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Grocery Clerks Help You Become a Better Storyteller

Move over elevator pitch. Make room for 10 items or less.

elevator pitch - the experience design blueprint - gregory olson - delightabilityIn business and in life, most people don’t have time to listen to your elevator pitch. We’ve all experienced the following situation. We responded to the question “How is it going?” At the most extreme, the person had already passed us by. Our response was in the wind. It might be ok for an uncaring question like how is it going. But, what about when the subject is far more important?

Most people are running some version of the “busy” program. It is a sad testament to life in the 21st century.

running the busy program - the experience design blueprint - gregory olson - delightabilitySo, the next time you are pitching an idea or telling a story, I want you to try something different. Sure, go ahead and practice your elevator pitch, but have an even shorter version on hand. One that you could tell the grocery clerk in the 10 items or less line, while they are distracted and half paying attention. Have it be so memorable that the next time you appear in that person’s line, they want to continue the conversation.

Here is how to do it. Make sure your 10 items or less pitch has “transfer” and “absorption” value.

Transfer and Absorption Value

  • Transfer Value – is it so simple that it can be retold without you in the room? Like the idea of telling a story within 10 items or less.
  • Absorption Value – can somebody dive into the subject without you? Headlines and soundbites have absorption value as people recall something they’ve heard, then later explore it when they have access to a phone, computer, or person.

You might have plenty to say and much of it good. There are times and formats when you can share more. But, most people will not take the time to walk and talk with you. You miss the opportunity for your message be heard and shared if you can’t be brief. Grocery clerks everywhere are standing by to unwittingly help you perfect your story. And, while it might be tempting to take a cart full of items into the express checkout, to be most effective, keep your initial story short, 10 items or less.

About the Author

image of Greg-Olson-Managing Director of Delightability and author of Experience Design BLUEPRINT

Gregory Olson is a consultant, speaker, and author of The Experience Design BLUEPRINT: Recipes for Creating Happier Customers and Healthier Organizations. His latest book project is l’ impossi preneurs: A Hopeful Journey Through Tomorrow.

Learn more and connect with Greg on Linkedin, Facebook, or Twitter.

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Chapters in The Experience Design Blueprint that especially pertain to this post are those chapters in Section 2 – Making  a Bigger Imprint:

  • Chapter 9: The Neighborhood
  • Chapter 10: Bees and Raccoons
  • Chapter 11: Barriers to Innovation and Overcoming the Wall
  • Chapter 12: The Three Psychological Zones
  • Chapter 13: Taking Flight
  • Chapter 14: The World of Work Has Changed
  • Chapter 15: From Argh to Aha!

See a book summary. Read the book reviews on Amazon. Read The Experience Design Blueprint on Kindle or any device using the free Kindle Reader application or read the full color print edition.  Already read it? Please connect and let me know.

 

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Your Busy Program is Running You

This is a message to leaders everywhere. Perhaps you lead a major corporation, a startup, a non-profit, a small business, or a government agency; it really doesn’t matter, the message is all the same.

Signs that you are moving too fast - delightability - experience design blueprintEnough! We’ve all been running the busy program, or rather, the busy program has been running us. It’s a bit like driving down the highway, but going too fast to read the signs passing you by. The symptoms vary but may look like: vacations become working vacations; you’re never “off” the clock; there is no time to relax and even in your “idle” time your busy planning your busy time.

The trouble is these “highway signs” you can’t read in your life as your forging full speed ahead are actually opportunities passing you by. One sign that you missed might have said, BIGGEST INNOVATION OPPORTUNITY. Another might say YOUR DAUGHTER NEEDS YOU. Most people never slow down, in order to speed up, that is until they have a personal crisis. For some, that might be a heart attack, death of a loved one, cancer, divorce, or the recognition that your family no longer recognizes you.

It’s time to WAKE UP! You can choose to stop running the busy program at any time. You don’t need a crisis to have a new consciousness.

“It is not enough to be busy. So are the ants. The question is: What are we busy about?” Henry David Thoreau

Ask yourself what would you do if you had 10 or 20% more capacity? And what about those you lead and interact with. What if each of them had 10 or 20% more capacity? What if that capacity were used to be creative, what would that look like in your organization? What if that additional capacity were put to use solving those persistent, nagging, seemingly unsolvable “wicked” problems. What if that capacity were nobly consumed to live a more healthy lifestyle, or to be more balanced between work and family or personal life? Imagine the kids and Fido seeing more of mom or dad. What if each person WASN’T doing 2 or 3 jobs? What would that mean for your organization? For each of your employee’s experience? For your customer’s experience? What about for the economy?

As you return from this Sunday, whether that was an Easter Sunday for you, or any other Sunday, ask yourself, what if? But, then as soon as you are done asking, do something about it; for you and for those that around you. Chances are, if you are running the busy program, you never saw this message, at least not until somebody that cared, forwarded this  post to you.

image of Greg-Olson-Managing Director of Delightability and author of Experience Design BLUEPRINT

Greg Olson is a business coach to leaders and the author of The Experience Design BLUEPRINT:
Recipes for Happier Customers and Healthier Organizations. Chapters in the book that pertain to this blog post include Chapter 8: The Promise Delivery System and Chapter 14: The World of Work has Changed. Read it on Kindle or any device using the free Kindle Reader application.