The guy at the Piedmont Park meetup said my 30 second pitch was too long, and it cost me an intro | Atlanta Networking - Freelance Forum - The Community for Independent Professionals
The guy at the Piedmont Park meetup said my 30 second pitch was too long, and it cost me an intro
Two weeks ago I went to that Tuesday night mixer at the pavilion near Piedmont Park, the one with the folding tables and the cooler of lukewarm water. I had my pitch down to 30 seconds and I was proud of it, but this guy named Reggie who runs a small staffing shop pulled me aside after and said flat out that I lost people at the 12 second mark. I pushed back at first because everyone online says you need a tight elevator pitch to stand out in Atlanta's crowded room. Then I watched the room for the rest of the night and realized he was right, because the folks who got the most follow up conversations were the ones who just said one plain sentence and asked a question back. I had been treating every intro like a sales script when all anyone wanted to know was what problem I solve and whether I could help them, nothing more. So now I walk in with one sentence about who I help and one real question about their week, and I have gotten 4 solid follow ups out of the last two mixers. Anyone else think the whole polished pitch advice is backwards for in person rooms here, or am I the only one who had to hear it from a stranger?