Thursday, January 3, 2019

Ditch the Elevator Pitch and Embrace the Intro-mercial!



Words are powerful! 

When you think of a pitch, you think of someone throwing something at you or selling something to you. 

That’s why I coined the phrase Intro-mercial, a cross between an introduction and a commercial.  An Intro-mercial is short, concise description of yourself, your business, product, or service which will ENGAGE a listener and encourage them to take further action.


  Five Ingredients for a Tempting Intro-mercial*

 1.     Engage – Get their attention and their interest. DON’T START WITH YOUR NAME
a.       Ask questions,If you could design the perfect widget, what would it be like?”Do you ever have trouble finding the perfect widget?”
b.       State a statistic, “8 out of 10 people who buy widgets replace them within one year.”
c.        Tell a story “I bought my first widget in college and ever since then I’ve imagined improving their quality.”
d.      Use a relevant quote: “To widget or not to widget, that is the question.”
2.  Inform – Tell them what problem you solve; what need you fill. AND/OR what your mission, goal. or objective is.
3.    Assure – Tell them your experience/some results you have produced (examples, numbers).
4.    Seduce  Tell them what’s in it for themHow can you improve people’s bottom line,  save them time, money, or both? AND/ OR How can you make their lives better, easier, more enjoyable, or more successful?
          5.  Invite (optional) - Tell them exactly what you’re looking for and/or need. 

Click Here to watch Haiku Deck on Ditching Your Elevator Pitch!

Top Tips for Powerful Communication

1    60 to 80% of communication is nonverbal. Your visual and vocal message needs to be consistent with the words you are saying. If they are not, we tend to believe the visual and vocal over the verbal.

2      It takes two seconds to make a first impression, so you have to grab someone's attention fast!  

3     The tone and inflection of your voice is responsible for 38% of your message. Habits like – Up speaking, Drop speaking, and Whatevering weakens your message and make you sound less than confident.

4     PAUSE.  Give space in between your powerful points so people have time to absorb.  You can pause for up to four seconds,

5.      Gesturing is essential! Forget that old rule about not moving around.  Gesturing keeps people involved and improves audience retention. Move your hands in upward vs. downward directions.

Remember to think about what’s in it for them. People take action based on logic and emotion. Emotional appeals tend to have the most impact. When trying to engage your listener, connect your appeal to an emotional need your listener may have and think about what you have to offer them. Logic influences thinking, emotion influences decisions” 

Choose words that have power, impact, and imagery and compel the listener to ask you for more. 12 Most Persuasive words according to a YALE study: You, Money, Save, New, Results, Help, Easy, Safety, Love, Proven, Guarantee, Discovery.
  
 Learn to Speak YOU! – There is no one-size-fits all way. Discover and polish your unique communication style, something I call ActorType*, and cultivate an intro-mercial that is authentic to that style. “Always be a first-rate version of yourself, instead of a second-rate version of somebody else.” - Judy Garland

 To take my ActorType assessment quiz, go to my website: www.SpeakEtc.com