By Stephen Anderson ‘The Profit Doctor’
Everyone in business has heard the term ‘Your Elevator Pitch’ which means your initial description of what you do. There are many consultants that teach you their view on elevator pitches but what I have found is the best one is to elicit either a question in the mind of the listener or an emotional response. And you want to word it where it shows you are apart from any of your competition.
Potential clients are always asking themselves ‘What’s in it for me’ whenever they are talking to other people, especially in a networking environment. So you need to phrase your elevator pitch where it answers that question immediately.
Case in point I’m working with a client that said she is a security consultant. Well that does elicit a question in the mind of the listener, what is a Security Consultant? But that does not elicit a strong emotional response in the mind of the listener. So I told her to use “I eliminate your fear in being hacked.” See the difference? It definitely elicits an emotional response for anybody that is using a computer that is hooked up to the internet or on a cell phone. You want to get them to ask you ‘How do you do that?’ And then she says ‘We put in safeguards in all of your electronic devices or cell phone.’ If anybody is using a computer hooked up to the internet or using a cell phone, they will certainly think about how secure they really are. In this day of electronics being hacked all the time, then you can say ‘Don’t you want to feel safe that your information or private data is not being compromised?’
Another example is an accountant that says ‘They do bookkeeping and handle taxes for businesses and individuals. ’Does that elicit an emotional response or get the listener to want to ask how? Of course not, so they should say something like this, ‘We eliminate your fear of having to deal with the IRS.’ Wow, that is very emotional for everybody, isn’t it?
Another method is what I use in my business, getting the listener to want to ask ‘How do you do that?’ I say “Hi I’m Steve Anderson, your Profit Doctor. “
When you hear that, what comes to mind to ask? How do you do that? Then I tell them ‘I generate additional cash flow from their existing business.’ Every business wants more cash flow and this starts the conversation of how I can help them.
Another example is with attorneys will differ based on their specialty. Many lawyers say when asked what they do, they might say ‘I’m a tax lawyer’ or ‘I am a family lawyer’. Does this really elicit a question of ‘How do you do that?’ or set you apart from your competition? As an example if you are a family lawyer dealing with divorce, you might say ‘I ease the pain of dealing with your soon to be ex-spouse.’ Another example might be for a criminal lawyer, that typically says ‘I’m a criminal lawyer’. Rather than say that maybe say ‘I eliminate the stress of dealing with a (issue being charged with).
Another example is for an investment firm that invests in businesses. ‘We invest in high potential businesses to create economic freedom for those who need it most.
Another example is a company that deals with office equipment. ‘Typically they might say ‘We handle all of your office equipment needs.’ But you again need to elicit an emotional response such as ‘We eliminate the frustration you feel in dealing with your office equipment.’
This article is a short one to get you to think about how you communicate to people when they as you ‘What do you do?’ I hope this helped you to think about your message when you are talking to prospective clients.
Stephen Anderson
‘The Profit Doctor’
407-530-7783
tsa@acpmgt.com
