Develop An ‘Elevator Pitch’ And Tell The World About Your Business

Over the years I’ve heard many business authorities talk about the benefit of preparing an ‘elevator pitch’ for your business. I never much cared to write one, much less deliver a ‘pitch’ in an elevator of all places, so I didn’t participate. For heaven’s sake, an elevator is not a place where you want to talk to other people, right? Aren’t we all supposed to fixate on the numbers as they change when moving from floor to floor?

All kidding aside, what I didn’t realize is that developing an ‘elevator pitch’ is not so much about where it’s delivered as much as it is about knowing what your business does and being able to tell others. It’s about taking your company’s main focus out of the obscure recesses of your head and putting it into words for the world to hear. Come to find out, doing this isn’t always an easy task.

When the ‘time’ presents itself, and it will present itself, having a memorized ‘elevator pitch’ for your business will help you communicate what your business does and you won’t have to worry about going off on a long-winded, disjointed, tangent. In fact, a well constructed ‘elevator pitch’ helps others quickly decide whether or not they want to know more about your business. And the fact that you know exactly what to say when that ‘time’ presents itself, gives you a distinctly higher possibility of having your audience want to know more.

One thing I learned while writing the ‘elevator pitch’ for this website is that summing up what your business does is not all you will gain. The process of writing the pitch actually helps you realize what the one most important thing is that you want your customer to know about your business.

What is an ‘elevator pitch’?

An ‘elevator pitch’ is a succinct summation of what your business does. It should be easy to understand and should take no longer to deliver than it takes to ride an elevator to the top of a short building. It should be delivered in such a way that it excites the listener and entices them to want to know more.

How do you write an ‘elevator pitch’?

• Do not use a cookie cutter template that is easy to find on the internet. Make your pitch unique and give it personality.
• An ‘elevator pitch’ is not a sales pitch. Do not allow it to sound cheezy.
• Your pitch must be easy to understand by anyone, even your grandmother. Do not use acronyms or industry jargon.
• The core of your ‘elevator pitch’ should convey benefits to your customer. This is where you should explain why your business is unique and better than your competitors.
• Ensure it is no longer than 30 seconds. This will drive you to focus on what’s most important about your business in the eyes of your customer.
• Lastly, memorize it, rehearse it, inject passion, confidence, and personality.

Delivering your ‘elevator pitch’.

• Practice it, and then practice it again, and then again and again. Out loud in a mirror. Determine how it will be different when delivering it to different audiences and practice it some more. Get to the point where it rolls off your tongue naturally.
• Get over any apprehension you may have about ‘tooting your own horn’. Delivering an ‘elevator pitch’ about YOUR company is all about telling how YOU will deliver.
• Speak at a pace that shows calm confidence. People can be put-off when you speed through a rehearsed speech. Make sure it sounds natural.
• Remember the first rule of sales – ABC – always be closing. Give your speech to everyone, don’t save it for only those you think are customers, you never know when a potential customer is sitting at your table or…standing in the elevator with you.

An effective ‘elevator pitch’ is designed to give its audience enough information that they will know what you’re talking about and then have enough interest to want to know more. It should not overwhelm, intimidate, or make the other person feel dumb. And it should not be so detailed or long that they tune out.

Here’s version 2 of my elevator pitch for Internet Marketing Boomer and I still think it needs work, actually, a lot of work:

“I help internet business owners find success online by explaining and teaching online marketing concepts through the articles I post on Internet Marketing Boomer. I do that by examining, reviewing, reporting and recommending internet marketing knowledge products as well as writing about how to set-up an internet business and website, how to drive traffic to that website, and examining the different options people have to make money online. Basically, with what I write, I help internet business owners find the information they need to succeed online.”

The tag line I’ve developed for my ‘elevator pitch’ is:

“Helping internet business owners find the information they need to succeed online.”

