Elevator Pitches Are The Networking Equivalent Of Email Spam
By Tino Buntic
Let's say the you are at a business networking function and a salesperson walks up to you and says the following:
"Are you tired of the nitty-gritty chores involved with running your business? Need assistance with one of your projects? My company takes care of the work you would be so much better off delegating to the top business students in the country. Don't delay searching for answers when my company can be getting things done at no cost to you!”
If this line was emailed to you, you would delete it because it is spam. But, someone is now speaking it to you at a business networking meeting. How do you delete his mouth? You can’t. So it goes in one ear and out the other. You walk away and try to avoid that person all night.
Believe it or not, this line is a "top-rated" elevator pitch at elevator pitch website, yourelevatorpitch.com. It sounds like a canned sales pitch. For some reason, there are still sales consultants pushing business professionals and salespeople to develop elevator pitches because "you just never know when an opportunity will arise to pitch your business."
Aside from being so cheesey what benefit could elevator pitches really have? Nobody responds to spam email so why would anybody respond to spammy sounding canned sales pitches? It's no different than canned cold calling scripts or canned sales closing techniques. They just doesn’t work.
Great food doesn’t come from a can just as great salespeople are not opened with a can opener. Do us all a favor… Can the elevator pitch.