Make Marketing Suck Less

Is Your Elevator Pitch Turning People Off? (And What To Do Instead)

I do a ton of networking and there's one question that is a guaranteed to kill a conversation.

And it's not even a highly inappropriate!

I start chatting with a woman. We are having a perfectly lovely conversation about the latest episode of Mad Men and finally I pop the question.

“Tell me what you do you?”

One of two things happen:

1. Big sigh. She talks quietly about her business with as much energy as a 16-year old boy getting up for the first day of school.

OR

2.  She puts on the salesman mask and starts the big elevator pitch. The charming woman transformed into cheesy salesperson in a New York City second.

Then it gets awkward. We don't know where to take the conversation from there.

What just happened to my new friend? Where did our great conversation go?

The fact is “What do you do?” kills conversations.

No matter the response, there's a change in people from perfectly lovely humans into sales machines when you ask them what to do.

Why does that happen?

Here are 3 surefire signs that your elevator pitch is killing your connection with people.

1. You feel weird

And by weird I mean the energy shift. A drop in enthusiasm, you're less present, or you feel more salesy.

If you identified with either woman #1 or woman #2 or any combination between, then things are getting weird.

Take a few minutes, grab a pen and notebook, and jot down the answers to this question.

What about the way you describe your business feels unnatural to you?

Just write. Don't censor yourself (let me know in the comments what came up for you).

2. Your elevator pitch is made for selling

The idea that elevator pitch is meant for selling people is made of pure BS..

People don't buy because of your elevator pitch. People do business with you because of the connection they have with you.

The elevator pitch is an invitation to get to know you and your business.

Take the pressure off yourself. Don't worry about selling – keep it conversational.

Take the sales pitch our of your elevator pitch and revamp it into an elevator conversation instead.

3. Your elevator pitch leaves people confused

I can't tell you the number of times I meet someone, love them, and leave the conversation thinking…

“Man, she's fantastic. I have no clue what she does.”

Now, this one may not be self-evident to you. It's time to take your elevator pitch on a rock ‘n roll tour.

Find 5 people you trust that don't network on a regular basis AND are not intimately familiar with what you do.

Run your elevator pitch by them and ask these 3 questions:

1. Were you able to get a visual image of the type of client I work with?
2. Is it clear what I do for people?
3. Do you know what results I get for my clients?

If you get a NO – to any of these 3 questions – it's time to revamp your elevator pitch.

The good news is if it's time to change up your elevator pitch – you don't have to go it alone.

Join me for the Love Your Pitch Revolution. This round of Love Your Pitch has closed, but you can join the waiting list to be notified of when the course starts next.