Saw this recently in the book Managing Agile Projects by Sanjiv Augustine (which is brilliant by the way. I’m intending to write a few posts on this book when I get time).
How to write your elevator pitch:
For (target customer)
Who (statement of the need or opportunity)
The (product name) is a (product category)
That (key benefit, compelling reason to buy)
Unlike (primary competitive alternative)
Our product (statement of primary differentiation)
This is very useful for someone like me who tends to waffle more then Birds Eye.
Even though I have a permanently sore neck and shoulders I still felt a bit guilty at spending 600 quid on a Humanscale Liberty office chair last year. Not any more - I no longer feel like Quasimodo when it gets to 6 o’clock. It’s been worth every penny.
I justified it to myself by calculating that with a 10 year guarantee, it only costs me 60 quid a year, or 5 quid a month to save my back from becoming totally knackered.
Joel Spolky takes it one step further in his book Smart and Gets Things Done - a useful book on hiring programmers which I read on the train to Bristol today. He’s using the Aeron as an example, but it’s the same sort of thing:
So the bottom line is that an Aeron only really costs $500 more over ten years, or $50 a year. One dollar per week per programmer.
A nice roll of toilet paper runs about a buck. Your programmers are probably using about one roll a week, each.
So upgrading them to an Aeron chair literally costs the same amount as you’re spending on their toilet paper, and I assure you that if you tried to bring up toilet paper in the budget committee you would be sternly told not to mess around, there were important things to discuss.
I’m sure this line of argument could be used for leverage in a wide range of budgetary disagreements if you really needed it to. I’m remembering this one.
It’s all go at Screen West Midlands at the moment (our local film, tv and digital agency). Here’s an advert for a mighty fascinating sounding job:
We’re looking for an inspirational, experienced and highly skilled individual to support and drive the region’s rapidly changing media landscape.
The new senior level post of Head of Innovation and New Markets will be responsible for delivering over £10 million of investment in the West Midlands’ media industries, developing creative and technological innovations, reaching new markets, negotiating high level partnerships across the board from blue chip companies to digital leaders. You will also be charged with developing a skills strategy that supports the needs of the changing media environment in the West Midlands.
Sounds pretty cool. Let em know if you’re interested.
Full Job Advert (PDF)