Saw this recently in the book Managing Agile Projects by Sanjiv Augustine (which is brilliant by the way. I’m intending to write a few posts on this book when I get time).
How to write your elevator pitch:
For (target customer)
Who (statement of the need or opportunity)
The (product name) is a (product category)
That (key benefit, compelling reason to buy)
Unlike (primary competitive alternative)
Our product (statement of primary differentiation)
This is very useful for someone like me who tends to waffle more then Birds Eye.
Even though I have a permanently sore neck and shoulders I still felt a bit guilty at spending 600 quid on a Humanscale Liberty office chair last year. Not any more - I no longer feel like Quasimodo when it gets to 6 o’clock. It’s been worth every penny.
I justified it to myself by calculating that with a 10 year guarantee, it only costs me 60 quid a year, or 5 quid a month to save my back from becoming totally knackered.
Joel Spolky takes it one step further in his book Smart and Gets Things Done - a useful book on hiring programmers which I read on the train to Bristol today. He’s using the Aeron as an example, but it’s the same sort of thing:
So the bottom line is that an Aeron only really costs $500 more over ten years, or $50 a year. One dollar per week per programmer.
A nice roll of toilet paper runs about a buck. Your programmers are probably using about one roll a week, each.
So upgrading them to an Aeron chair literally costs the same amount as you’re spending on their toilet paper, and I assure you that if you tried to bring up toilet paper in the budget committee you would be sternly told not to mess around, there were important things to discuss.
I’m sure this line of argument could be used for leverage in a wide range of budgetary disagreements if you really needed it to. I’m remembering this one.
It’s all go at Screen West Midlands at the moment (our local film, tv and digital agency). Here’s an advert for a mighty fascinating sounding job:
We’re looking for an inspirational, experienced and highly skilled individual to support and drive the region’s rapidly changing media landscape.
The new senior level post of Head of Innovation and New Markets will be responsible for delivering over £10 million of investment in the West Midlands’ media industries, developing creative and technological innovations, reaching new markets, negotiating high level partnerships across the board from blue chip companies to digital leaders. You will also be charged with developing a skills strategy that supports the needs of the changing media environment in the West Midlands.
Sounds pretty cool. Let em know if you’re interested.
Just got back from the meet up at Rooty’s, going to write a very quick one before bed. It was a great evening - really good fun and loads of good ideas to think about.
I think the Brum social media cafe idea that was coming out is killer. I’d definitely join and will help out if I can. A few more thoughts have come to mind but I’ll post these later when I’ve thought them through.
It’s great to see such a thriving social media community in and around Birmingham. Loads of interesting new people to meet - see everyone next time.
If you’re not familiar with the goings on in Digbeth, Birmingham then the basic story is that a few residents of brand new flats in Digbeth (well known capital of the Brum music scene) are complaining about the noise. The Spotted Dog is right in the firing line and is under threat of closing.
It has it all: An ambitious idea way ahead of its time; an eight year story from idea through to conception; a fascinating mix of world-wide collaboration, physical devices (a handheld species identifier if you can believe it), totally unique data visualisation techniques; and at the end of all this we end up with something that is going to add a rather significant amount to the sum of human knowledge.
In short, a story of "how big things get done". Inspiring.
