🚩Something you should be asking yourself

If your elevator pitch was an online ad, would anybody click to learn more? If your elevator pitch was a cold-email, would anybody reply back?

Here's an example of a traditional elevator pitch format lots of people use at networking events when introducing themselves:

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🎙️ Hi, I’m Daniel, a senior partner at ABC Accounting and a CPA for 20+ years. We help business owners maximize their take-home profits through bookkeeping, tax prep, and tax advisory.

Connect with me if you need help.

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If you saw this written out as an online ad, would you click to learn more?

I bet 99% of you won't. Sure, it's informative, but it's not compelling, because it sounds like everybody else.

And, that's the core problem. 70/80% of elevator pitches are missing the WHY YOU statement.

Think about it. At a networking event, business social, or conference, chances are you're NOT going to be the only CPA firm, or the only marketing agency, or the only executive coach, etc.

Without a compelling WHY YOU (or differentiator) statement, people think: "Should I talk to you or should I talk to the 5/10/20 other businesses that kind of do the same thing?" And, that's going to create friction in your networking.

Catherine Brown taught me a great exercise to help with this: Come up with 3 statements about you or your service:

🤔 I am the first [TITLE] to...

🤔 I am the best [TITLE] to...

🤔 I am the only [TITLE] to...

If you really need help, you can refer back to my post on how to come up with product/service messaging based on the feature, product, solution framework »

In our example with Daniel, the CPA, it could be:

✅ I am the FIRST CPA in Dallas to be a contributor on Forbes.com for articles on taxes.

✅ I am the BEST CPA when it comes to working with foreign owners, because my firm speaks a total of 4 languages: English, French, German, and Spanish.

✅ I am the ONLY CPA that includes a 100% IRS audit protection guarantee, where we'll pay all your defense fees if you get audited.

Yes, there are lots of other CPAs/marketing agencies/executive coaches/etc., but how many of them deliver services the way YOU deliver them?

Now combine your WHY YOU statement with what you had originally:

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🎙️ Hi, I’m Daniel, a senior partner at ABC Accounting and a CPA for 20+ years. We help business owners maximize their take-home profits through bookkeeping, tax prep, and tax advisory.

✅ We're the best CPA firm when it comes to working with foreign owners, because my firm speaks a total of 4 languages: English, French, German, and Spanish.

Connect with me if you need help.

===========

See what a difference that makes?

But wait, there's more!

Now that you've got the WHY YOU statement down, let's make it even better!

Let's add the one thing that you almost NEVER hear in an elevator pitch: Why NOW?

Think back to all the elevator pitches you've heard. They tell you: who they are, what they do, and sometimes, why they’re better than the competition.

But, almost NOBODY tells you why you need to connect with them NOW, as opposed to 3/6/9 months now. So, most people listening to you will think, "Good info. But, I probably don't need to worry about this right now. I can wait."

And, we all know what happens as a result.

So, just like the WHY YOU statement, here’s an exercise to help you build urgency into your call-to-action:

🤔 Connect with me NOW, because of [NEW/EVENT]… If your area of expertise is all over the news right now. Take advantage…

🤔 Connect with me NOW, because [TIMELINE]… This is important because most people have no idea how long it actually takes to get things up-and-running, especially in B2B professional services. So, educate, inform, and create urgency.

🤔 Connect with me NOW, because [LIGHT BULB]... This is your chance to ask your insightful question, make people pause and reflect, and turn on that light bulb ("poke the bear" as Josh Braun would say).

In our example with Daniel, the CPA, it could be:

✅ Connect with me NOW, because [NEWS/EVENT] the IRS director said they will step up audits in 2024, especially for companies or individuals that fit a specific profile.

✅ Connect with me NOW, because [TIMELINE] certain tax credits, like a 401k, must be set up by mid-year. Waiting until December will be too late.

✅ Connect with me NOW, because [LIGHT BULB] for the federal R&D Tax Credit, only 30% of eligible companies actually claim it. It’s not just for product or software companies.

Now, combine the WHY NOW statement with what we crafted earlier:

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🎙️ Hi, I’m Daniel, a senior partner at ABC Accounting and a CPA for 20+ years. We help business owners maximize their take-home profits through bookkeeping, tax prep, and tax advisory.

✅ We're the best CPA firm when it comes to working with foreign owners, because my firm speaks a total of 4 languages: English, French, German, and Spanish.

✅ Connect with me now, because certain tax credits, like a 401k, must be setup by mid-year. Waiting until December will be too late.

===========

Look how compelling the elevator pitch becomes with these 2 tweaks! And best of all, if you come up with multiple versions, you can custom-tailor it for your audience.

So, try these 2 exercises, and I guarantee that you'll stand out when you go to your next networking event, conference, or business social.

🚩Something you should be attending

B2B sales can be a tough nut to crack, especially if you're trying to do it by yourself.

Instead of trying to make sense of all the eBooks, how-to articles, and YouTube videos on your own, what if you could just ask an expert about your specific situation?

Join us for FREE, open-invitation mini-meets where you can ask our LIVE experts your questions. Plus:

Get a sneak peek into what we teach our members on sales and referral best practices specifically for B2B.
Learn what's working and what's not working in 2024.
AND walk away with immediate, actionable next steps.

🔖 30mins (Zoom), every other Wed at 3:30pm, CT. Register on LinkedIn »

Note, this is for B2B service providers only.

🚩Someone you should be following

And guess what, "Ambitious people 'SHOULD' themselves to death.", Jeremiah Shaw, MAOL, ACC said.

When I heard him say that, I had to pause and reflect. That was a lightbulb moment for me.

He's absolutely right. "I should have" or "You should have" are statements that are usually used to reexamine the past and assign blame. They're about as constructive and motivating as the phrase "I told you so."

So, as a leader, what do you say to motivate your team members, colleagues, and yourself?

Read Jeremiah's short post on this » I won't spoil it for you.

If you're looking for more big ideas on how to be an effective leader, follow and connect with him on LinkedIn. He loves talking to and connecting with growth-minded leaders in the AEC industry, especially those who wear jeans and boots to work.

🔖 AND, don't miss: Jeremiah, along with his co-founder, Wes Martin, MAIOP, ACC, will be hosting a FREE webinar on Wed, June 5 @ 11am-12pm, MT (12-1pm, CT) on how to optimize your organization's performance and potential through coaching. Register on EventBrite »

About Brewing Insights

"You need to automate". That's a no-brainer. Everybody knows that. The real question is HOW. How do you automate intelligently so that it streamlines your operations and improves customer experience?

🔖 Brewing Insights is a monthly LinkedIn newsletter for small/medium business owners and executives who want insights and answers for their business. Subscribe to learn 3 insights every month as John shares what's been top of mind and distills them into actionable next steps. Subscribe here »

About John

John Way is the Founder and Product Owner of Pipelineapp.io, a B2B SaaS platform that removes the hidden friction from your sales funnels and onboarding processes.

He's also a host for B2BSalesMagic, a B2B-only, members-only, networking community that's dedicated to helping you level up your sales, grow your business, and build your referral network—part of the The Good Humans Growth Network.

John has 20+ years of experience architecting and implementing enterprise sales and marketing systems and processes for both Fortune 100 clients and small businesses. His systems have won numerous industry awards, including the ITSMA, Gold Marketing Excellence Award for sales enablement.

🔖 If you're looking for someone to actually collaborate with, not just pitch to, here's how to connect with John »

An easy way to 2x your LinkedIn reach (that no one else is doing)

See all posts from John Way