The elevator pitch is fading away, signifying the end of another era.
Years ago odds were good that you worked in a building with an elevator. Especially, if you were in the corporate world. In this building was an ivory tower, home to all the executives. If you worked on the 7th floor and Mr. Big worked in the penthouse you may accidentally find yourself riding the same elevator. If forced to speak, you needed to have a canned pitch to justify your existence.
Times have changed. Communication options have changed. The workplace has changed. The CEO may be in the next cubicle from yours, or you are the CEO of your home-based business.
Daniel Pink, in To Sell Is Human makes the case that in spite of your title; you spend much of your time selling, or “moving” others. Today’s elevator pitch may be an interoffice email, a Facebook update or an informational webinar. It’s not as much a pitch as it is a story.
Mr. Pink has several suggestions that work, and none include an elevator:
- The One – Word Pitch. Think “priceless,” think MasterCard. Can you make one word synonymous with your brand?
- The Question Pitch. “What can brown do for you?” UPS posed a question that compelled you to respond.
- The Rhyming Pitch. – Johnnie Cochran gained fame 20 years ago defending O.J.” If the glove doesn’t fit…” Rhymes will make you memorable and timeless.
There are 3 more “pitches”, and The Pixar Pitch is one you should practice over and over.
If you read, and value understanding work dynamics in today’s rapidly changing world, Pink’s pitch is positively precious.
Inspired by WHY 
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