Exploit Your Story For Killer Results

The best pitch I heard began with, "My grandmother became seriously ill."

Almost everyone has a grandmother, so it is personal. Most people have experienced their grandmother getting sick. This makes it relatable.

Next, this excellent pitch included, "So I left my executive position at Morgan Stanley."

The word "executive" is often overused, but using it in this way conveys a critical attribute of successful founders. That is, it shows that this person rises above their peer group.

Giving brand recognition with "Morgan Stanley" provides instant credibility with the attributes associated with that brand. In this case, the attribute is complex finance, but if they say "Google," the founder becomes associated with high technology. Either way, it says, "I am smart and successful."

The beauty of this format is that whatever they say next has the audience's attention.

Pitch

An excellent pitch is your story in bite-sized parts. It must grab the audience at a place they can relate to and then captivate them along the journey. The pitch must explain why this thing must be done, how you are the best person for the job, and what is required to scale the idea to the masses.

Value proposition

Your value proposition is a condensed version of your story. For example, the story "When my grandmother became suddenly incapacitated, she was alone, so we built Abuela AI to be her companion, at-home physician, and friend." As a value proposition, it becomes, "Abuela AI is a companion, physician, and friend to aging adults, so they never have to be alone again."

Core message

Your core message answers the question, "What do you do?" It is the shortest form of your story. Most founders get this one wrong. The focus is not on the how but what. For example, "We ensure senior adults can live independently without being alone."

Evolution

As your company grows, the core product will change, and your story should evolve with it. For example, when YouTube began, it was a dating site. The story of that site was much different from that of a video-sharing platform.

Mission

Your story must give personality to the mission. Just saying, "Our mission is to make sure senior adults are never alone," is boring. Instead, the story should illustrate why this mission is important and paint a picture in the listener's mind.

Tomorrow, I will discuss crafting the perfect story in more detail. If you need help with yours, reply to this email.