Here's the next email Blair said he'd be sending me. I hope you've all been working on your 30-second pitch.


Hi Paul,

It's one of the most famous scenes in the movie "E.T." - the young girl, played by Drew Barrymore, lures E.T. from the house into the garage by laying out bits of candy every few steps. E.T. nervously follows the promise of candy, and feels safe in doing so because he gets to move step-by-step.

A much smarter move than clubbing the alien over the head and dragging him into the garage, don't you think? Now, let's make the comparison... ever feel clubbed over the head by someone's 30 elevator second pitch? I know I have.

You may have experienced a 30 second pitch from someone that, somehow, crammed an entire 60 minute sales presentation into that 30 seconds. WRONG!

The purpose of your 30 second pitch isn't to sell your audience, but to lure them in.

A couple of days ago I told you how to quickly boost your credibility in your pitch. What was REALLY COOL was some folks took the idea and ran with it, tweaked their pitch and sent them back in. You may be doing some more tweaking to your pitch today ;)

Let's talk about another step of a winning 30 second pitch... how to keep your audience's interest and momentum and make it safe for them to move forward from the pitch to the next stage of conversation.

The 3 Pillars of a Persuasive 30-Second Pitch

1. Credibility - in the last email you learned how to provide proof building stats (how long you've been in business, how many happy customers, etc)

2. Promise

What kind of results do you actually provide your customers?

Loan officer - "...reduce monthly mortgage payments, sometimes by as much as 12%."

Supplement salesperson - "...provide energy to actually get through and enjoy the day without hitting that mid-day crash."

Travel agent - "...place couples in romantic, adventuresome, and exciting locations."

So much more compelling than "I do loans," or "I help you stay healthy." Include your "promise" in your pitch and you'll find more people perking up wanting to know more about you.

One thing to keep in mind here is to avoid actually telling folks what you do... instead, focus on what you help folks achieve. You only have 30 seconds, use the time to create a compelling end result rather than the process you take them through to get there.

So, there's the bits of candy that lead them in. How to make them feel safe...

3. Risk removal

In the next email I'll cover this aspect. In the meantime, focus on what results your audience is looking to you for.
That's what you highlight in your pitch.