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PR elevator pitch
Like most good business people I've got an elevator pitch - a quick 60
second pitch that I can use to answer the question "So what do you
do?". But I'm not convinced that it's as good as it should be. I'm in
the communications business. I should be able to stun people with my 60
seconds in the lift (wouldn't it be nice if us Brits could use lift
pitch, but it just doesn't sound right).
The reason that it doesn't work as well as it could is because its more
important to listen to what people want than to just jump in and pitch
your wares. And you don't have time to do that in a lift.
One option is to bore people with the fact that we can provide clients
with a full range of public relations and marketing communications
services. Yes we do media relations, yes we do communications strategy,
yes we do print and design, yes we do business blogging consultancy,
yes we do newsletters and magazines. But so does every other PR
company. We think we are good. Hell, we know we are good. But so are
lots of other people.
Another option is to talk about the sectors we specialise in. We are
very good at technology PR, at professional services PR for solicitors
and accountants and at public sector PR for local authorites,
government departments and voluntary sector organisations. We're also
the bees knees when it comes to PR and marketing for small and medium
size businesses, or owner managed and family businesses. But other PR
companies are good at those sectors as well.
Yet another option is to say that we provide solutions to business
problems. For some clients it's about helping to increase sales, for
others it's helping them to recruit. Others have a lousy reputation in
their local community and need help to fix it (we usually start by
telling them they've got improve how they behave). But other PR
companies do that as well. Not as many, because there are people out
there who have big teams they need to pay for and their 'consultancy'
will be to sell you services you don't actually need.
One thing that does set us apart is that we only want to work with
people we like. It's simple really. If we like you and believe in you
and your company then we will do a much better job on your behalf. That
makes us happy and it makes you happy.
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To date 3 Comment(s)
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Lee Hopkins
/ Website
(12.10.05 21:22)
"lift pitch" -- makes you sound like a New Zealander or South African (Tony Grieg, perhaps).
But the whole idea of a lift pitch is to get them to ask for more details. I agree that the focus of the ensuing conversation is to find out *their* needs and desires, but you have to get them to start the dialogue first.
Of course, you *could* just jump straight in and ask, "how can I help you market your company or yourself better?"
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