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Your Elevator Pitch Needs an Elevator Pitchby Tim David

DECEMBER 30, 2014

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Ah, the elevator pitch. A favorite tool of the networking masses. A rite of passage of sorts. Youve heard the scenario: you step into an elevator and go up

one floor. The elevator doors open and in walks the client of your dreams. They start some small talk and ask, What do you do? and youve got the rest

of the elevator ride to respond. How do you answer that in 20 seconds in such a way that gets them interested? The answer is simple. You need an

elevator pitch for your elevator pitch.

Today, youre getting both my word-for-word elevator pitch, my elevator pitchs elevator pitch, and the secrets behind what makes it all so effective. It

all starts when someone asks me

What do you do?

You mean, in addition to being an international bodybuilding champion? (Im 510 and a buck thirty-five, soaking wet. When I step on ants, they live.

Its painfully obvious that Im not an international bodybuilding champion.)

Usually, they laugh. Usually, I laugh too. Then I continue

Well, you know how email and texting and social media have pretty much taken over how we communicate?

Yes.

Were more connected than ever, but yetmore disconnected than ever. So I teach managers the secrets of true connection in a way that gets

immediate results.

How do you do that? (or What do you mean? or What kind of results?)

Well, heres an example. A company hired me because their management staff wasnt connecting with their employees. It wasnt their fault, theyve

just never been taught the right way to do it, right? So I went to their management retreat, taught everyone my 4-part formula, and now morale is up

and productivity is up 38%. Thats why Im constantly on the lookout for managers who dont know the formula. Theyre easy enough to spot. They

dont feel like managers, they feel like babysitters. They say things like, This job would be so easy if it werent for the people. And they dont have

enough time to deal with all that people stuff and get their own job done so they can make the kind of money they deserve and have the kind of time

and lifestyle that they dont even realize theyve been missing out on. So when you ask me what I do, I give managers their lives back. Life is too short

for two out of every three Americans to hate their jobs. I get the feeling you know people like that though, right?

Now obviously, this elevator pitch is a lot longer than 20 seconds. But heres why I dont buy the 20 second rule.

When people ask What do you do? theyre just making polite conversation. With rare exceptions, they dont really care. If you cant make them care,

then 20 seconds of their attention is generous. But if you do pique their interest, theyll hold the elevator door and listen to you all day long. So dont try

to cram everything into 20 seconds. Instead, the best use of that first grace period is to make a bid for an attention extension. Now that youve seen how

I do it, heres how it works:

Start with a verbal slap. First things first. Youve got to break their expectations. Most people answer the What do you do question with a single,

predictable sentence: I am an architect. But the human brain only pays attention to interesting things. If you want to be interesting, you need to stand

out. Giving them a verbal slap in the face helps break the patterned thought process that made them ask the question in the first place. Patterns, by their

very nature, dont contain anything that stands out. Pattern thinking is why there is almost a zero chance they will remember you.

To wake them up you probably wont be able to use my self-deprecating, bodybuilding joke. Thats the point. Youve got to say something DIFFERENT

something authentic. Something so totally you that they are forced to realize that you are a unique human and not just another normal interaction

that their robot brain can coast them through. Id write this for you if I could, but I cant. Nobody can.

Then ask a problem question. Once youve verbally shaken them awake, your next goal is to pose a problem that you suspect they will identify with.

This must be spoken as a question. Questions have always been, and always will be, far more engaging than statements. The problem question from my

elevator pitch is, Do you know how email, texting, and social media have kind of taken over how we communicate?

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elevator pitch is, Do you know how email, texting, and social media have kind of taken over how we communicate?

Some respond with a simple yes and some launch into a diatribe about how awful modern technology is. Thats okay, I let them talk. Either way, Im

aligning myself with them against a common enemy. This is one of the most powerful rapport-building strategies there is, besides maybe shared

laughter. However, if there is any doubt that Ive just made a new BFF, I throw in one last rapport builder

Go to the noddable. A noddable is an inspirational or wise quote that is so catchy and agreeable, it gets just about everyone nodding. People will agree

with these so strongly that they may even let an audible, Mmm! or an Amen! escape their lips. If you want to know if your statement is a noddable,

post it as a text image or meme on Facebook and see if it produces a response on the like and share buttons, or if the comments below it end with

#truth.

My noddable is: Were more connected than ever, but yetmore disconnected than ever. (I knowdeep.) For additional rapport points, try this

advanced technique: pause after the word yet. This allows your listeners own brain to fill in the punchline even before you say it. When they do that,

they have ownership of the quote and a small part of them is convinced that they thought of it themselves. Then when you say aloud what theyre

thinking, it creates a moment of great minds think alike bonding.

So at this point, Ive already broken their expectations and built some strong rapport very quickly and I still havent even answered their question.

Thats coming next. Kind of.

Finish with the curiosity statement. This is where you pretend to answer the what do you do? question. However, your answer will only want to

make them ask another question. Heres the simple formula for a good curiosity statement:

I help/teach ________ (ideal client) to ________ (feature) so they can _________ (benefit).

Mine was, I teach managers the secrets of true connection in a way that gets immediate results. This is so much more powerful than Im a speaker

and author. Also, the intriguing vagueness of secrets and results almost forces them to ask some kind of follow-up question. The hard work is

done. Now that rapport and curiosity have been built up, you can deliver your true elevator pitch and make it almost as long as you want.

What about that actual elevator pitch? Even though the heart of this article is really about the elevator pitch before the elevator pitch, below is included

a brief overview of the thinking behind my actual pitch too. Its not perfect, but it has served me very well.

The first thing youll notice is that mine is long. Its at least twice as long as the 20 second so-called limit. It starts with a true, results-based story of an

individual or company I was able to help in a measurable way. Its peppered with persuasive language and what I call hidden salesmanship. Then it

mentions exactly who Im on the lookout for. Theyre usually easy enough to spot because then I insert three pain points that my target market

will identify with. All the while Im building my level of enthusiasm and using rhythm, tone, and body language to do the exact opposite of a verbal

slap Im putting them back into patterned behavior. Only this time, its a pattern of agreement and not a pattern of resistance.

By the time its their turn to talk again, Ive taught them exactly the type of referrals Im looking for. In addition, if theyre in need of my services, theyll

be feeling just the right amount of pain that will likely motivate them to begin describing their situation. When they do, Ill get a meeting by saying,

Hmm, that sounds important enough for us to maybe sit down and talk about. Surprise, surprise. They agree.

But the last thing you want to do is to make them feel like theyre being pitched to. If you get the sense that its turning into a commercial instead of a

conversation, then youre doing it wrong. Stop pitching and ask another question. You should only be doing between 15-20% of the talking.

A final caveat: the number one rule with any communication is to be authentic. Feel free to model my pitch, but unless you make it fit your personality,

it will come across as phony and manipulative. And nothing ruins a pitch faster.

Tim David spent eight years as a magician, and in 2010 was named North Americas Top Mentalist. Hes now a corporate communications consultant and speaker. His book is MagicWords: The Science and Secrets Behind Seven Words That Motivate, Engage, and Influence.

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RAHULPATHARE Pathare 21 days ago

Crisp & with just the right shock value to "elevate" the elevator pitch !! gr8 share Tim, thanks :-)

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