Help! My Elevator Pitch is Stuck!!!

I remember when I first started in business, a friend suggested that I get my "elevator pitch" in shape and under 10 seconds. I remember struggling to come up with a pitch that didn't sound too "used car salesman" or too braggadocios. 

I finally nailed it. I was good at it, too. It helped me tremendously upon meeting new people. An elevator pitch is a beautiful thing. It's concise and to the point. It's a tool, though. And no carpenter in his right mind shows up on a job with just a hammer. You need the whole tool belt. I want to give you a handful of resources that I believe will help you reach your full potential for making great connections.

You may not know it, but you have personal collateral that you put out everytime someone meets you. What does your collateral say about you?

Look at these scenarios...

• You bump into your dream client at a coffee shop and deliver the smoothest elevator pitch of all time. She asks for your card and you either have the most underwhelming card on the planet or worse, you don't have one. 
• That guy you've been calling on for months just sat next to you at the car wash and you deliver an eloquent pitch and give him the most awesome business card but today is your "day off" and you look like you just fell out of bed.
• You applied for a job and the HR recruiter is doing a little research on LinkedIn and she finds your profile. She's surprised that someone with such a great résumé is using a selfie stick for their first point of contact rather than a proper headshot.

We've all had a great meal at a restaurant and then were overcharged or we've experienced a fantastic service somewhere only to find out they didn't actually perform the service correctly. In other words, we only win when all the pistons are firing.

We just looked at three scenarios. There are far more than three. Did you feel a little uneasy reading those? Did you reflect back on a time maybe you actually had a very similar situation? I'm guilty of all three. The aim of this article is to whip you into shape so that you don't get caught with your pants down. 

1. "Your business card sucks." If you haven't ever seen the video by Joel Bauer, do yourself a favor and watch this blowhard ramble on about his terrible business card. I laughed so hard at the video I cried. I'm married to a graphic designer so this sort of thing makes our skin crawl. Anyway, maybe your business card does suck. Maybe you are in bad need of a reboot. I've had so many folks through the years brag about how their business cards were free as I pulled the excess perforated paper off it's edges. Nothing is free. It may not cost you money today but it's going to cost you a lot of money in the future. See what I did there. #punny 

Hire a designer to bang out a great card for you. Lots of times this can uncover bigger problems (your logo might suck... really bad) and can rack up a hefty bill. Just get quotes and look at their work examples. I'd recommend MOO cards to help you put your best foot forward. They're just one option but we've found they stand behind their product and we get compliments on our cards all the time. If you want to hire my wife, hit her up at fuzzybison.com. Tell her 'ol Matty sencha'!

2. I've written before about getting your crap together, combing your hair, shining your shoes, being presentable, etc. Even if it's your day off, look the part of who your dream clients want to hire. I'm not a workaholic, thankfully, but I do realize that my first impressions don't really get a "day off."

3. On LinkedIn, I don't think you even have those 10 seconds for an elevator pitch. What does your headshot immediately tell others about you? Does it tell what you do without being cheesy? Are you a professional who they can trust? Does it echo your desire to be excellent in everything you do? If it doesn't, hire someone. Not just anyone with a camera. You don't hire a plumber because he owns a wrench. You look for referrals and reviews. You talk to the person and see if you have a good gut feeling about them. Look at the photographer's work on their website. Find out other peoples' experiences. Ask the photographer for referrals. Call the photographer and see if you two mesh instantly.
FULL DISCLAIMER... I'm a photographer and I shoot a ton of headshots. I'm good at this. Trust me, there are lots of photographers out there who can't deliver on this service. Find someone whose images you love and someone who will work with you. For instance, if they can't come to your office and shoot headshots just as readily as in their studio, they probably aren't worth messing with. That service will cost more in most instances but your time is valuable. Don't underestimate this. Also, find someone who can deliver your images quickly. I typically deliver headshots in under 24 hours. Lastly, if you are a social media maven, work with someone who can spend the time, if you can afford it, to deliver lots of different looks so that you have fresh content to use across multiple platforms so things never get stagnant.

In closing, I'd like to talk about your number one piece of collateral, your attitude. If you treat everyone you meet with respect and kindness, that will carry you a long way. I said "everyone you meet," not just those who can do something for you. Not to belabor my point but I feel it is necessary to point out who I'm talking about. Be nice to your rude neighbors. Be kind to the barista who got your order wrong and is taking forever to make it right. Be patient with the guy who cut you off in traffic. Be thankful to the guy who picks up your garbage every week. Be polite to the guy asking you for money outside the shopping center. Put on a spirit of kindness every morning and it will catch on. Someday you may need someone to give you a shot of kindness when you forget your business cards or aren't dressed for the occasion or are down on your luck. 

Go get 'em!

All the images from this article are from a headshot job I did for my friend, the talented and hilarious Keri Lumm, a host, editor, writer, & producer for Buzz60, featured on MSN, AOL, and USA Today.