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The Elevator Pitch is Dead

WOW Email | | Nick Fellers

“What’s your Elevator Pitch?”

The lore of the Elevator Pitch comes from the early days of Hollywood when one would hope to trap an executive in an elevator and pitch. The Elevator Pitch is an enduring shorthand that represents the simplest description of what you do.

We need brevity and simplicity… but simplicity alone is not your goal! Your goal is to get the other person to say, “I get it!”, or “I want to learn more!”

The Elevator Pitch is dead. What we aim for is Elevator Engagement.

We achieve our goal more effectively and efficiently if we focus on the two-way (engagement) and not the one-way (pitch). Instead of spewing for 20-60 seconds (even if succinct), think about one great question you can ask the other person to get them ENGAGED in a conversation.

At our Boot Camps, we do an exercise to illustrate that you can actually communicate WAY more in 60 seconds by simply asking one or two questions than you can by talking (however concise you may be). It works because:

  • In asking a question, you start with the other person’s construct (or gestalt!).
  • We become fully engaged when we are talking. So, the simple act of getting the other person to talk changes the level of engagement. (This is Dale Carnegie 101!)
  • If you start with a question, you immediately learn what is pertinent and non-pertinent. You can use a short amount of time on relevant information.
  • Finally, we can position our work in their words. LISTENING is one of the most powerful selling skills in the world.

A few years ago, we were helping an organization make a neuroscience pitch to a foundation. The executive director was asked to appear before the foundation board and ‘make a pitch’. We had to reprogram her default, one-way pitch, to instead starting with a question to the panel of eight. She simply asked, “Has anyone ever had experience with a stroke, or a family member that’s had a stroke?” The board chair raised his hand and then spent two minutes talking about the importance of neuroscience research. Others jumped in. They were engaged — fully.

The executive director was able to simply build on the conversation. Though she had eight slides prepared, she found she only needed to use three of them (in response to the conversation). The board said it was one of the best pitches they had ever received – that’s because she didn’t pitch; she engaged.

She was awarded the grant!

Nota bene: There are many circles (usually tied to funding communities, e.g., Silicon Valley and NYC / financial) where a ‘pitch-deck’ is standard affair. Don’t let the ‘pitch deck’ put you in pitch mode. As in the neuroscience story, you should focus on engagement. And, of course, we’re partial to the one-page pitch deck!