People have told us since we started our sales careers that we need to make sure we have a good "elevator pitch". They've given us this scenario that says, you are the only person on an elevator and you are going to the 15th floor. Just as the doors close, another person jumps in. You quickly realize that it's the senior executive from a key prospect that you have been dying to meet. You have 15 floors, so "Ready, Set, Pitch"!

Conventional wisdom would say that we have to have our story perfectly honed. We have to convey who we are, what we do and how we do it in such a way that we compel them to want to spend more time with us. We should talk about our products, market presence, customer base, competitive advantage...

The problem with this is that it's all about us and most people just don't care. What do they care about? Themselves! So maybe the pitch should sound more like an IMPAX Access Letter:

Hello Mr. Smith. My name is... and I represent... As I have been doing my homework about your company, I learned that you may be focused on increasing revenues and driving your EDIT up beyond 15% (objectives). To accomplish this, you seem to be redesigning your supply chain and doubling your investment in R&D (strategies) while addressing increasing raw material costs and inaccurate customer perceptions (issues).

Is my homework on target? Is this compelling? It depends on how accurate your research is.

Now is the time to share briefly who your company is and that you may be able to assist them in their efforts. Ask for a meeting. Keep your request short and if your research is on target, your odds of getting a yes should rise dramatically.