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E-ssential
Message # 069:
Up the creek without a paddle...
If I was ever looking for a great story to tell about why elevator pitches and infomercials don't work, I found it on Day One of my whitewater canoe trip down the Dumoine River with seven other guys and my dog, Tetley.
Running our first set of rapids, things didn't go exactly as planned. We got wedged up against a rock, and at some point between being in the canoe and in the water, my partner's paddle got swept up and carried away by the current.
Far away.
Then we realized that no one had brought extra paddles.
That's when one of the guys in our group improvised by fashioning a paddle out of sticks we found onshore and some string.
It worked amazingly well -- and about three hours downriver we found our paddle.
Elevator pitches are memorized monologues that hold you to a rigid path regardless of the other person's concerns, objections, priorites and hot buttons.
But real conversations (including sales conversations) are like rivers. They flow, there are rocks, eddies and souse holes -- and sometimes, things don't go exactly as planned.
If you lost your paddle in the middle of your elevator pitch or sales conversation, would you be able to improvise?
Or, would you be 'up the creek'?
P.S. You can take a look at more photos from my canoe trip here.
Who is Michel Neray and What's The Essential Message?
The Essential Message is about discovering your true differentiation and then learning how to communicate it in the most compelling way. But higher sales, greater alignment of sales and marketing and a stronger brand position aren't the only reasons why so many independent professionals, entrepreneurs and emerging companies rave about The Essential Message.
Clients also say that one of the biggest advantages of the Essential Message approach is how it helps them gain the confidence, momentum and resilience that can only come from being absolutely clear about their strengths and unique difference – as companies and as individuals.
The Essential Message was created by Michel Neray based on 25 years as an award-winning copywriter, an entrepreneur, a tradeshow pitchman and a senior sales and marketing executive. (He also rides motorcycles, does whitewater canoeing, and has his 2nd degree black belt in karate.)
For information about our corporate facilitation, copywriting and consulting services, or booking Michel to speak at your conference, please call 416 534-4766 or link to www.EssentialMessage.com.
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