$5,000 went missing, so I went to look for it.
I scoured my books.
I triple checked the computer’s arithmetic.
I asked my CPA wife to lend her expertise.
We surfaced several theories, but none matched the $5K.
So in frustration I reached back out to my accountant.
“I can’t find the 5K.”
“Well, actually, it’s $12,000 that’s missing.”
And it gets me thinking about your Elevator Pitch.
Because an Elevator Pitch is a concise set of words that gets people to take action.
I had taken action, alright.
I was chasing my tail in circles.
I couldn’t find 5K.
But 12K?
I knew exactly where that was.
In fact, I had found that first – it was the first issue I noticed.
But I was looking for 5K, so I abandoned that theory and wasted several more hours on a wild goose chase.
In business networking, people listen to and take action based on your words.
If you help people “build their brand,” you won’t get many referrals.
Because nobody wakes up in the morning and says to their partner “Today’s the day! I’m going to build my brand.”
The best Elevator Pitch contains words that you’re prospects will use in daily conversation.
So maybe you design websites for retail clothing shops.
I know right away whether I’m looking at a retail clothing shop.
And they might well be frustrated by their website.
Make it easy for the members of your business network.
Don’t send them off on a wild good chase.
Be clear and concise.
Use the words that your prospects use.
P.S. for you accounting geeks, here’s what happened to that $12,000:
January 1, 2020 was a Wednesday.
So first payroll of 2020 was on Friday January 3rd.
But the taxes and direct deposit money get pulled on Wednesday for a Friday payroll.
And Wednesday was a holiday.
So they pulled the money on Tuesday.
Not usually an issue, but Tuesday was the last day of 2019.
So money from the first payroll for 2020 got booked in 2019.
Hence the discrepancy between my 2020 payroll numbers and the cash payments.
What’s your favorite wild goose chase?