I stare in disbelief at my head in the mirror.
My hair!
I just came to the guy for a haircut.
Five months later he’s made big improvements in very small ways.
I look the same.
Just better.
(If I do say so myself…)
And it gets me thinking about your Elevator Pitch.
Here are 3 Elevator Pitch Tips from my new stylist.
1. The Referral
He cuts my wife’s hair.
And her friends.
And their friends.
For the past 20 years.
He took care of my wife and all her bridesmaids for our wedding.
For the past five years my wife has been working on me to try him.
Finally I had an opportunity.
My only regret is that I didn’t take her advice sooner.
How hard are your customers working to bring you new business?
2. The Initial Contact
The first time I went in, he cut my hair.
It was that simple.
What’s your customer’s first experience of your product or service?
3. The Upsell
At month 2 he suggested hair gel.
Keep in mind that I’ve never used hair products in my life.
Still, I was willing to give it a try (with some encouragement from my wife…)
Month 3 was just another haircut.
At month 4 he suggested the shampoo system.
And that’s why at month 5 I’m gawking at myself in the mirror as all the elements come together.
Over what time frame do your customers realize your full value?
Here’s the tie-in to your Elevator Pitch:
The first time he just gives me a haircut.
He doesn’t try to sell me on fuller volume or sharper style.
He just cuts my hair.
So I return next month.
And as we build trust, he works his magic.
Your Elevator Pitch is about that initial contact.
No risk, no frills, no secret sauce.
It starts the relationship.
They don’t really understand all the benefits you offer anyway.
So initially it’s about something embarrassingly simple.
Like a haircut.
If he had tried to describe all the benefits on that first day,
I never would have gone back.
Start simple.
Once they are in the door you can start to develop trust.
Then you can really work your magic.
How can you simplify your Elevator Pitch?
Happy Networking!
Good food for thought. I find it helpful to hear that you would find it creepy if he had said his service would help you feel better about yourself. That’s something I could easily say to prospects about what I do. Now, you’ve got me thinking about THAT…
Thanks!
Yes – meeting your client where they are at. Then develop a relationship built on trust. Got it! Thanks!
Do you have before and after photos of your haircut? ; D
Lora, thanks for the comment and the request for photo proof!
I intentionally didn’t share photos because objectively you won’t see much difference between before and after, and that’s an important part of my point. I went to him for a haircut. I’m pleasantly surprised by his secret sauce: he makes me feel better about how I look.
If his Elevator Pitch was that he would make me feel better about myself, I wouldn’t have believed him, I would have found him kind of creepy, and I would have been wary about using him for a haircut.
Instead, he offered a haircut. It was something I needed. It was low risk. He used that to springboard the relationship.
You want your Elevator Pitch to be about something you offer that’s (to you) embarrassingly simple and straightforward.
To your prospect, it’s obvious they need it and it’s low risk so they give it a try.
Then they stay because of your secret sauce.
Your goal with your Elevator Pitch is to get more people to come through your door so they can sample your secret sauce.
They aren’t there for the secret sauce. At first.
Once they taste it they’ll never go anywhere else.
Happy Networking!