Keep it concise, to the point, and easy to understand. Deliver it with passion, confidence and personality while keeping it shorter than an elevator ride up a short building. Do all that and you will have an ‘elevator pitch’ that not only helped you pinpoint what your business does but will allow you get a lot of people interested as well.

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Information Products Have Major Online Demand

Draw from your experience and knowledge to make money online.

Having information that other people want and can use gives you a virtual treasure that can flow from your experience and knowledge to your keyboard and on to your bank account. We’ve all seen the non-fiction books and information products that fill the shelves at bookstores but online they are especially popular and are filling the needs of millions around the world who are hungry for the advice and insight a little experience and knowledge can provide.

If you are a baby boomer, chances are you have and infinite amount of experience in a plethora of different subjects and areas. The fact that there are scores of people searching the internet to find information at  any given moment, provides you an opportunity to share your knowledge and make a profit as well.  By selling non-fiction information products and sharing your knowledge on a certain subject, you can build an entire line of products that target a single niche of consumers.  Or, you can branch out and offer solutions in a multitude of niches to reach millions of people worldwide who need guidance.

As an online information product provider, you will enjoy keeping almost 100% of the profits for yourself. In the print publishing industry, the author only receives a small portion of the proceeds after agent and publishing house fees. Online is totally different, there’s no agent, you are the publisher, and there are very few expenses involved in setting up a website.

Typically, a non-fiction book at Barnes and Noble would cost the consumer an average of $9.95 to $39.95.  When you sell information products ready for instant download on the internet, quite often depending on the subject matter and your audience, you can demand a higher price.  I personally have purchase information products about internet marketing that cost as much as $1000. In smaller niches outside of the ‘make money’ niche, it will depend on your knowledge and the value of that knowledge. Some eBooks may only bring $4.95 while others may be worth as much a $500 or $1000.

Online digital products do not take up physical space or need to be purchased and shipped which aids in keeping overhead costs low.  Even if you outsource the creation of your information product, you’re still able to recoup the investment after a short period of sales.

Why are consumers so hungry for online information products?  In this age of rapid high-tech development your readers want information now, not the next business day. Your customer may be sitting in an airport, accessing your eBook from their laptop so they can read it on their flight.  If their child is up sick crying from colic at 3:30 in the morning, a mom can’t drive to a bookstore to get a self-help book – but she can go online and download your eBook and put your advice into action within minutes.

Another reason information products are such an attractive purchase online is because they most often come with an ironclad money-back guarantee. This gives the consumer added assurance they are purchasing something they can use, and if not, they don’t have to worry about wasting their money.

If you are seeking a way to make money online, consider developing an information product that will fill a need in an area where you have knowledge and experience. There are many people seeking your knowledge and it could be a very profitable venture for you.

In my next post I will review an information product that will teach you to create information products. The item I will be reviewing is call Information Product Sweetie and was written by Alice Seba. Alice is a well known and respected author and trainer in the ‘work at home mom’ (WAHM) community. Her products are geared at teaching ‘work at home moms’ to run their own online business so they can stay home and care for their children. However, it’s my experience that her products cross-over to most anyone who wants to learn the topic.

Until next time…

Reba

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Create Your Own Products and Sell Them Online

I just ran across a post on Mashable that I thought might interest my readers. It’s called ‘15 Places to Make Money Creating Your Own Products‘. In the article Josh Catone lists 15 print/make-on-demand companies that will make ‘just one’ of just about anything (within reason), and most will drop-ship the item to your customer. Some even give you a place on their site to sell your product.

Below I’ve reprinted the 15 places but be sure to read through the comments on the article at Mashable. The readers have added at least 10 more great sites. With info like this, there’s nothing stopping you from starting your own online business.

Go to Mashable’s article for descriptions of each site.

CafePress -print-on-demand tees, card, mugs, etc.

Zazzle – same as CafePress

Spreadshirt – mostly print-on-demand tees and sweatshirts

PikiStore – same as CafePress and Zazzle

Lulu – print-on-demand books, CDs, DVDs, etc.

