First of all, what is an elevator pitch? This is a summary of your company. The name is derived from the time taken to ride an elevator. What would you say to someone if you were traveling in an elevator with them and they asked you about your business? Your pitch is a speech about who you are and what you do. It’s an opportunity to share your expertise and experience quickly and effectively with people you don’t know.
Why is your pitch important?
A pitch can help you to prepare yourself for introductions. You never know when someone may ask you what you do for a living. It could be in the line at a grocery store or at a networking event. Your pitch will help your contact to understand why they should potentially connect with you. It’s your opportunity to shine. You can assertively explain what you and your business have to offer. The aim is to spark interest in your business. It is a prime opportunity to make a good first impression and generate interest in your business.
When should you use an elevator pitch?
An elevator pitch is a great way to introduce yourself to potential partners or funders. The pitch is not only useful to sales people who aim to sell their products or services. It should actually be known across the organization, from the founder to the receptionist. You can use your elevator pitch to introduce yourself to possible clients or customers. It can even be used when hiring new employees to tell them about the organization.
How to write a mind-blowing pitch
Start with a blank canvas. Take out a piece of paper and write down the most important bits of information you would like to convey about your business. What do you do, what have you achieved and what are your goals? Focus on items that are memorable and interesting. Be authentic and true to yourself. Then go through your list and remove anything that is not critical or unclear.
Put it in order
Once you’ve got your lists, grab another piece of paper and break it up into five columns. At the top of each column, write “Who am I”, “What do I do”, “How do I do it”, “Why do I do it”, and “Who do I do it for”?. Based on your list, create two compelling sentences per heading. Now organize your headings in a logical order and practice your pitch.
How to deliver your pitch
After you’ve taking the time to jot down your pitch, practice and refine it. Read it out loud, practice it on family members and friends. Saying it out loud will likely reveal any mistakes. Ask your friends or family to give you feedback. You can even record yourself to hear your tone, listen to your pace and see if you sound friendly and welcoming.
Some valuable tips
Although an elevator pitch is meant to be short and succinct, it should not be rushed. It is a quick conversation by nature, but you should avoid speaking too fast. Although you likely have planned and practiced your pitch, you should not sound rehearsed. It should feel natural and light. Try to memorize the structure of what you want to say without memorizing word for word. Don’t confuse or alienate your audience by using acronyms or industry technical terms. You may lose your audience in this process. You want your pitch to speak to a variety of backgrounds, make it general and easy to understand.
What not to say
Don’t speak too fast, this may cause you to mumble your words and your point will come across as incoherent. Although you don’t want to sound rehearsed, you also don’t want to fumble or ramble. Make sure you know what you want to say. Be relaxed, positive and enthusiastic. You do not want to bore your audience.
In summary
- Your pitch should be between 30-60 seconds
- It should be a quick introduction to who you are and what you do
- The audience should understand clearly what your core business is
- It should spark interest and be impressive
- Focus on a problem or need within the market and how you aim to solve that problem
- Be clear, concise and crisp
- Emphasise your unique selling proposition