A good elevator pitch is an important tool to turn prospects into clients, marketing expert Bobby Lehew told show-goers during his Long Beach education session, “Energize Your Elevator Pitch” on the show floor yesterday. The key to a good pitch? For starters, keep it to 45 seconds or less, Lehew said.

Start off by spending the first 10 seconds or so sharing your unique value proposition. Examples of how you differentiate yourself from competitors might be something like, “We create calls to action,” or “We create brand champions,” Lehew said. Then, use the remaining 35 seconds by relating a short and interesting success story about how you recently did just that for a client. “Give them the best story you have,” he said. “People relate much more to colorful stories than sales pitches.”

Beyond using storytelling in an elevator pitch, Lehew said, distributors should use their company’s website and social media efforts to “tell behind-the-scenes tales” of all of their recent successful promotions. As an example, Lehew’s company recently created a company store for a firm’s anniversary celebration that let 2,500 employees order a customized anniversary T-shirt. On Lehew’s corporate website, the program, including pictures, are detailed for prospective clients.

Lehew also recommends that distributors take photos and videos of all of their client promotions and publicize them on their websites (with the client’s blessing, of course.) “If you show how you’ve actually created memorable moments for clients, rather than just talk about the products you’ve sold, you’re going to be a lot more successful,” Lehew said.