In our last Tip (May, 2011), we talked about the "Elevator Pitch" and one of the challenges with it - that it's typically all about us. Will this inspire the decision maker that we've been lucky enough to run into? It probably won't, even if we have our story perfectly honed. Our conclusion was this - maybe the Elevator Pitch should sound more like an Access Letter. If we could share briefly the key things we learned about the customer's business, they would probably find this more interesting and be more likely to give us a meeting.

The problem with this alternative is that it requires us to have done our research. What if we haven't had a chance to do this yet? If we can't articulate the key elements of their business direction, we shouldn't take a risk by winging it.

So what should we do? After all, we have to take advantage of this opportunity. Instead of giving them an Elevator Pitch, why not ask an "Elevator Question"? It could sound something like this:

Hello Mr. Smith. My name is... and I represent... I have been doing my homework about your company and I would love to ask you a quick question. What's the biggest issue facing your company today?

Other questions you could ask:


How will your company be different 2 years from now?
I've heard about your aggressive growth targets. How will you accomplish these?
Could you share with me your vision for the company?


Asking questions like these show your genuine interest in learning more about them and their business. Many executives will find this more inspiring and compelling than a generic pitch about our products and capabilities.

Keep in mind one last question you could ask, "Once I've completed my research, could I schedule a brief meeting with you to review what I've learned and to discuss the potential business fit between our companies?"