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Jeff Thull’s article, Beyond the Elevator Pitch: A High-Credibility Conversation gives some tips on crafting that dreaded “elevator pitch” (also known as the “30-second commercial”). Many of us know from personal experience how difficult it can be to actually create a good summary of ourselves and what we offer that is content-filled, relevant, and attention-getting. And of course there’s the other side of the coin as well – actually using it in the field. The challenge, as Jeff points out, is establishing both trust and credibility within an extremely short time.

The key is to turn the situation around and focus on the prospect’s world. Now maybe this seems elementary to some, but the fact is, most of us aren’t good at it – we need to get better.

“Consider that initial moment of contact. It must be carefully prepared, highly relevant, and thoroughly rehearsed. Here is an example of the format:

We work with companies that are facing escalating manufacturing costs and are looking at the possibilities of outsourcing. We help them analyze the risks and potential benefits of outsourcing and have the capabilities to provide the manufacturing services if their situation points to that as a best alternative.

This takes roughly 20 seconds to say, but it covers a lot of ground. Let’s break the statements down:

We work with companies that are facing escalating manufacturing costs and are looking at the possibilities of outsourcing – speaks to relevance and positioning. You describe who you are by the type of company you serve and a major symptom it might be experiencing. The customer now knows who you are and should be thinking “That’s sounds like me.”

We help them analyze the risks and potential benefits of outsourcing… – we now introduce more specific relevance via the concern they would typically be struggling with. Notice the balance of analyzing the “risks and potential benefits.”

…and have the capabilities to provide the manufacturing services if their situation points to that as a best alternative – more relevance. Here we state the value we can provide.

As you can see, this really isn’t a pitch in the conventional sense. There is actually a dialogue taking place within this short monologue. You’re speaking, but the customer is replying silently and agreeing in his mind that about experiencing the problems you are describing.”

In summary, establishing relevance is how we establish trust. And without trust, there can be no meaningful connection!

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