If you run your own business, you’re probably familiar with being asked to describe what you do in 30 seconds or less. This exercise, known as the “elevator pitch” is sheer torment for many of us, who equate it with bragging. That’s why most elevator pitches sound dry, boring, and “canned.” We say the same damn’ thing over and over again until we’re sick of it. Even adding new more interesting adjectives doesn’t work all that well.
Cathy Goodwin, ace copywriter and expert practitioner of self-promotion, has a suggestion. What you need to do, she says, is substitute action for adjectives. Instead of saying, for example, “I’m a copywriter and editor who specializes in marketing communications for high tech companies,” you say something like, “I do the writing so you don’t have to. When you work with me, you save precious time and get great results.”
By shifting the focus from yourself to what you are capable of doing, you avoid the discomfort of bragging. Of course, you’re not avoiding adjectives at all, but you’re attaching them to action, rather than to yourself. How much more comfortable—and effective in making your point—is that? As Ms. Goodwin notes, people listening to or reading your pitch aren’t thinking about whether you’re bragging. They’re wondering how you do what you do.
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