HIGH-CONCEPT PITCHES ARE NOT YOUR FRIEND
February 23, 2009
You already know the elevator pitch is vicious to your business, not usually for pitching though to grow the goals of the association in your own mind.
You competence additionally have grown the one-line positioning statement — the singular judgment which defines the association in the simple, clear, sentence. ?Not the single you’d have have have have use of of of of upon customers, though rsther than something to hook upon your wall, something which all offered as good as information exchnage should be operative towards.
The Venture Hacks blog teaches us about something even not as big as good as tighter — the high-concept pitch. The thought is to bring to boil your summary down to the reduced word which references existing, successful products. Examples:
- “YouTube is Flickr for video.”
- “LinkedIn is Facebook for business.”
- “Twitter is Blogger for Attention Deficit Disorder.”
I similar to brevity, though we do not similar to the high-concept pitch. It leaves out so most it becomes ambiguous, presumably with unintended consequences.
Let’s have this concrete. Say I’ve invented the brand new compact, unstable projector:
This projector weighs reduction than the bruise as good as it’s the distance of the dungeon phone. It uses splendid LEDs so we never blow out the $100 bulb. Your sales guys do not have to transport apparatus or block in to projectors blank “yellow” which can’t run during their laptop’s resolution. This projector functions 100% of the time as good as is tiny sufficient to get by airfield confidence in your coupler pocket.
That’s my product representation — contains all the sum as good as reasons to buy it. Now for the positioning statement:
A compact, portable, imperishable projector which eliminates warn problems upon the road.
Short as good as sweet, still together with the initial facilities as good as benefits.
Now it’s time for the high-concept pitch. Here’s an idea, copied roughly just from the Venture Hacks article:
iPhone for projectors
This sounds great during initial blush. iPhones have been good known for being easy to use, pretty, coveted, as good as commercially successful. Also the result extends to distance as good as portability. Good!
But these aren’t the usually attributes of the iPhone. iPhones have the repute of not operative good with Microsoft Office, something quite discouraging for the travelling salesman. Readers of this blog have been expected to have have have have use of of of of GMail as good as Open Office, though your standard salesman is upon the despotic diet of PowerPoint as good as Outlook. Just yesterday we spoke with the commercial operation caucasian tribe who has avoided the iPhone specifically?because of the miss of formation with Exchange (now fixed).
iPhones have been notoriously resistant as good as not customizable. They bucket we in the culture. With the v2.0 program debacle, we could even embody “buggy.”
When we have have have have use of of of of usually 3 difference as good as when we plead something obvious as good as complicated, it’s not transparent what summary will be received. I’m brevity’s greatest fan, though there’s such the thing as “too brief.”
No, I’ll hang with Eric Sink’s clarification of positioning statement as the elemental molecule in my offered universe.
P.S. Another uncanny allude to from which essay is which “for investors, the product is nothing.” we get the indicate — which product != strategy, as good as product plan is some-more engaging to investors than underline bullets. But still… “is nothing?” Perhaps purposely farfetched to have the point, though if we find an financier for whom this is literally loyal (and we have!), drive clear. Strategy with 0 product bargain isn’t strategy.
P.P.S. Healthy disagreements notwithstanding, Venture Hacks is the must-read if you’re meddlesome in appropriation or offered the company.
P.P.P.S. Someone should have which projector!
Do we consider the high-concept representation has the place in non-Hollywood business? Leave the comment as good as put me in my place!
ACT LIKE YOUR PRICE JUST DOUBLED
February 16, 2009
What if tomorrow we forced we to stand in your price?
If we sell software, your prices only doubled. If you’re an hourly consultant, your rate only doubled. If you’re the salaried employee, you’re right away perfectionist stand in your salary.
Ignoring the (understandable) recoil from your existent customers/employer, what would we have to do to clear the brand brand new cost tag?
- If you’re offered software, would it be most appropriate to supplement brand brand new features, or would people understand some-more worth if it were beautifully designed? Does it need some-more functionality or fewer bugs? If the patron emails tech support, what response would stir the customer? If the patron comes to we with twenty underline requests, do they get mislaid in the shuffle or do we proactively hit them quarterly with updates?
? - If you’re the consultant, could we management the aloft rate if we got approved in the little technology, or would we consequence some-more management writing the peculiarity blog? Should we assign for each email or yield the little letter of reference gratis? Should we assign the low rate yet divert projects for additional hours or should we be costly yet brutally honest with your time reporting? To say hit with your past customers, is it sufficient to send programmed legal holiday e-cards or should we write the quarterly newsletter with utilitarian tips as well as ideas?
? - If you’re an employee, how could we make yourself indispensable? Is there the plan fibbing around which no the single else is receiving the beginning on? Is there the proceed to save money? Is there something we could do upon top of as well as over your pursuit outline which would certainly urge the company?
? - If you’re seeking for work, should your r?sum? list as most technologies as probable or should we exaggerate about your deep expertise in the single area? Should we dwell upon formatting or upon making an impression? Should we duplicate the 10 recommendations we have upon LinkedIn or is it most appropriate to insert the single passionate, intense recommendation? Is it some-more considerable to list your bar memberships or your Stackoverflow reputation?
Assuming this thought experiment has annoyed the little ideas for how you’d shift your proceed to commercial operation or your veteran behavior…
What would occur if we acted similar to which but raising your price?
You’d vanquish your competition. ?Maybe it’s the corner we need to have sales during the recession. ?Or may be we could clear raising your price!
Hold upon though, isn’t it some-more difficult, expensive, as well as time-consuming to handle as if your time is twice as valuable?
Yes.
But then, working which proceed does have we twice as valuable!
Is this mindset beneficial or only the distraction? ?Do we have some-more tips for how to handle similar to your time is twice as valuable? ?Please stick on the review as well as leave the comment!
