I break my new shovel clearing the last patch of ice from in front of my mailbox, then break into a grin as I step back to admire my handiwork.
It all starts with a letter from my mailman…
See, after the last storm, he leaves a personalized note in our mailbox.
Well, to be fair, the letter itself is a form letter from the government describing the requirements (including dimensions, diagrams, and pictures) of the proper way to dig out one’s mailbox to provide access to one’s beleaguered mailman in the aftermath of a big storm.
Our mailman personalizes the bottom.
A handwritten scrawl
Apologizing that occasionally,
When he’s on vacation,
We get mail intended for the previous resident of our house.
He signs it “Bill, your regular mailman.”
I skim the letter and promptly forgot about it.
Until I’m out in my driveway,
Knee deep in snow,
Shoveling away,
With a strong desire to make my mailman’s life easier.
And it gets me thinking about your Elevator Pitch.
Because you want people thinking fondly of you exactly when they’re buried up to their knees in just the kind of problem you can help them solve.
I cheerfully spent an extra 45 minutes clearing access to my mailbox
Because my mailman did two very clever things.
1. He gave me the specs.
In no uncertain terms he describes what a properly shoveled out mailbox looks like.
He won’t get out of his truck.
He won’t put his truck in reverse.
He just wants to drive up, drop off the mail, and drive off.
It’s easy to know when I achieve that goal.
And you want to be equally clear with your prospects.
Of who a good referral is.
And when.
Here are some examples:
Business owners who want a retirement plan
Mothers who want to empower their teenagers
People who want to update their own website
Women who are facing divorce
The more clearly you describe your ideal prospect
The easier it is for others to send them your way.
2. He made it personal
We were getting kind of annoyed
That six months after moving in
We were still getting mail intended for the previous owner.
Our mailman’s hand-scrawled explanation let’s us know that he’s aware and working on it.
It makes me want to help him out as well.
And you want to be just as helpful to the people in your business network.
Here are a few things you can do:
Send them articles about their industry or company
Let them know about upcoming events
Thank them for introducing you to a key prospect
Send them a referral.
People do business with people.
The more you can personalize the experience,
The more likely people will go out of their way to help you.
An effective Elevator Pitch humanizes the business networking experience.
It educates people on how they can help you
While showcasing what you’re doing to help them.
How do you humanize your Elevator Pitch?