Pitch Perfect

Describe yourself, your services, and your features in benefits in 50 words or less.

Not so easy, is it?

Refining your pitch into a 15 second affair is no easy task, especially when you have a ridiculous amount to offer, but it’s imperative that we know how to do so. As sales representatives and entrepreneurs, we’re always angling for those 10 to 15 minute spaces to ensure that we get the hook in right. 

However, in the information age, even warm prospects – even when they’re the ones who approached you – are going to have a hard time with that brief period. Our attention is waning faster than ever, so it’s absolutely critical that we can represent ourselves and what we’re offering at next-level efficiency.

Think of the door-to-door salespeople out there who show up on your porch. Even if it’s something you’re interested in, how long do you want to stand there at the door listening? Odds are you want them to sum it up, give you a card, and move on. The longer they talk, the less interest we have. 

Let’s say I’m heading into a dealership that I’m looking to provide my services to. Often, I’m going to be speaking to a manager, and will be afforded those 10 – 15 minutes to really feature-and-benefit myself and what I can offer. 

However, from time to time, I’ll be dropped in front of the owner – and he’s busy. It’s coming up on month end, he’s got two new people in training, and he needs more. He doesn’t have the time or the patience to sit down and hear a full pitch, which means I have fifteen seconds to identify myself, identify his pain points, and identify the most efficient way that I can offer a solution.

Think about it this way: when you’ve got a cut that’s bleeding all over your hand, do you want to watch someone rifle through a huge first-aid kit, throwing syringes and stethoscopes around for ten minutes? No. You want them to pull out a bandage, slap it on, and then file down the edge you cut yourself on so it doesn’t happen again. This is precisely the approach you need.

So to the owner, I say: “My name is Alan Dickie. I can provide you with local, OMVIC certified, guaranteed employees who will generate their own leads and opportunities at no cost to you and have them selling in under ten days.”

Done.

When you have an arsenal of these, you can pull the one that addresses the pain points in an instant. 

Remember folks: keep it efficient.