Cohousing-L Mailing List: Re: The Elevator Drop Pitch

[Ann Zabaldo (zabaldo]

Hi Marty!

First … congrats on the FAST pace at which your community is moving!  I’m sure 
it must seem like molasses sometimes to you but when I get these glimpses of 
your progress … I’m thrilled for you!

And double thanks for posting your “pitch” to this list.  I’ve made some 
comments below. 


> On Jan 8, 2016, at 4:54 PM, mmaskall [at] pacbell.net wrote:
> 
> Here's what I use:
> 
> "I'm helping to build Fair Oaks EcoHousing.  It will be like an
> old-fashioned village where neighbors know and care about each other.”
> 
> Then I watch & wait for questions.  I welcome any feedback.

What kinds of questions do you get?

What I like about The Formula is that it makes clear what is happening — you 
state a challenge or an issue, you say what you’re doing to resolve it and then 
you say what the benefits are.

What question or issue are you trying to solve?  Affordability?  Lack of 
housing,  housing for seniors?  Sustainability?

How is building EcoHousing answering that question or challenge?

What are the benefits of building and/or living in EcoHousing?

For the sake of an example, let’s say the issue in your area is the high cost 
of electricity.  This is all made up.

Do you know that in the Sacramento area the cost of electricity is 2x’s the 
national average?  What we’re doing at Fair Oaks EcoHousing is building highly 
energy efficient homes that will reduce energy costs by 50% so that homeowners 
can save money, reduce energy needs and contribute to a greener more 
sustainable environment.

If the issue is housing for people with disabilities — again all made up:

Do you know that in the Sacramento area fewer than 5% of the homes are 
accessible?  What we’re doing is building a neighborhood that will be 100% 
accessible, adaptable and visitable by everyone so that people of ALL abilities 
can live here without the barriers typical for most housing developments.

You may need multiple pitches from which to choose when speaking to different 
folks.

Does this help Marty?  Need more info?

I’m working on a general, all-purpose cohousing pitch.  I could use some help.  
 I’ll put it in a separate email.   


Best --

Ann Zabaldo
Takoma Village Cohousing
Washington, DC
Principal, Cohousing Collaborative, LLC
Falls Church, VA
703.688.2646


> 
> About us:  FO EcoHousing will be located 18 miles east of Sacramento.  We
> plan to build 30 townhomes and flats, with a large Common House, swimming
> pool, spa, workshop, gardens, and orchard.  We've bought the land and we're
> almost finished with Construction Docs.  We hope to start construction this
> spring. 
> 
> Warmly,
> Marty
> ------------------
> Marty Maskall, Future Resident & Project Manager
> www.FairOaksEcoHousing.org -- a Family-Friendly Green Neighborhood
> (916) 967-2472
> about.me/marty.maskall
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> 
> Message: 1
> Date: Thu, 7 Jan 2016 10:24:35 -0500
> From: Ann Zabaldo <zabaldo [at] earthlink.net>
> To: Cohousing-L <cohousing-l [at] cohousing.org>
> Subject: [C-L]_ Marketing:  The Elevator Drop Pitch
> 
> Hello all ?
> 
> I just uploaded this week?s Mid Atlantic Cohousing newsletter to the MAC
> Cohousing Blog.   The main entry is on how to construct an elevator drop
> pitch for marketing.  This is a short 10-30 second pitch you can use to
> enroll someone into using  your product or service or cohousing community.
> You can read about it here:
> 
> http://www.midatlanticcohousing.org/cohousing-blog