Build Your Elevator Pitch

Very rarely will your first meeting with someone take place in an elevator. If you are the type of person who is so extroverted and gifted at verbal communication that your meetings resemble Hollywood scenes, you can comfortably stop reading. However, for the rest of us, our first meetings can be awkward. We also will not be defined by a single meeting, but rather a series of interactions (of a variety of quality) with many different people.

I have a mild stutter. I am not an extrovert, to put it mildly. Below are some principles to help you (and me) prepare for those first encounters with people who can help us and who we can help - everyone.

1. Truly assess what you want. Become comfortable with it.

This is the first step to any great endeavor. Reflect on your true needs and concrete goals. Accept them. Also, although we are not entitled to things, we are worthy of the hard work and the results. Make peace with good things happening to and for you.

2. Accept that rejection is 95% of the game.

My recommendation: make 100 cold calls. The only thing that worked for me was to sit at a desk and make 80-100 dials a day for 18 months. My job required that I get a result, and my awkward self needed more volume to get there. It is unavoidable - you must learn to not take the rejection of strangers (and, sometimes, friends and family) as a firm judgment on your personal and/or professional value. The phrase you will learn is: OK, who's next up. It seems callous at first, but the reps will make you strong.

3. Aim to serve others

Have a clear way to add value to every person you talk with. Don't think of the conversation as a way to get stuff. Think of it as a way to show that you understand, care and can deliver value that meets real needs. Speaking of this...

4. Outline your pitch, moving the most important ways YOU UNDERSTAND AND ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF OTHER PERSON to the top of the pitch

Newspaper editors cut from the bottom. You cut from the end. Not your close, obviously. However, that story about how you got a 4.0 in college or scored 4 touchdowns in one game in high school can definitely wait for another day if time is short. Prioritize their story and your understanding.

5. Rehearse with others, encouraging them to ask all kinds of questions

Talk to grandma and grandpa. Talk with your waiter and waitress. Set up model pitches with your friends and group members. Let them challenge you. The VARIETY of the reps matters to, and all the practice you can get will help a ton.

6. Be prepared for a yes. Have next steps at the ready

Don't give the pitch of your life and then get caught without a business card. Or a follow up strategy. Or a website. Or a logical next step for your new friend. Practice the customer journey in your head and on paper until it gets automatic.

7. Remember, build rapport and, once again, serve

When you connect well with another person, ask great questions, and then relate what you do to meeting their concrete needs well, that's a tremendous meeting. If you have a chance for a call to action that is easy - especially if it's another meeting to discuss your strengths - you are winning. Remember, it's about them - who they are, what they love, what they need.

If you need practice, or other career assistance, contact me anytime here on LinkedIn, or check out my website at www.kanemillsmedia.com. I look forward to meeting you and helping you discover and achieve your goals.

All the best,

Michael Kane