Do You Have the Perfect Pitch?

BY PAT MARKEL

An elevator pitch (as it's been called for decades) can work in halls, during convention coffee breaks, or at any 'unexpected' meeting.

A brief-encounter speech is still important, but your chances of giving it in an elevator are decreasing.

Elevators move so fast these days that the average trip is down to 50 seconds in a very tall building. What's more, most of the people on elevators are talking on their mobile phones.

Elevator companies are working hard to give you less and less time to pitch because their elevators are designed to move much more quickly these days.

Regardless of whether you call it an elevator pitch or not, the most important thing is to do the following: KEEP IT SHORT. Communicate what you want to say in a way that the person will remember you.

BE DIFFERENT. Share how what you do is different or better than others in your industry.

TALK ABOUT YOUR IMMEDIATE GOALS. Make

what you want apparent to the other person.

ADD VALUE. Briefly describe how you can add value to the company's customers.

To be effective, you need to work on your pitch, tweak it and practice it. Try to deliver your message without appearing too pushy. 