What would you say to your VP or CEO if she gave you 30 seconds to explain what your team does, and why it’s valuable?
What if she gave you 5 minutes?
In other words, can you distill your key messaging to senior leaders and deliver it concisely and well?
This framework – which has been used by sales professionals for many years – will help you:
“This is a __________ that does __________. This helps people ____________.”
Your 30 second pitch could sound like these:
“Our XYZ operation consistently delivers high-quality ______ at an industry-low price. This helps the organization keep repeat customers at 40% margins.”
“Our team identifies key alliance partners in adjacent markets. This supports our corporate strategy of branching into a new sales channels.”
“Our team is focused on improving financial margins by analyzing opportunities to phase out less profitable products without losing our best customers. We have recommendations for an 8% margin improvement in two regions.”
Note the use of “our team” vs. “my group” or “I….”
If the question is really about what you have done as an individual, frame your response in terms of organization benefit. “I was invited to take responsibility for staunching talent loss and boosting engagement of XYZ group after product and sales failures last year. We’ve made progress as demonstrated by 60% less turnover this year and tangible sales gains.”
