Stories as Elevator Pitch

Recently I was reading a local news article about a new business. Towards the end of the article I found this little gem:

In launching his new business, Mr. Rischall said “part of what
I’ve been doing is I’ve been meeting with people.”
At marketing meetings he is required to boil what he does
down to a 30- or 60-second presentation, so he often tells
stories about how he’s helped clients.

I'm glad he has found the power of story and is using it to promote his business. How about you, do you have stories you can tell to promote your business?

More on the Elevator Pitch Contest

This past Thursday (9/11) the Secretary of State held its first ever finals in the Elevator Pitch Contest. The three contestants were given one minute to tell the audience of nearly 100 what they do. Interestingly enough all three contestants used mini stories in their pitches. They also included some facts and figures about the business but the main thrust was the story!

Just one more use for stories in the business world. Include a story about the inspiration for why you started the business or an inspirational client to punch up your own 30 second commercial,elevator pitch.

Quotes on story

Short and sweet, here are two quotes that struck me.

Director Steven Spielberg said, "People have forgotten how to tell a
story. Stories don't have a middle or an end any more. They usually
have a beginning that never stops beginning."

Poet Maya Angelou said, "There is no greater agony than bearing an
untold story inside you."

WOW Stories

Some time ago I read "The Elements of Persuasion: Use Storytelling to Pitch Better, Sell Faster & Win More Business" by Richard Maxwell and Robert Dickman. A great book but one piece really stuck with me, the WOW stories from Ritz Carlton. Recently I had need to quote it and found a couple interesting links on the web. The first one listed here is from Business Week online and tells quite a bit about the management at the hotel
http://www.businessweek.com/smallbiz/content/feb2008/sb20080229_347490.htm

The other link is to a piece directly from the book. I highly recommend reading this book if you have ever been in the position of needing to persuade someone of something.
http://www.anecdote.com.au/archives/2008/08/imbuing_your_wo.html

Think about creating your own WOW stories, for customers, family, business start up, just about anything really.