The worst thing for a launcher to receive isn’t a rejection.
It’s passivity.
When people don’t respond to your pitch, it’s usually a sign they are confused or the idea isn’t worth a response.
At least with rejection, your idea receives some consideration time.
Usually, passivity happens because the pitch finishes weak and the request is unclear.
For an Elevator Pitch to be most effective, you must finish the pitch strong. To do this, you must create an opportunity for the listener to respond.
This is where it can get awkward. But this is also where potential (aka money) is often left on the table.
Launchers frequently get to the conclusion of the pitch and either shy away from a request or aren’t clear about what the audience should do in response.
This leads me to a very simple question, but one that you MUST answer in order for your Elevator Pitch to gain the traction you want. And here’s the question:
What do you want them to do?
“Well, Jeff, I want them to invest.”
That’s not good enough. How much do you want them to invest? By what date?
“Jeff, I want them to tell others about my idea.”
Okay, but how? Be as specific as you possibly can. Help them help you.
Move your audience to action, even if it’s rejection. Because passivity is a far worse obstacle than rejection.
So, what do you want your audience to do?
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