Elevator Pitch a How To
Why Million Dollar Influencer’s use the lift – an Elevator pitch.
As much as I like to advocate people living a healthy lifestyle and one of the best ways to do this is to walk, I still like to take the lift.
“Why”, You ask?
Well the secret ingredient that differentiates Million Dollar Influencers from plain old influencers is cutting to the chase.
To do that, you need to create an “elevator pitch.”
A short summary of your product offering, including your target market (the people most likely to become your followers) and your value proposition (what you have to offer those followers).
An “elevator pitch” comes from the idea that you should be able to deliver a short, compelling description of what you offer in the time it takes to ride an elevator up a few floors— approximately thirty seconds to two minutes.
As important as the elevator pitch is, it’s become even more crucial to get it right on-line, where you have even less time (less than 8 seconds)to grab the attention of a potential follower or customer than you would have in an actual elevator.
When you don’t have an exciting and concise elevator pitch, you will fail to connect with your potential followers and you will lose impact. Why handicap your influence building goals before you even get started?
A Million Dollar Influencer will spend hours honing and practicing their elevator pitches. The stakes are huge. If they are successful and connect with a potential follower, they win the opportunity to take the next step, whether that is a potential product sale, a booking for their seminar, or time to present their message.
Furthermore developing a great elevator pitch will help you understand your followers and or customers’ perspective. If you are going to connect with your potential customers, you must see your offering from their perspective. Moreover, you must understand their problems, their concerns, their hopes, and their dreams. Only then can you put together an offering they will find compelling.
Here’s a harsh reality: Nobody is sitting there waiting for your company or cause to exist. New products and services are created all the time, and people aren’t exactly out hunting for ways to spend their money or time on stuff they haven’t heard of. And until you find a focus for your message, no follower or customer will focus on you.
Two helpful steps in crafting a great elevator pitch are:
Step one: No jargon. Ever. Often we make assumptions that others are familiar with certain business terms, but someone [who is confused] may nod their head yes because they don’t want to look uninformed. A startup that uses a different language is effectively saying, “We’re for people who speak this language.” That may turn out to be a small group.
Step two: Think about what comes first,your product, or your customer’s needs? If you describe a problem your product solves to a prospective client, your client can say, ‘That’s me!’
An elevator pitch for an information product should consist of four components:
1. Your product name and category
2. The problem you are attempting to solve
3. Your proposed solution
4. The key benefit of your solution
Here’s an example of how I would pitch the book that this blog is feeding: I am writing a new [Component 1] business book called The Million Dollar Influencer. [Component 2] It is designed for anyone who is trying to get attention for his or her product, service, or cause. [Component 3] I teach my readers how to build a loyal following, using social media and other marketing strategies. [Component 4] I explain that it has never been easier, less expensive, or more possible than right now.
Obviously, pitches can vary widely, depending on your offering.
Regardless, you want to create an elevator pitch that is clear and compelling. This is a prerequisite to attracting the partners and prospects you need to succeed.
