My 9-year-old niece grabs my keys, sprints up the front walk, and then stands there baffled.
“Uncle Andy, how do you know which key to use?”
To her it’s a meaningless jumble of keys.
To me it’s, well, my life.
The house we just bought.
The condo we’re selling.
My car.
My wife’s car.
My PO Box.
My filing cabinet.
My office.
So I pick out the house key, hand it to my niece, and say: “When they’re your keys, you just know.”
She seems satisfied with the response and happily unlocks the door.
And it gets me thinking about your Elevator Pitch.
Because to your prospects you are a jumble of keys.
And the typical approach to an Elevator Pitch is to describe each key.
Instead of handing the prospect the right key for the job.
Here are 3 keys to an effective Elevator Pitch:
1. Focus
My niece isn’t interested in the story of how I bought my 4th Mazda.
Or how I started a window cleaning company.
Or even how I got married.
She just wants to unlock the front door.
Your prospects are similarly focused.
Are you describing everything you can do?
Or showing them how to solve their most urgent challenge?
What’s the most urgent challenge your prospects face?
2. Diversity
I carry a lot of keys.
But I don’t try every key in every door.
I choose the right key for the job.
A set of keys simply means that I can open the door I want to open.
When I want to open it.
The door doesn’t care how many keys I have.
It’s just looking for the right one.
So are your prospects.
While it’s important to be able to help with a variety of challenges.
It’s equally important to talk about just one.
Because when you solve today’s challenge.
They’ll come back for more.
How do you leave your prospects wanting more?
3. Expertise
My niece is baffled because she doesn’t know which key to use.
It’s obvious to me.
But I put the keys on my ring.
One by one.
I use them every day.
So it’s second nature.
It’s the same way with your expertise.
It’s obvious to you.
And baffling to your prospects.
Expertise isn’t knowing everything.
It’s knowing the right thing.
At the right time.
How do you demonstrate your expertise?
Happy Networking!