In the paper this morning was an article on Elevator Pitches by Rick Spence. Do you have one for yourself (for use in interviews)? Can you create one for that bug you really, really think should be fixed? Why your team should try using Tool X or Process Tweak Y?

For those to lazy to read the actual article, here are the important parts

  • People are so bad at working a room that anyone who even tries to do it well will stand out like a pro
  • The first rule of networking is to express what you do clearly and concisely
  • Introductory line that encapsulates what you do and what benefits you create for your customers –in 15 seconds or less
  • Fill-in-the-blank formula is easy to remember: We do XXX for YYYY so they can ZZZZZ (X being what you do; Y being your target customer; and Z being the value you create for clients)
  • If they do say those three magic words “tell me more,” stick with your customer-first focus
  • Learn as much as you can about the people you’re with before you begin to talk
  • The more you know about them, the better you can shape your pitch