the hiring manager for your dream job?

It better be a “Conversation Starter”  as Elevator Pitch Coach Andrew Winig points out in this article.

It’s a common mistake to use those 30 seconds to provide a mini-bio listing skills and benefits.

Which causes prospect’s eyes to glaze over.

And discourages further conversation.

I had written and re-written my elevator pitch many times in an attempt to make it succinct and memorable.

However, it did not invite the audience to want to know more, to ask the next question, to continue the conversation.

Recently, Elevator Pitch Coach Andrew Winig was a guest speaker at Career Transitions of Greater Boston.

It was not the first time I heard him speak, but it was the first time I took him up on his offer for an Elevator Pitch Coaching Session.

This was my Elevator Pitch before:

Did you know that 75% of the adult population would love to become self sufficient but only 5% ever get there? My name is Margie and I’m a self-employment and career coach with the Entrepreneur Source. My personal mission is to show people how they can use their career as a vehicle to achieve their personal goals. I do this by helping them to gain clarity about what their personal goals needs and expectations are identifying their motivators and transferable skills and then helping to explore alternative self employment opportunities that might be a good vehicle to help them realize those goals. I offer complimentary coaching services to professionals who are business minded, self-confident, open-minded, and willing to invest in themselves. My name is Margie and I’m a self-employment career coach.

Andrew asked me to prepare for our meeting by bringing him real examples of success stories, which I did. We reviewed five or six stories and Andrew selected one of them. Then we worked on telling that story in just 30 seconds. Here is the result:

I’m a career coach, so let me give you an example of a recent client success. Maybe you know someone like this. I was working with a professional who was putting in so much overtime that he had no time left for his wife and kids and he still wasn’t making enough progress towards his goals of funding his kids’ education and retiring before age 65. Through our coaching process I identified 4 business ownership options, all of which he rejected until we took a closer look at how they matched his business model and goals for work and family life. He decided to purchase one of those businesses, an existing Certa Pro painting business, and I am happy to report that he is doing well and the franchisor considers him one of their ideal franchisees. My name is Margie, with Entrepreneur Source, and I can show you additional career opportunities that you may not have considered.

I practice this pitch out loud every chance I get to smooth out the delivery and make it my own.

I tried it out with the Career Transitions group last week and they gave it the thumbs up.

What do you think?”

Which of Margie’s pitches do you find more engaging?

Tuesday at 8pm we lose power as a result of the transformer fire in the Back Bay.

So does our daycare center.

Wednesday they put our children in a backup daycare center.

Wednesday at 11pm our power comes back on.

Our daycare centers are not so lucky.

Thursday morning at 7:20am we learn that primary and backup daycare centers are without power.

No daycare.

Aftermath.

Thursday was more expensive than being without power.

Two kids home for the day after the crisis.

Juggling schedules with no notice.

Expensive.

And it gets me thinking about your Elevator Pitch.

Because you can’t measure the final results from your Elevator Pitch until later.

Much later.

You can’t measure your results that evening.

Or the next morning.

Or even at the end of the week or month.

You have to wait for the aftermath.

Wait for it…

Here are 3 ways to improve your Elevator Pitch aftermath.

1. Leads

When you present your 30-Second Elevator Pitch to 30 people.

You expect 3-5 leads.

I.e. “Here’s someone who needs your services.”

Or “I’d like to set up some time to hear more.”

Your Power Question, Compelling Example, and Call to Action all have to work together.

To generate leads.

Here are some examples.

How many leads do you get each time you use your Elevator Pitch?

2. 1-on-1′s

In the two weeks after a networking event you expect to attend three one-on-one’s.

A one-on-one is the least understood and most effective business networking technique.

Get to know the other person.

Let them get to know you.

You want them to think of you when they encounter a perfect prospect for you.

And you’ll do the same for them.

Might be next week, month, or  year.

It has to start somewhere.

The relationship starts with the one-on-one.

A big first step.

How many one-on-one’s did you have last week?

3. Sales

Ok.

I’ll admit it.

The ultimate goal of business networking is sales.

That just can’t be your goal.

I’m moving next month.

And the guy I’ve known for eight years is handling my move.

He hasn’t been holding his breath waiting for my business.

And he’s happy to take excellent care of me.

But here’s the thing.

I never considered using anyone else.

That’s the power of business networking.

What’s the longest lead time for one of your business networking sales?

Happy Networking!

• Pose a question
• Be creative
• Get a laugh
• Be mysterious

None of the above!

Because no matter what you do they won’t remember you today, or tomorrow, or even next week.

And you don’t want them to.

You want to be remembered when they come across the right situation for you.

And the best way to do that is to give a compelling two-sentence example of your best work.

• What’s the best example for you to use?
• How do you fit all the details into just two sentences?
• How do you tell a technical story to a non-technical audience?
• You do so many things. How do you pick just one thing to talk about?

Elevator Pitch CPR

Happy Networking!

My toddler pretends not to pay attention, waiting for me to turn the page so she can joyfully jump into my lap, point at the book, and yell “fishy!”

For many, Dr. Seuss’ “The Cat in the Hat” is more about the cat than the fish.

Not so for my daughter.

She’s distraught (“Where fish go?”) on the pages without the fish.

So we must quickly turn pages until we spot him again (“Fish in teapot!”).

I have a whole new appreciation for the trials of the “fish in the pot.”

It’s an entirely different perspective on a book I’ve loved since childhood.

Because there’s a compelling story about a fish.

Hiding in plain sight.

In pictures and rhyme.

It never occurred to me to tell it.

Yet it’s the only story my daughter wants to hear.

And it gets me thinking about your Elevator Pitch.

Are you telling the story your prospect’s want to hear?

Here are 3 ways to make sure your prospects tune in to your message:

1. Focus on one Customer’s Result

If you think your explanation is too technical.

It is.

Because you’re talking features instead of the most compelling benefit.

For example: one of my clients runs an online community for entrepreneurs.

When she talks about open forums, hubVotes, and subgroups, (i.e. features), she finds herself endlessly compared to Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

When she talks about a particular entrepreneur who becomes focused and motivated from responses to his post in the open forum, she gets people to sign up and try it for themselves.

What’s your best result from a particular customer?

2. Specialize

Have you had this experience:

The more you work on your pitch, the less it sounds like you.

That’s because, the more you generalize, the more you sound like everyone else.

Like Curly’s advice in City Slickers, you have to talk about one thing.

It doesn’t mean you don’t pursue other opportunities.

It doesn’t mean you won’t use your other skills.

It simply means that when you talk to people, you focus on your most compelling result.

For example: a recent client used to say she was a “mortgage broker.”

With the state of real estate, people say “I’m so sorry to hear that. Things must be terrible.”

Which puts her on the defensive before she can convince people that mortgages are available.

Instead, she now says that she recently put a young couple into their very first home.

She still does refi’s and investment properties, and she works with people of any age.

But to engage people she only talks about putting young couples into their first home.

What’s your specialty?

3. Turn it Around

A participant asks a great question at Friday’s Acton Networkers event:

“What’s the best way to get your message across to someone who just keeps talking about themselves?”

And the answer is: “You can’t.”

And you don’t want to.

If they’re not listening, then they won’t hear your message anyway.

Besides, networking is about starting conversations.

Worry less about getting your message across.

And ask that person about the best project they ever worked on.

Maybe you can give them a great lead.

Then they’ll pay more attention to your message.

What are you doing to develop relationships?

Happy Networking!