Elevator Pitching!

An "elevator pitch" is a concise verbal executive summary of an idea or a proposal. The name is derived from the notion that if, one day you were to meet an executive in the elevator (we assume this is the only time you would have the opportunity to share the same air as an executive!) you would have 20 -30 seconds of their undivided and unescapable attention to pitch your idea. So you better be brief and you better be good!

Here are some steps to get you perfectly geared for that occasion:

''Starts with an intriguing truism - The prospect begins by agreeing with you.''

In today's workplace everyday we are bombarded with reams of information.

We have inboxes overflowing with emails, gigabytes of documents on our disk drives and shared drives.

There are web articles to read, newsletters to scan, and internal documents to study.

''How do we help them mitigate this truism? - What is the need?"

If you want to be able to keep your head above the sea of data you need an effective way to avoid "overload"

by aggregating, digesting and mining this information in order to extract only those pieces of information that are most pertinent to you and your particular context.

"How can we help you satisfy that need? - How will that benefit you?"

We specialise in enabling large distributed global organisations quickly pull together all their information

to extract all content relevant to them and only that content.

This allows for quick informed decisions based on the best possble information.

"How can we prove our credibility? - Quantifiable and Qualifiable proof"

We have enabled companies like Citi Bank, RBS, Barclays, Reuteurs, Dow Jones, The Financial Times, Dell, IBM, Cisco to increase productivity, eradicate information management costs and launch new business strategies using our technology.

"Close with a call to action question"

Would you be interested in learning out how you could increase profits and reduce existing costs using our technology?

[TEACS] Truism.Example.Action Required.How Help.Credibility.Successes.

#1: The lead-in. This is the set-up statement for the conversation. It’s intended to spark initial interest from the (potential) prospect. If interest is shown, you move to…
#2: The differentiator. This identifies the sales rep, the sales rep’s firm or the firm’s offering as a unique resource that deserves immediate attention. You them move immediately to…
#3: The engagement question. This is an open-ended conversation starter that allows the sale rep to assess the prospect’s interest level. Based upon that level of interest, you move to…
#4: The call to action. This is the request for a meeting to discuss the matter further, thereby moving moving the opportunity into your pipeline. These vary according to the level of interest that the other person shows.
If you’re interested in learning more and seeing some examples, I suggest the original post “Craft a Killer Elevator Pitch in 6 Easy Steps“.
Now that you understand the concept, here’s the sample that I received from the Sales Machine reader, who’s a newly-minted sales professional:
Lead-in: “We make quality parts for die cutters at a fair price, saving our customers 25% of what they would have paid for brand-name parts.”
Differentiator: “We have a unique innovation called the “Plus Bar,” which has its components bolted rather than welded to the shell. That way, when something breaks, it can be fixed immediately and the bar is still intact-saving time and money.”
Engagement Questions: “Ha, I guess you can relate to that problem! What kind of die cutters does your company use?” or “You must know the industry. What’s your story?”
Call to Action (if prospect skeptical): “If we could really trim down your maintenance budget and save some money, what would your thoughts be on having an initial conversation with us to hear more?”
Call to Action (if prospect neutral): “What would your thoughts be on having an initial conversation with us about trying the Plus bar? What is your availability over the next few weeks?”
Call to Action (if prospect obliging): “I would love to have an initial phone conversation with you about saving some money with the Plus Bar. What’s the best way to get on your calendar?”
Call to Action (if prospect interested): “How can I get on your calendar?”