Get smarter at landing high-income clients by sharpening your elevator pitch. 🔗

Imagine you get into an elevator with your dream client.

The client asks you: What do you do for a living?

You have 30 seconds to close the client.

What would you say?

Here’s what I’d say:

Prospect: Oh yes! That’s the absolute worst!

Prospect: It sounds like we should totally have a chat sometime. My ads are driving me crazy! Let’s exchange business cards and we can find a time that works for both of us.

Let’s break it down and let’s help you craft an elevator pitch that matches your style.

I don’t pitch.

I have conversations.

We’re all humans.

Everyone just wants to have a good time.

• Replace professionalism with kindness.
• Replace presentations with conversations.
• Replace the pitch deck with an elevator pitch.

People always try to teach us how to sell things, but nobody ever taught us how to sell ourselves.

I’m the guy Bay Area startup founders call in to help organize their ideas to help them bring aspiring billion-dollar ideas to life. In other words, I sign NDAs for a living.

Clients come in expecting a pitch deck.

They leave with a conversation deck.

I’m fortunate enough to be in a position where I can hand-pick the projects I’d — really — want to work on. I’ve helped multiple unicorns bring their ideas to life through the power of words.

Even though my clients refer to me as the elevator pitch whisperer, I don’t see myself as a guru. I’m just a guy who has tried a bunch of things and kept what worked so you don’t have to go through all the trouble.

The best elevator pitches don’t feel like pitches at all.

They’re simply memorable conversations.

Maybe you feel like your elevator pitch could be sharpened a bit. Maybe you feel like you sound a bit cringeworthy when you’re talking to strangers. Maybe you’re just up for trying something new.

Before jumping into your pitch, keep these two pointers in mind:

• Always tailor your words to the situation and person.
• Never give an unsolicited elevator pitch.

An elevator pitch needs to be prompted first.

My dream client walks into the elevator.

Here’s how I’d start the conversation.

Prompt the elevator pitch first 🔗

I like to be super friendly and just say:

I listen carefully to their names and respond with a warm:

With a curious playful overtone in my voice, I then ask:

Usually, they’re more than happy to talk about themselves whereafter they usually leave me with the golden prompt question:

This is where the elevator pitch conversation comes in.

Step 1: You know that feeling you get when … 🔗

Prepare the listener for the problem.

Every idea’s purpose is to solve a problem.

Before saying a single word about yourself, set the stage with an emotional analogy.

But don’t tell them the problem. Engrave them an unforgettable picture of the emotion behind the problem by tapping into their problems.

• Make it — dead — simple.
• Make it — ruthlessly — visual.

Humans are wired to process emotions we can relate to.

Not facts.

A problem is worthless if its pain points cannot be perceived.

By starting with a relatable emotion, we’re making sure the person feels empathetic towards the pain points of our customer.

Once the listener has been prepared we show her why people come to you.

Step 2: So, people come to me feeling just like that when … 🔗

Show the problem.

You might think here’s your opportunity to boast about what you do, but I like to stay problem-focused.

I love to craft a relatable mental image of my clients next.

We’re guiding the listener to step into the shoes of our customers.

The listener doesn’t just understand the pain points of our customers. They’re feeling our customer’s pain — even though they might not even have encountered the same problem.

The shift has gone from understanding to feeling.

Now you get to be the hero of this story.

Step 3: I bring _____ by _____ so that _____ instead of _____. 🔗

Give the emotional benefit and the solution you bring.

You are here to save the day.

Show benefits over features — they say.

Show the emotion of the benefit — I say.

Again, our brains are wired to process emotions, not benefits.

Fill the blank spaces with words that fit your identity.

It needs to feel just like a natural conversation.

I like to talk on an emotional level instead of a factual view level, even in this part of the conversation. Clients want to sleep better at night.

Simplify what you do to an emotional level.

To get to a point where you have your perfect elevator pitch conversation, I recommend following the following steps: 🔗

1. Fill in the blanks.
2. Read the pitch out loud.
3. Cut what feels uncomfortable.
4. Practice in front of a large mirror.
5. Practice with co-workers & friends.

Talk like you’re talking to your grandma.

Go off-script when your gut tells you to.

Let your kindness do the work.

Just always be yourself.

You’re enough.