It's not often that you will see us post someone else's work on our blog but this one we could not pass up…. our good friend Dana VanDen Heuval has written a sensational article that is certainly worth sharing. In his post, Dana says, "We’re often advised to ‘work on our elevator pitch’ for the business, yet I can’t recall ever making a purchase decision, or purchasing anything from anyone where their elevator pitch actually had an impact on me. Now, I’m not saying that having a concise and descriptive phrase to explain your business in a few seconds isn’t worth having, it absolutely is, but in a world abound with perceived commoditization around every corner, it’s critical to establish as many points of differentiation as possible to set you apart in a field of sameness."
Dana goes on to talk about the verbal and non-verbal ways we communicate in that 30-60 seconds we have to get someone's attention.
At The Center for Sales Strategy, we typically recommend talking about 1) who you are 2) what you do 3) the benefit as it relates to the listener's potential needs and 4) if time allows, following that up with a brief example.
Your audience—that person stuck with you at a cocktail party or in an elevator—is sizing you up, thinking about a bunch of other things. Check out Dana's post for on the scoop what your audience is thinking!
Kimberly Peek is a digital sales coach and an online trainer at The Center for Sales Strategy
