Escalators: The New Elevator?

The elevator speech is an old-school staple of selling. The brief why-you-should-buy-from-me speech is likely a part of every salesperson’s arsenal of business development tools, but a new quick pitch is on the scene. Inspired by the popular social-networking site Twitter, the “Twitpitch” is the latest way to sell yourself in a hurry. The Twitpitch is the brainchild of social media pioneer Stowe Boyd, who feels that in these times of information overload, pitches need to be even faster – more like the length of an escalator trip than an elevator ride.

But how can you condense your agency’s value into 20 words? BusinessWeek writer John Tozzi writes, “…the message should start with the people behind the product.” Gather employees together to brainstorm what is at the foundation of your business and which words best communicate that to clients, who may be strapped for time, overloaded with information, or just tired of hearing speeches. Need some inspiration? Tozzi recounts the story of Google founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page, who approached investors and pitched their Google idea in merely eight words (check out Tozzi’s article to see what they were)!

• Which Type of Presenter Are You?
• The Silent Treatment
• Mind Your Qs
• Finding Middle Ground
• Call with Ease