The Art of a Great Elevator Pitch

Your elevator pitch can be your best friend or your worst enemy. It can bring you tons of new leads, business connections, and sales OR it can leave people wondering what it is you actually do and then moving on without a second thought.

In short your elevator pitch is a 30 second sound bite that tells people what your business does and how it can help solve their problems.

Unfortunately, most people get the elevator pitch very very very wrong or don’t use one at all.

However, you can be one of the 5 percent of business owners that get it right.

Steps to a Great Elevator Pitch:

1. Start by introducing yourself and your business. Give the who, what, where – but be brief and only tell them whatever is truly necessary. Example: I’m Lea and I own Pig of the Month BBQ, a nationwide mail order BBQ company based out of Dayton, Oh.

2. Vary it for the right buyer. The next line should vary slightly depending on who it is you are talking to. It’s not the your business does different things, its just that you need to pitch it different ways to different people. If you own an accounting firm you would tell the small business owner that you offer cost effective plans, but with the head of a major corporation you might want to stress things like trust, special services, etc.

3. Solve their problem. It’s important that you know all the different ways your business can solve your customers problems. That way you can pick and choose from those different services depending on who your talking to (#2). This should be the second line in your elevator pitch. Example: (Talking to a housewife) We offer homemade, all natural barbecue meats, sauces, and sides sent fully cooked to your door. It takes all the muss and fuss out of doing traditional barbecue – while being delicious & wholesome.

4. Be clear as crystal. Don’t use industry jargon in your pitch. Try and use simple language at a 6th grade level that anyone can understand. If someone in a completely unrelated industry can immediately understand what you do from your elevator pitch then you’re doing it right.

5. If you can give numbers – do! People love facts and statistics, so if you have some numbers you can work into your pitch you should do so. Example: (if you were a Internet marketer) One marketing plan I did increased revenues for that company by 412%.

6. Be ready for questions. Assuming you’ve followed all of the above tips (which I’m sure you have) then people will be dying to know more about what you do. Make sure you anticipate a few common questions and have solid answers for them.

Don’t forget the whole purpose of having the elevator pitch in your marketing arsenal is to GET MORE BUSINESS! Ask to connect, hand out sales material or a business card, and make sure to follow up. These leads can become good business!


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