Yesterday, we talked about choosing your words wisely and why you should rid your elevator pitch of “fluff” words. Today, I’d like to share a strategy for improving the effectiveness of your elevator pitch by piquing your prospect’s curiosity. If you can come up with a compelling statistic that is easy to understand and that makes your prospect eager for more information, you’ll be on the right track to a great pitch.
A year or so ago, I heard about a solar hot water system that could provide up to 1,000 gallons of hot water to a small dairy farm. It paid for itself in about 18 months (assuming California propane costs at the time) and was projected to last for 20 years.
So, if someone asks you what you do for a living, your pitch could be something like: “I specialize in giving small dairy farmers free hot water for 18-and-a-half years.” Is anybody going to walk away from that? No, because you piqued their interest with a compelling statistic. (Note that the words “free” and “half” are very effective at capturing attention.)
At this point, they’re probably going to say, “What do you mean? How do you do that?” You can respond, “We have this solar hot water system that pays for itself in 18 months and lasts for 20 years; hence the typical farmer can get 1,000 gallons of hot water for free for 18-and-a-half years.” Bam. Two quick sentences. One to capture attention and a second one to explain the value proposition in more detail. If the person you’re talking to was at all interested in solar hot water, he or she would likely remain engaged in the conversation to learn more.