CreateSpace – same as Lulu, owned by Amazon

Blurb – print-on-demand books only

TasteBook – print-on-demand personal cookbooks

CDBaby – CDs – lots of Indie Artists use this site

The Game Crafter – make your own board game or card game

SpoonFlower – print fabric with your own custom design

Ponoko – will turn a 3-D drawing into a product-toys, housewares, furniture, jewelry, etc.

Shapeways – same as Ponoko

ImageKind – print-on-demand art and photography

deviantART – same as ImageKind

Enjoy the list and let your imagination run wild!

Until next time…

Reba

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What Makes Twitter SO Hot?

People really love Twitter! There’s evidence everywhere you look, from the Twitter badges on the sidebars of blogs to those who put their Twitter address the signature of forum posts, it’s plain to see, people adore Twitter. Heck, I never see my daughter on FaceBook anymore (what???), she said she rarely logs in because she likes Twitter better. So, what is it that makes this social networking site so lovable? Let’s find out.

The question posed by Twitter, “What are you doing?” has become almost as popular as AOL’s “You’ve got mail.” So much so that it has even caught the eye of offline news mediums such as USA Today, CNN, and ABC. And for those who think Twitter is just a place for computer or Internet geeks, rest assured it’s nothing of the sort.

In some ways, Twitter is like other social networking sites in that it’s a way to interact with like-minded individuals. Whether one is a stay at home mom who craves adult conversation, an at home worker who misses the water cooler chit-chat from past jobs, or a business owner who wants to reach more of their target market, this form of social media fills a need. It makes it easier for people to connect with others in a way they might not have previously been able to.

I follow it on my IPhone at work, of course, I can’t watch it all day, but I do take a look ever so often. My daughter plays college volleyball and Tweets about what’s going on with the team and herself throughout the week. I like to see what she has to say. In addition to watching what’s going on in the internet marketing world, I also follow my political representatives to see what they are currently working on in Austin (I’m in Texas) and Washington D.C..

The fact Twitter is easily accessible and even simpler to navigate makes it a favorite as well. Anyone can create a Twitter account of their own with nothing more than a user name and a password. Once that’s done, it’s easy to customize your profile and begin following other tweeps, as those who use Twitter affectionately call one another. To follow what another person is doing, just visit their page and click the follow button. You’ve now been added as a follower and when you log-in to your account you will see their messages on your screen or timeline as it’s called.

If you want to use Twitter when you’re not at home or if you don’t have access to your computer like I do with my IPhone, it’s no problem. Inside your account you can choose whether to have messages sent via cell phone or instant messenger programs. Just browse to your settings and choose the devices tab and in a few steps you’re good to go. This feature makes it possible to tweet on the go. This is perfect for those who travel frequently or while out and about come across something interesting or amusing that they’d like to share with their followers.

Twitter’s arrival has also led to the creation of different platforms and applications to make it even easier to use. Popular applications include, Twitter Fox, Twhirl, TweetDeck, and TweetMyBlog. Twitter Fox and Twhirl give users who prefer the instant messaging look and feel a way to use Twitter in somewhat the same manner. Twitter Fox is an extension for the Firefox browser and Twhirl is a desktop application.

TweetMyBlog is a way to automatically post updates from a user’s blog to Twitter. In order to use it you need a Twitter account and an RSS feed from your blog. It will automatically post a tweet using your account when your blog is updated.

Tweet Deck is another desktop application that allows for more organization of updates. Instead of posting all tweets one right after the other, it allows the user to organize tweets into separate columns within the application. For those who have customers and friends on Twitter this is a great feature as the different categories can separated into separate columns.

If you’re interested in marketing your business on the internet, you will serve yourself well to try Twitter. Most every business industry now has tweeps that Twitter, follow some, tweet some yourself, and before long you will have your own following and so will your business.

Feel free to follow me at @RebaCollins.

Until next time…

Reba

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