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Elevator pitch

Imagine you walk into an elevator and standing there is your idol, someone you have always wanted to meet or do business with.

You've got maybe a minute to introduce yoruself and leave a positive impression.

Something that makes them want to get in contact with you.

What would you say? Where would you start?

With a little practice, you can lose the lump in your throat and nail that first impression.

 

The 'Elevator Pitch'

The aforementioned scenario is what elevator pitches are named after.

An Elevator pitches are a short, memorable description of what you do and/or what you sell.

Elevator pitches are a very important tool in your business and time-wise.

They can range from 10 seconds to 2 minutes with the most common being from 30 to 60 seconds.

Length can depend on the type of networking function that you are attending. For example: 

  • Open networking: 10 seconds
  • Speed networking: A 10 - 30 second elevator pitch 
  • Active referral group: 30 - 60 seconds depending on the group
  • Chamber of commerce:  1 to 2 minutes depending on the group

 

Giving yourself the best start

When you are meeting someone for the first time at an open networking event and they ask you what you do, what do you tell them?

Introducing yourself and saying that you own a digital marketing business is factual, but not all there is to you. 

Your introduction is a chance to do three things:

  • Let them know your name
  • Highlight your business specialty
  • Promote their curiosity enough to get them to ask another question

E.g., saying something like, "Hi, my name is John Smith and I own JS Digital" only ticks a couple of the boxes and is quite a basic answer.

If you have 10 seconds create interest in your business or yourself, you have to be strategic.

For example, "Hi I'm John Smith and I help businesses attract more leads without spending more on marketing and advertising".

You can see this includes key elements:

  • Sharing your name
  • Telling them you work in a marketing role
  • Given a little 'teaser' of what you do 

Having piqued their curiosity, leading them to ask you "how do you do that?"

This generates further conversation, allowing you to connect with who you're speaking to on a deeper level.

 

Preparing your pitch

Preparing a longer pitch might take some more practice to create and commit to memory.

In a longer elevator pitch you could use the introduction given above as your starting point.

Some other things you can include are:

  • An existing or new product or service that you are introducing
  • A testimonial you have received
  • What type of referrals that you like to receive
  • A 'call to action' such as free download from your website, or special offer
  • A mention of your social media accounts, or request to like/follow
  • An educational piece about your business and how it helps yoru customers
  • Some business owners choose to end their (longer) pitch with their business tagline

You won't get to include all of the above suggestions into your pitch, so do your best to be selective.

Shape your pitch around the message you are going to get across to prospective connections/customers.

 

Finalising your pitch

The only thing left to do after this is to practise, practise, practise!

Remember the 5 P's: Prior Preparation Prevents Poor Performance.

You want your pitch to sound natural when you deliver them. 

A great way to do this is to either record your voice and/or video yourself, so do so in front of a mirror or with a trusted person.