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Flexibility is equally important.
When outlining your skills and
accomplishments, keep in mind that
they might be applicable to diff erent
kinds of positions and tasks. If you or
your company appear to be too rigid or
one-dimensional, people might think
that what you’re off ering can’t meet
their needs.
One way to inspire confi dence is with
real life stories. For a job interview, you
might tell about a key accomplishment
you have had in your career. If you’re
highlighting a product or service, a
short testimonial from a customer
might be appropriate.
Most importantly, when highlighting
your skills and accomplishments, be
mindful of your audience. Asking what
their goals are and then sharing how
you can help them achieve those goals
will hold their interest more than a dry
list of the points on your resume.
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Th e same pitch isn’t going to work
with everyone and in every situation.
Knowing your audience is just as
important as being aware of your own
goals. If you tailor your pitch to the
listener, they’re much less likely to
tune out. A potential employer, for
example, will be interested in your
personal strengths, whereas a possible
client might only care about how your
product can improve their life or their
business.
You might need a general pitch for
networking at informal events that
can simply give a few details about
you using layman’s terms. However,
if you are attending a conference
with professionals in your fi eld, you
might use a speech with industry lingo
to emphasize your knowledge and
expertise. Trying to sell a product to
buyers or investors calls for a punchy
speech focused on your business or
product.
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In their article “Th e Myth of the
Elevator Pitch,” Peter Denning
and Nicholas Dew of the Naval
Postgraduate School suggest making
your pitch more of a conversation
than a speech. Th ey cite an exercise
in which successful CEOs failed
spectacularly when trying to engage an
audience with an elevator pitch. Th eir
conclusion? Make it a conversation.
Rather than reciting a prepared speech,
be fl exible. Ask questions. Find out
what your audience is interested in
and then explore how your expertise
will help them. Use your elevator pitch
to construct a dialogue around rather
than as a speech.
Th e pitch should be the combination
of a vision and a commitment to
talk more. Th e purpose, according to
Denning and Dew, is to “engage the
other person in a conversation with
you about your idea.” On this view, the
pitch is not the end of an interaction,
but rather the beginning. Th ink of it
as that sentence that makes you want
to dive into a book or the trailer that
makes you want to go see the movie.
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Obviously, you need to know your
pitch inside and out. However, a
mechanical delivery isn’t going to be
eff ective. Entrepreneur and investor on
ABC’s Shark Tank Robert Herjavec,
tells Forbes magazine, “Facts and
fi gures are important, but it’s not the
only criteria, you must present in a
manner that generates expertise and
confi dence.”
Videorecording yourself delivering the
pitch is essential to making sure it’s the
right length as well as noticing any bad
habits such as rambling, speaking in
a monotone voice, or frowning. After
you’ve done that, deliver the pitch to
friends and family. Remember, though,
that the best pitch is interactive, so ask
them questions and tailor your pitch to
their responses.
You might start the conversation like
one of these examples:
My name is Joe Smith and my
company helps small businesses utilize
their workforces in innovative ways. Is
that something your business might be
interested in?
I’m Judy Jones and I have helped over
twenty arts organizations obtain grants
for their programming. Does your
organization need more grant money?
My name is Sylvia Johnson and I
have created hundreds of online
advertisements for fi rms just like yours.
Would you like to see my portfolio?
Notice how each pitch quickly states
the person’s name and then moves
on to how the speaker can help the
audience. Ending with a question is an
invitation to continue the conversation,
where you can deliver the rest of the
information about yourself, your
business, and your accomplishments,
always with a focus on what the listener
wants and needs to hear.
Listening, connecting, and tailoring
your pitch will take it from good to
perfect. Soon, it won’t seem like a pitch
at all, but just a natural conversation
starter.