Dane has a short post on the importance of elevator pitches and how it’s more important to explain what you do instead of what your job title is (e.g. I’m a consultant).
When Andrea and I go to social events she is frequently asked what I do for a living, and her usual response is, “I don’t know; ask Harold”.
Unfortunately, after more than three years of working for myself, I don’t have a short & sweet elevator pitch. I realise that a lot of the work that I do will not fit into an easy to understand statement, such as, “I buy used bicycles, fix them up and sell them on eBay”. So I’m wondering how important it is to have an elevator pitch that is easy to understand and can be delivered in about 20 seconds. Are these people going to be my clients? Would they be able to refer me to someone else after hearing my pitch?
Almost all of my paid work comes from referrals. Sombody knows somebody else and there is some kind of need and they suggest contacting me. I will then follow up with an e-mail or two and probably a phone call to understand the situation. If we think that I can be of help then I will write a short proposal, outlining the work and the estimated cost. That’s about it.
Am I missing out on new clients because I can’t explain what I do in a short elevator pitch? I’d appreciate any suggestions because I’m learning as I go. Is my consulting section on this website clear enough? I don’t really know because no one has commented on it, even though it is one of the most visited pages on this site.
Or maybe I was thinking about the wrong elevator?
