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I had the opportunity to hear best-selling author Dan Pink talking to my sister Marrissa, who recently released his new book, “To Sell is Human.”
In the book, Pink says that the days of the traditional elevator pitch are a thing of the past for two reasons:
Pink offers six suggestions to replace the elevator pitch. At a recent lunch with my networking community , attendees were on the hook to present our new pitches. It was really hard! Here are the six new pitches (and I am “borrowing” Cadre’s descriptions to share with you below): 1. The one-word pitch Attention spans are so short these days, especially for people who can’t imagine a world without the internet, that only “brutally simple” ideas get through. For example, when you think of “search” you think Google. When you hear “priceless” you think of MasterCard. That took a lot of effort. One word, delivered forcefully, can go farther than many. But the idea, and the credibility behind it, have to be so powerful that more words aren’t needed. Here is my one-word pitch for Successful Culture: “Culture.” 2. The question pitch Questions pack a big punch. When you make a statement, people can respond passively. A question requires a response, which requires people have to process and think about the message. A question prompts people to come up with their own reason for agreeing or disagreeing with you. When someone comes up with their own reasoning, they tend to believe more strongly in an idea and help sell it for you. Here is my question pitch for Successful Culture: “Do you want your employees to love coming to work every day?” (The group feedback was really helpful; I am still tweaking this one) 3. The rhyming pitch The most famous example is Johnny Cochran’s “If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit.” There’s a reason you remember that. Rhymes increase “processing fluency,” the ease with which our brains can take in a phrase or statement and make sense of it. Here is my rhyming pitch: “Don’t be a CEO vulture. Instead build a great culture!” 4. The subject line pitch Email is such a fundamental part of our life that it’s become routine; we rarely think about how to do it well. One of the most important parts of getting someone to open an email is the subject line, and the best ones use one of three concepts. Utility – people are more likely to read emails that directly affect their work; make it clear that yours does. Curiosity – when something doesn’t directly affect their work, a moderate amount of uncertainty drives people to open an email. Specificity – be as specific about time, place, and content as you possibly can. That doesn’t contradict the curiosity principle, Pink gives a great example: “A mushy subject line like improve your golf swing achieves less than one offering “4 tips to improve your golf swing this afternoon.” Here is one of my subject line pitches: “5 things you can do now to build a culture of engagement and continuous learning.” 5. The Twitter pitch This pitch has two advantages. The platform, and the 140 character limit. Approaching people this way forces you to summarize what you do and what you’re about very simply and concisely. It also encourages people to take the next step – to click a link, to share the Tweet, to respond – and imposes a very low cost of doing so. Here is my Twitter pitch: “Engage a CEO mentor w/20 years of business-building success to overcome growth barriers and reach your personal & organizational potential.” 6. The Pixar pitch According to Emma Coats, a former story artist at Pixar, every film has the same deep structure in six sentences, which has helped contribute to the studio’s massive success. Here is my Pixar pitch: Once upon a time there was a business owner that felt very discouraged about his business. Every day, he would scratch his head wondering why employees were unhappy, why sales were down, why he was losing money, and why he just couldn’t get to the next level of growth. One day he finally decided that he really needed some help from a business owner that could really understand what it was like to build a business – not just a coach, but a mentor that had successfully pushed through difficulty and emerged in a stronger and happier place. Because of that,Marissa Levin called Mbiti to see if she could help him diagnose what was wrong, and get his company back on track. Because of that , he was able to get honest feedback from employees, re-define and communicate his mission, vision, & values, build a strong strategic plan, create processes that worked for his current business, and position for healthy growth. Until finally his company returned to profitability, his employees were fully engaged & happy again, and everyone loved coming to work because the culture was once again positive and fun. Try applying it to your favorite Pixar movie – it works. More than that, it lets you tell a business or other dilemma as a story, which is extremely powerful, and gives you a structure with which to do it. These are 6 new ways to not only communicate your story, but also to think about your story differently. It’s very easy to get stuck in an endless cycle of the same pitch over and over and over and over. You have so much to bring to the market! Want more on this topic? Read more. Make a mark with your message! Take Action! Are you ready to make a mark with your message? Get together with a small group of peers you trust for a “switch-pitch” session. Prior to getting together, everyone must create their six new pitches. You’ll surely walk away with a renewed energy and appreciation for your message, and also for your peers. |
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