A lot has already been published in career pages and blogs about the infamous elevator pitch. You’re in one of the most important elevator rides of your life and you have ten seconds to pitch a classic pitch – what do you do? It’s a hit or miss and you will not get a second opportunity.
There are numerous books written about this. But what is a 300 page book going to teach you about something that has to be done in 10 seconds? You want someone to want you, love you and give to you all in the space of seconds, in the confines of an elevator.
There are no hard and fast rules for that kind of love. You have to conjure it out of thin air. The ideas we discuss in this article are just that – ideas. These are ideas that are meant to be persuasive and can work in business, friendship and love; you have to decide how to make them work for you.
Who are people talking to?
No matter what kind of person you are pitching to, you must realise that everyone wants to know that they are talking to someone who is honest, reliable and trustworthy. It pays to be your best self instead of switching up your personality to cater to the person you are talking to. No one likes a budget version of themselves, and they like suck-ups even less.
How do you convince people that you are a good, honest and reliable person? You can’t do it with your CV. The only weapon you have is yourself, and apart from what you are saying, how you are saying it is of utmost importance.
Imagine if you knew in your head that the person was going to say yes. You would be standing tall, smiling and extending your hands for a shake to seal the deal. Begin your pitch this way. Confidence, a winning smile and a firm handshake will be your best character witnesses. Slouching, shifting your weight between your feet and looking up and down constantly wins a pitch not.
Breathe long and well
There is a difference in the way one breathes when in a rush, and when relaxed. Stress is contagious and people who feel rushed transfer their stress to other people, making them less likeable.
Before beginning your pitch, simply think about your breathing consciously. If you are feeling nervous about your pitch, which is only normal, you are probably taking short and shallow breaths into your upper chest.
Try this instead: calm yourself down and breathe deeply into your stomach. When you exhale, visualise your stomach hitting the surface of your back gently. Experts will tell you a number of reasons why this totally relaxes the body and the mind, but you do not have time for that now. Practice your breathing and get in gear. When you have practiced the deep breaths, it has not only relaxed you but your demeanor has built trust in you.
You have not said a single word yet, but you have done two very important things and are well on your way to closing a deal.
Like, this deal will like totally like change your business
Cut it out. For a lot of people this may be particularly difficult because unless you actively participated in public speaking before, the way you speak has gone unchecked all your life. Because of the way we normally speak on a day to day basis, it seems natural to say “yep” or “like” or “uh-huh.”
There does not have to be studies done on this (although there actually has been) for one to understand that it makes you sound like an idiot. Don’t interject filler words such as “like” when you are stuck with what you want to say, and just shut up when someone else is talking instead of throwing in “uh-huh”s and “mm-hmm”s at the end of every thought.
Wait till the person you are pitching to is done talking before making your response. If you are already thinking of your response while you are listening, then you are not really listening. On a subconscious level, everyone knows when they are not being listened to. And on a subconscious level, they will be more inclined to say no to you.
It’s all about U
No, it is not all about you. We are getting warmer about our topic of discussion today – persuasion. And to persuade you need to understand the U’s. I looked this up just now and found many different sets of U’s, and since different sets of U’s are good for different situations, let us discuss all the U’s.
The U’s will teach you how to structure your thought into a sentence or two and express it in a clear manner. This expression becomes the mortar between you and your pitch-ee. This works equally well for pitches, dates, lying to your mother etc. Consider the following when next making your pitch.
Urgency: Why is your pitch urgent to your demographic?
Unique: How is your solution unique?
Useful: How is your proposal useful to the lives of the person you are pitching to?
Ultra-specific: No frills. No fluff. If you can add fluff in your ten second pitch and get away with it, more power to you. But you cannot, so don’t even try.
User-friendly: Incentivise others to say yes to you. Whether a giveaway, a money-back offer or some form of testimonial from a mutual acquaintance – make it easier for others to say yes.
Unimpeachable: Put your money where your mouth is. Prove it, don’t just say it. Bring some form of proof of profits or measurable statistic with you. At the very least, bring testimonials or a good wingman – whatever best serves the situation.
Let them have cake
Short and sweet goes hand in hand. The elevator pitch is by definition short, but what you did not know is that ideally it is also very, very sweet. Hate it or love it, people will always act primarily out of self-interest. When you are making a pitch, the person has to feel like it will satisfy something or the other that they want if they say yes to you.
If this person is someone who hardly knows you, they are more likely to say no as it is the safer option. Make your pitch too sweet to say no to. You can do this by doing your homework and studying up on your pitch-ee. What do they want most? Recognition? Remuneration? Romance?
If you are offering what they want then you are obviously more likely to get a yes.
Arm yourself for the no’s
You will get a lot of no’s. Really, a lot. Our gut reaction is always to say no, unless the deal is too good to be true, and usually when a deal is too good to be true, that opens a whole other can of worms. The person you are approaching has most probably been approached thousands of times before. The following are a few suggestions on how to tackle different kinds of no’s.
No time: Cut your losses and try another time; it’s an elevator pitch and everyone has elevator-length time. But you are less likely to get this no if you follow all the previous suggestions.
No interest: You prove, without being imposing, why exactly your pitch is in fact loaded with interest.
No trust: Offer unquestionable proof that your pitch is THE pitch. It’s easier said than done and it better be true.
No decision: Try to make their decision as easy for them as possible and exchange contact information if immediate decision is not possible.
Reading this article will not make you better at making elevator pitches. You will mess up every single point. It takes practice and hard work and strong and inherent belief in whatever it is that you are selling.
We have thrown around the word persuasion a lot, but at the end of the day an elevator pitch is more about connection than persuasion.
It’s about two people connecting and reaching common ground about a given topic, all within the space of an elevator ride. What is it about if it’s not about love?
