The Elevator Pitch: What’s Your Story? Square One October 3, 2016

About Me My elevator pitch:

Pitch perfect Investors have an abundance of deals to choose from, if your case isn’t clear, they’ll likely pass on you. You need a pitch that gets their attention. Why?

Pitch perfect A private equity group in town sees +3,000 potential deals a year and funds four to six One angel group in town sees 600+ potential deals a year and funds 12 It’s a crowded market. You don’t have a lot of time. And you need to stand out.

Information overload People now generally lose concentration after eight seconds, highlighting the affects of an increasingly digitalized lifestyle on the brain.

Information overload In 1970, we saw 500 ads per day. In 2005: 5,000. YouTube sees a dramatic dropoff in viewership if a video takes more than 2 seconds to load. How we get people’s attention? 3 Cs of storytelling: clear, concise and compelling.

Three “C’s” of Storytelling

Clear. Be clear. Use language that everyone understands. If you use too much jargon or fancy words, you'll lose your opportunity to hook them.

Concise. Your pitch should take no longer than 30-60 seconds.

Compelling. What makes you or your product different? What makes you the superhero? Tell us. Don’t think about what you think people might want to hear. If you were talking to your best friend – what would you say is the best part?

What’s your story? A good story is essentially this: someone with a problem either finds a solution or faces tragedy. Either type of story can be used to illustrate what you do.

Who are you? Your mission? Your personal goals and core values? -          What is your personal mission -          Personal goals -          Core values/personality -          Emotional appeal- what words would others use to describe you

What do you do? What does your company do? Write it down now.

What makes you different? Your product? Write it down now. You might call this the differentiator. What makes you or your product standout? What makes it different or unique?

Who are you talking to? Know your audience. This may affect how you tell your story.

Know your audience Funders Clients/Customers Supporters Resource Providers Employees Some suggestions – have an idea of who you’re talking to and what they’re looking for. It can affect your content, tone and other aspects of your pitch.

Potential places to find your audience Networking event Client opportunity Holiday party

What do you want next? Write it down now.

Outcome ideas Make a sale Enlist support for an idea Meeting for potential funding

Here’s the time where you write your catchiest sentence or two. Hook ‘em! Here’s the time where you write your catchiest sentence or two. Behavior change = engaging people in the St. Louis Regional System of Care.

Practice makes perfect A good story is essentially this: someone with a problem either finds a solution or faces tragedy. Either type of story can be used to illustrate what you do.

Practice makes perfect Solicit feedback Test the market

Tips A good story is essentially this: someone with a problem either finds a solution or faces tragedy. Either type of story can be used to illustrate what you do.

Tips Be your authentic self. Use powerful language. Skip the jargon. Energy and enthusiasm shine. Find the way to give your elevator speech that’s comfortable and natural for YOU. Use powerful language. Use active verbs and words that are powerful and strong.

Go! A good story is essentially this: someone with a problem either finds a solution or faces tragedy. Either type of story can be used to illustrate what you do.

Questions? Contact me: dv@danielavelazquez.com Behavior change = engaging people in the St. Louis Regional System of Care.