Are You Telling it to Win?

Here's what I'm reading right now -- Tell to Win: Connect, Persuade, and Triumph with the Hidden Power of Story, by Peter Guber. You may vaguely recognize his name, thinking he might be in movies or something. You'd be partially right. He's currently Chairman and CEO of Mandalay Entertainment, which produces movies (recently, The Kids are All Right), and runs sports teams. He has a long and successful career where he has made many deals and projects. But did people come to him, and say "Hey, I want to work with you?" No, he came to them. He pitched an idea, perhaps one they never knew they needed. He was able to tell a story that told them why they needed him, what he could do for them that they weren't already doing for themselves, and how he could do it better than anyone else. This storytelling is what he calls Tell to Win.


I'm not even finished with the book yet, but I want to recommend it. Are you thinking of taking your art business to a new level? Are you realizing that you're a pretty good artist, and maybe instead of just selling your art, you could teach others about your art? That's where you need to tell a story. What can you give to others that they can't give themselves? What is it in your background that makes you the one, perfect person who can give that to them? Have you analyzed your strengths? Those are what you need to capitalize on, and tell people about.

We're always telling stories, but are we telling them effectively? What kind of title do you give your art? (Please, don't tell me you've made a piece and called it "Untitled.") How do you describe your art? Do you mention the inspiration, where you found those certain beads that make that necklace, why you used those colors? Do you describe it on your website, your blog, on flyers or in brochures? Do you attach a small tag to it with a small description? How do you describe yourself when people ask what you do? (See my last blog post that talks about your Elevator Pitch.)

I hope this post gets you thinking. I found Tell to Win at the library, so you may be able to also. Has this inspired you to ramp up and focus the stories that you tell about your business?

What's Your Elevator Pitch?

Have you heard this expression before? An elevator pitch is a statement you make in response to the question, "What do you do?" Imagine that you are riding in an elevator with someone who asks that question, and you'll get an idea of how long you'll get to answer that question. We're not talking about going into your whole bio. If I started with "I graduated from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland ...", half the elevator would have gotten off before I finished, and the other half would have fallen asleep.

The first rule of the elevator pitch is then, keep it short. You don't want to lose your audience before you're done.

The second rule: be clear. The only way you can do this is to practice the pitch. Say it out loud. Say it in a conversational manner. Don't sound like you're giving a speech. What are you? What do you do? Are you a lawyer who is a partner in a firm, who takes dance lessons for fun, teaches French in night school, and is secretly writing a young adult novel? Only you can figure out what you want to put out there. You'll decide what you want to say based on who you are speaking to.

That brings me to the next rule: know your audience. Most of the time, you'll have a slight idea of the background of the person who is asking what you do. In the above example, that person may have an elevator pitch about being a lawyer, that he would use in some occasions, and a separate one about his novel that he would use in others. Don't be afraid to create a few elevator pitches. Just be sure they are specific enough to have some meaning and be interesting to the person you are talking to.

I've come up with my elevator pitch, what about you? Of course your elevator pitch can change as you change; it can always evolve. Here is mine:

I am an artist. I design jewelry and paint, selling my creations on the internet and at small shows. I also run a non-profit -- our local art society. We have over 100 members, and we provide exhibit opportunities and mentoring. We also donate art to our communities and award college scholarships to young artists.

What do you think? Are you an artist who is not afraid to say "I Am An Artist"? Or "I Am A Writer"? If you'd like to post your elevator pitches as a blog comment here, I'll post them in a later post. Why not get them out there? Who's with me?

Here's one of my latest jewelry creations. I've gone back to my roots -- working with metal. My camera recently broke, so I just got a new one and am back in business taking photos and posting them to my blog.


Here's my latest painting. I haven't thought of a name yet.


I'm looking forward to hearing your pitches.