For all of us who are involved with media such as Facebook, Twitter, blogs, etc., the impression someone has of you or your organization may already be developed before you ever have a chance to meet face to face. Those impressions formed, and even the judgments reached, about you may serve as the basis for your potential business relationship before you ever get to the pitch.

Ponder for a moment; what now constitutes a first impression? Business is happening (or not)  in a variety of new or social media environments and communities.

For example, a couple of months ago I was offered a speaking gig with CUNA via Facebook. In that situation, I did not have a chance to do an elevator or any other type of sales pitch. Although personal interaction is still critical to success, we have to acknowledge the power of new media, changing with the times. This may sound cliché, yet it is our reality. Perhaps the new elevator pitch is a “TwitPitch”, where you only have 140 characters to dazzle, or a brief sound bite.

Think about your goal and make sure you are maximizing your moments within each medium available to you. Are you and your team ready to engage when the door opens to establish your next business relationship or capture the next business transaction opportunity?

Growing your business requires you and your staff to be strategically prepared to maximize moments! We no longer have the length of an elevator ride or unlimited dollars to spend to get people’s attention. Join me during my session at the 2010 Marketing and Business Development Conference to gain more insights and further develop your skills around this exciting topic.

A special thank you to Jason Duplant, a student during my recent Grad School session at the Southwest CUNA Management School, for challenging the validity of the Elevator Pitch concept in today’s business environment.