The Elevator Pitch is Dead

Imagine being buttonholed in an elevator and then "pitched" by a stranger who wants to jam a rushed summary of themselves into your ear?

That's like starting a blind date on the wrong foot with a rather presumptuous French kiss.

Nobody wants to hear an elevator pitch. And you shouldn't be giving them out. You need something shorter, more vivid, and intriguing. Not a pitch. A Memory Dart.

What is that? A Memory Dart is a little package of words that grabs attention and lights up the brain. It leads the listener to say, "Tell me more."

"I'm Diane. I help busy HR executives reduce the time they spend processing incoming resumes by two-thirds."

In this little dart, Diane has done the following:

1. Clearly identified her target audience (I actually like to narrow that down to your bullseye customer).
2. Identified the obvious pain and expense that she is fixing.
3. Implied a remarkable fix for a mission-critical challenge.
4. Motivated me, with curiosity, to ask how ("tell me more!")

Now, the idea of a compact message to introduce yourself to others is awesome - my first book, Clarity Wins , describes how to use the Memory Dart method. It's just that the outdated format (and terminology) for "elevator pitch" needs to be retired.

You are introducing yourself and your business all the time, maybe with too many words and too little focus (a confusion cloud ). First impressions are lasting impressions. A Memory Dart is what you need to start off on the right foot.

See also: Speaking in Darts

Need expertise to create effective Memory Darts for your brand or organization? Let's talk .

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