The Parking Ticket

 

Did I get a ticket?

The queasy feeling in my stomach once again gives way to relief.

No orange envelope on my windshield.

Which shouldn’t be a surprise, because my car is parked legally.

Why, you ask, would I be expecting a parking ticket on my legally parked car?

Because of an Elevator Pitch.

More specifically, an unintentional Elevator Pitch from my local neighborhood busy-body.

Last Tuesday I park in one of my favorite spots in downtown Boston.

Near a fire hydrant.

I check my front bumper.

Plenty of clearance.

As I cross the street a kindly woman shuffling along behind a walker cheerfully calls after me.

“Tsk. You’ll get a ticket.”

Caught off guard, I engage in the conversation. “I park there all the time. I’ve got plenty of clearance.”

“They just changed the rules,” she advises. “Everyone saw the memo. Though you won’t have a problem today. It’s raining and they don’t ticket in the rain. The meter maids aren’t allowed to carry umbrellas because they can be used as weapons.”

Just for the record, her claims are all outrageous fabrications.

No rules have changed.

No memo went out.

And rain grants no immunity from parking tickets.

Still, I find myself checking my car daily.

Did I get a ticket?

If she’d been selling parking ticket insurance I probably would have signed up.

Just for the peace of mind.

Instead, she’s inside my head.

In 3 years I’ve never gotten a ticket from that spot.

Never wondered about it.

Until today.

And it gets me thinking about your Elevator Pitch.

An effective Elevator Pitch gets your prospects thinking about you at the right time for them.

How do you do that?

Here are 3 Elevator Pitch Tips from the neighborhood busy-body who got inside my head.

1. Tell Stories

The story about the meter maids and umbrellas is memorable.

I think about it every time it rains.

How memorable are your stories?

Are you even telling stories?

The good news is that you don’t have to make up stories.

You already have access to plenty of interesting and engaging stories.

Just start talking about your customers.

Actual, real, specific customers who are delighted with your product or service.

How memorable are your stories?

2. Educate

Rules change all the time.

Insurance.

Law.

Real estate.

My employee benefits broker points me to health insurance resources for 11+ person companies.

My business lawyer encourages a call before I take any action for or against my employees.

My mortgage broker shows me discounts and programs that I never knew existed.

Stuff I didn’t know.

Stuff I need to know.

Good reasons to call them.

How do you educate your prospects?

3. Say When

As I write this article, I’m parked again in my favorite spot.

Near the fire hydrant.

I can see my car from my window.

But not the windshield.

And I’m still wondering about that ticket…

My neighborhood busy-body has me thinking about fire hydrants.

What are your prospects thinking about?

What do you want your prospects to be thinking about?

Happy Networking!