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The Myth of the Elevator Pitch
An elevator pitch is supposed to
be short enough to be used in
a brief elevator ride, comprehensive enough to fully
describe “what you do,” and flexible
enough to be used in any situation.
Unfortunately, the elevator pitch is a
flawed concept. While it is important
to be able to communicate quickly, the
elevator pitch encourages us to make
three classic mistakes:
• Pitching in the wrong places
(e.g., elevators)
• Pitching to the wrong people (e.g.,
people in elevators)
• Pitching the wrong things (e.g.,
cookie-cutter concepts)
First, let’s start with the obvious:
You should never pitch someone in
an elevator or any other place where
you don’t have time to continue the
conversation. A moment’s access is
not an opportunity.
Second, you should never pitch to
someone you’ve just met. A stranger
doesn’t know you well enough to give
you and your pitch the attention you
deserve. Plus, you aren’t familiar
enough with the other person to be
able to tailor your pitch to fit his or
her unique situation. Someone you
don’t know is not an opportunity.
Third, when high-level decision makers hear your elevator pitch, it is easy
for them to tell that you’re repeating
what you say to everyone else. They
may be polite, but they’re probably
not really listening. Anyone who is a
legitimate prospect for your business
should be given personal attention. In
other words, instead of using a cookie-cutter elevator pitch, you should customize your communication to meet
the prospect’s individual needs.
What’s better than an elevator pitch?
I call it a “trailer.” Before you see a
film at a movie theater, you watch several trailers, also known as “previews.”
These trailers range from 30 seconds
to two-and-a-half minutes. Trailers are
shown in the theater, on TV and on
DVD—and you know what? It’s not
always the same trailer.
A studio will create many different
trailers for a single movie because each
variation is targeted to a different market segment. This is a strategy you can
use in your speaking business. Instead
of creating an elevator pitch and using
it on everyone, create several different
trailers that describe what you do and
choose the one that’s appropriate for
the person with whom you’re having
the conversation.
Speakers should focus on keeping
their trailers short and specific. For
example, consider a speaker within the
financial services industry who speaks
frequently at colleges and law firms.
When answering the question, “What
do you do?” he or she might use the
following trailers:
• Colleges: “I help students save
money, invest wisely, and pay off
their student loans more quickly.”
• Law firms: “I help lawyers reduce
their tax burden, create an investment strategy and retire early.”
Creating separate trailers for each
market segment, however, is just the
beginning. To really distinguish yourself from the competition, tailor your
pitch to the specific needs of the person with whom you’re speaking. In
contrast to the elevator pitch, using the
trailer technique encourages you to
select listeners strategically, wait until
you have their undivided attention,
and customize your communication.
You should deliver a pitch like
you would a first kiss—in a carefully
chosen moment. Don’t be like most
people who just plant big wet ones
on whomever they meet. The first
kiss is a big deal, and so is your pitch.
Give yourself the best chance of success by delivering your pitch to the
right person at the right time and in
the right way.
Stephanie Palmer, a former studio
executive with MGM, is the author
of Good in a Room: How to Sell
Yourself and Your Ideas and Win
Over Any Audience. For more
information about Stephanie,
visit www.stephaniepalmer.com.
