7 Ways to Articulate a Winning Elevator Pitch

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7 WAYS TO ARTICULATE A WINNING ELEVATOR PITCH

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Chance Encounter Pitch Meeting Networking Event Media Interview

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Grok the Game Think Expansively Soar Like an Eagle Talk to Your Mom Speak in Benefits Tell Your Backstory 1 2 3 4 5 6

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Tailor Your Pitch Exercise Bonus 7 8 9

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“No good movie is too long, and no bad movie is short enough.” —Roger Ebert

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The purpose of an elevator pitch is not to sway someone on the spot.

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The purpose of an elevator pitch is to spark a conversation.

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Question What do you do? Answer I’m a professional explainer.

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Question What does that mean? Answer I’m a ghostwriter; I help executives channel their vision into words. How do I differ from other ghostwriters? Most writers focus only on the words. Yet what something says can quickly be undermined by how it looks. So I also focus on aesthetics — everything from how long your paragraphs are to the use of subheadings and a killer headline.

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“Starbucks isn’t really in the coffee business. McDonald’s coffee is better and cheaper, but that hasn’t done any harm to Starbucks’s bottom line. That’s because what people are paying for when they hang out at a Starbucks isn’t the coffee. Instead, it’s the ‘third place’ — that space, neither home nor office, where you can sit down, meet people, work, rest a minute, recharge.” —Felix Salmon

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Product Pitch Coffee Trusts and mutual funds Computers A third place between work and home Financial freedom Tools to unleash human creativity Company

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Product Pitch Taxis A social network Electric cars To help people to reclaim our cities To make the world more open and connected To accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy Company

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Worm’s Eye People type what they want to say into a box. They can then send the tweet pressing this button, and then it’s distributed to their followers, who can then reshare it with the people who follow them. Bird’s Eye A 17-year-old with a smart- phone can now do what it used to take an entire CNN crew to do. Twitter is bring- ing transparency to opaque places.

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Worm’s Eye Green Mountain Liberty seeks to bring order and systematic approaches to licensure in Vermont. Our work focuses on the core mission of removing artificial barriers to labor-market entry and improving admin- istrative processes, both in terms of developing over- arching principles and dealing with singular licensing issues. Bird’s Eye Here’s a stubborn fact: Nearly 1 in 4 jobs requires government approval. Green Mountain Liberty seeks to streamline these laws. We envision a Vermont that’s attractive to entrepreneurs, fair to employees, and safe for consumers.

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Esoterica I’m a structural engineer. English I’m a structural engineer. Basically, I make bridges safer. Industry

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basically

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Simplification in pursuit of an elevator pitch is never a vice.

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Esoterica The goal of Lighten Louisiana’s Licensing Laws is to identify and remove unnecessary regulatory barriers to licensure for select populations in high-demand industries — while maintaining critically important public health and safety protections for consumers. English Did you know that there are only 32 people who can legally braid hair in Louisiana? That’s because to get licensed here, you need to spend 500 hours getting trained. We think that’s nuts. Industry

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Esoterica I’m the liaison between our corporate Program Manage- ment Office and our local Quality Management Office. English Our quality-control people run field tests. I make sure their results are seen, and under- stood, by our managers at HQ. Internal

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“People are not interested in you. They are not interested in me. They are interested in themselves.” —Dale Carnegie

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http://bitly.com/bestelevatorbook

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What I Do I work on Facebook’s anti- spam team. What I Can Do for You I work at Facebook, where I make sure the content that appears in your News Feed is as relevant as it can be.

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What I Do I’m an expert in search engine optimization. What I Can Do for You I make it easy for potential clients to find you online.

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What I Do I’m a detail-oriented editor. What I Can Do for You I transform the words on your website so they convert passersby into customers.

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If you’re a small business that manufactures a product, you might want to sell your product overseas. But few people have the expertise to do this alone. Our association represents 50,000 of these entrepreneurs. We help them get their products — everything from shoes to handmade toys to gourmet foods — into countries they wouldn’t be able to reach on their own. What We’re a trade association in Washington, D.C., which represents more than 50,000 small-business owners in the United States who want to sell their products in foreign markets. Why

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Think back to the last time you bought a toy for a child. Statis- tics say the toy was overpriced and broke within weeks. Well, Smith Toys makes toys that last. In fact, we’ve figured out a way to make toys that are both affordable and environ- mentally friendly. What Smith Toys is one of the leading companies in the United States making children’s toys in an affordable and sustainable manner. Why

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Today, more Americans than ever must get a government permission slip before they can earn a living. That’s because of “occupational licensing” laws, which force people like manicurists and makeup artists to endure hundreds of hours of certification, as if they were pilots or physicians. Our mission at Unshackle Nevadans is simple: We want to reform these competition- killing, price-inflating regulations. What Unshackle Nevadans seeks to identify and implement licensing best practices that deliver high-quality services, achieve the state’s goals of a skilled workforce, and remove protectionist barriers. Why

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Arkansas ranks 50th in the nation in education. That means our children are among the least prepared in America and the most likely to live in poverty. Here at the Association for the Advancement of Arkansas Education, we think dead last is unacceptable. And so we help our students get the schools and teachers they so desperately need. What The Association for the Advancement of Arkansas Education is a 501(c)3 non- profit organization with 25 employees working in 4 statewide offices to improve elementary and secondary education in Arkansas. Why

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Someone you meet at a confab. Associate Your dream dinner guest. Elon Musk Someone you’re trying to persuade. Prospect

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I’m a ghostwriter who specializes in short- form content, like slide decks, LinkedIn profiles, and Wikipedia articles. Associate I write op-eds for CEOs who want to raise their visibility. Elon Musk I’m a professional explainer. Prospect

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RECAP 1. Grok the ____. 2. Think ___________. 3. Soar like an _____. 4. Talk to your ___. 5. Speak in ________. 6. Tell your _________. 7. _____ your pitch.

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Write 3 elevator pitches for yourself. Write 3 elevator pitches for your organization. Each pitch doesn’t have to be unique; they will overlap. EXERCISE

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“There’s no rule on LinkedIn that says you have to meekly list your job title in your headline and that’s it. Grab attention: Let your prospects know how they’ll benefit when they work with you.” —Alaura Weaver

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Job Title Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs Headline National Security Advisor

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Job Title Managing Partner, The Whitney Group Headline I help nonprofits raise money online.

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Sentence ü I help PR agencies boost revenue, profits, and market share dramatically. ü I build and grow the world’s top public-affairs firms. Fragment ü Trusted Communication Counselor to the C Suite ü Proven leader of Washington, D.C.’s top communication, government, and public affairs firms

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General ü I’m a change agent who rolls up her sleeves to get things done. ü I build and empower teams that specialize in delighting customers. Specific ü I know how to get your customers to love food as much as I do. ü I help restaurants and retailers cultivate the loyalty of customers.

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What Most People Do Hi, I’m Nate Castle. I’m the senior manager of advertising sales. What You Should Do Hi, I’m Nate Castle. I manage our ad team. If you have any budget-related issues, I’m your guy.

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