This is a guest post from my coach and friend, Janette Dalgliesh, from Sweet Relief Coaching. Janette and I and some other friends have had a few conversations lately about “the elevator pitch” and how much we hated it. So I asked Janette to write this, to help us find another way of talking about our businesses.
Beware! There is a Beige Beastie at large in the business world, who will seduce you into dark conversational dead ends, and suck your inspiration dry. Scary, right?
I’m talking about the elevator pitch.
And I’m on a quest to stamp it out.
The elevator pitch SOUNDS like a brilliant idea. A pithy way to sum up your brilliance into a punchy, carefully crafted sound bite, what could be better?
You’ve probably heard the most famous elevator pitch of all time: “Arnold Schwarzenegger. Danny de Vito. Twins.” Six words which got a movie deal. (That story may be apocryphal, but even I liked it!)
It’s not surprising we can get tempted into thinking, “I need one of those, stat!” And when business coaches, experts and gurus tell us we MUST have one, it’s easy to nod our heads in agreement.
But there’s a problem.
If you’re a solopreneur or small business owner, it’s most likely your business revolves around YOU. There is a person at the heart of your business, a person who does things in her or his own way. You bring your own unique YOUness to both the work itself and the relationships with your clients.
When I’m looking for someone to provide a service for my business or my home, of course I want someone who can do the work, that’s a given. But an elevator pitch can’t tell me that.
I’m looking for someone with similar values or the same sense of humour. I’m looking for someone with a language that resonates, someone who can look at what I’m trying to achieve, and not only get it, but dive in and collaborate WITH me on it.
I’m looking for someone reliable and down to earth, who – like me – is capable of believing in six impossible things before breakfast. Which might be utterly different from what you’re looking for. And that’s the point.
We want good working relationships with clients who are perfect-for-us. And an elevator pitch certainly can’t tell me that. And the big problem comes – that sucky, conversational dead end comes – when you begin any relationship with a beige, scripted, one-size-fits-all elevator pitch. You disappear behind those carefully crafted words. They become a barrier, and I don’t get to see the real you.
So what do we do instead?
Have a conversation. Keep it fresh. Different words for different people.
Yes, it requires a little more effort and a lot more focus on being present in the moment.
If I’m meeting you at a networking event, I want the real YOU.
It’s great to have a tagline for your business, a shorthand way of saying “this is me” that you can use on your cards or your website.
But in a conversation, you get to go deeper.
You can’t be summed up in 15 words, so why would you try to contain your business in such a cramped space?
Maybe it’s time to let both your business and YOU out of the box, so you can both shine all the brighter.
I’ve ditched the pitch. Wanna join me?
Her unique talent for translating complex science into plain English has opened the door to a radically upgraded life for many people.
Based in south-eastern Australia, Janette has an international following. She’s on faculty for Good Vibe University and has received LOA Leaders Awards for both of her best-selling “Everyday Superpower” Kindle ebooks. You’ll find Janette at www.identityshift.ninja
Hooray – Let’s eliminate the elevator pitch! Great expression. Job well done. Thanks for sharing, Dorothy & Janette.
My pleasure, Lynda. It’s time we started having real conversations and building real relationships, rather than just pitching to potential clients.
Oh thank goodness, I have always hated the elevator pitch and felt guilty about it. I’m definitely joining you and ditching the pitch! 🙂
I know, right? I’m glad it’s not just me.
Loved this post! It’s always nice to hear something fresh and a move away from the ‘cliche’
Great insight x
I think the pitch might work for some people, but the the people I tend to hang around and work with absolutely hate it.
I think the elevator speech is a MUST! It helps get word your work into something that is short, simple and easy to understand. It’s a clarification of what you do into something that has impact – well that’s what it’s meant to be and if it hasn’t impact than yes, that’s why you’re in trouble with a elevator speech.
The purpose of the elevator pitch is to INVITE further conversation. Its purpose is to spark interest and the questions that come with interest.
Then you get to go deeper 🙂 Then the full glory, and extraordinary magnificent essence of who you are and what you do comes out first.
Yet for that to happen, you’ve got to get that spark of interest first and the elevator pitch does that.
I see it as the perfect way to bring YOU and you business “out of the box”.
Yes I agree – if you’re stopping at your 20 second elevator pitch and thinking that’s it, I’m done, then you’re doing yourself a disservice.
I’ve seen too many business owners give their elevator speech and express absolutely no interest in listening to others. It becomes an impersonal verbal business card that invites no questions or conversation. I think we all need to be clear about who we are and what we do, but we don’t need to say it in the same way to every person in every situation. This post is about making the “pitch” into a conversation starter rather a stand alone spruik.