Tiebreaker

My TV unexpectedly goes commercial free for 25 minutes on Saturday as the Frenchman at the French Open almost squanders his fourth-round second set lead.

Tsonga, up a set and a break at 5-4, loses two straight games and faces 3 break points.

He claws his way back to deuce.

Wins that game to force a tiebreaker.

Then wins the tiebreaker.

As tennis goes, it was pretty exciting.

And after the first break for commercials in almost half an hour.

Coverage returns to Stosur / Stephens.

An entirely different match.

It’s not that Tsonga and Wawrinka aren’t still playing.

They most certainly are.

It’s just that they are no longer the most exciting event.

It’ll be at least 15 minutes before anyone’s in a position to win another set.

So coverage shifts to a different match.

And it gets me thinking about your Elevator Pitch.

Because like the French Open coverage, you want to keep your prospects on the edge of their seat.

Hanging on every word.

Excited to hear what you have to say.

So they’ll come back and talk to you on the other side of the break.

Here are 3 ways to make your Elevator Pitch as exciting as the French Open:

1. Every Point Matters

Three hours of tennis boil down to a dozen or so key points.

Points that determine the outcome of the match.

It’s not that the other points aren’t important.

They are.

They just don’t carry the same level of excitement.

They aren’t newsworthy.

The same is true with your work.

You do a lot of important things for clients.

That aren’t that exciting.

You won’t hear about them in the news.

And you don’t want them in your Elevator Pitch.

Focus on the exciting part of your work.

The successes.

The triumphs.

The outrageously positive results.

What’s the most exciting part of your work?

2. Grab the Angle

Tsonga is France’s last hope.

Or so the announcers would have you believe.

In fact, they have a compelling reason you should watch every match.

Last female American.

Potential upset of the number one seed.

Promising new upstart.

It’s their job to find the angle that makes every match interesting.

And it’s your job to find the angle that makes your Elevator Pitch interesting.

Maybe you help people test drive new homes.

Maybe you help restaurateurs ensure they have liquor liability coverage for every location that serves alcohol.

Maybe you help prevent identity theft on Facebook.

Maybe you design bathroom sinks made entirely of glass.

What’s the most interesting angle for your product or service?

3. Be Opportunistic

The TV crew did not know in advance that Tsonga / Wawrinka would become so exciting.

They just noticed that it did.

What will catch your prospect’s attention?

You don’t know in advance.

Try something and gauge the response.

Stick with what works.

Stick with what starts conversations.

 What do prospects respond to in your Elevator Pitch?

Happy Networking!