Whether you’re trying to gain the interest of a potential customer, trying to get the attention of a journalist or simply explain what you do, having a strong elevator pitch is your key to success.
Traditionally, an elevator pitch is a quick summary that you use in any situation where you need to explain your business or what you do in a clear and concise manner. It gets the name ‘elevator pitch’ because you should be able to get through your whole speech in the time it takes to travel from the ground floor to the top floor in an elevator (30-60 seconds).
Why is an elevator pitch so important?
You only get one chance to make a first impression. An elevator pitch can help you make the most of these first impressions while making networking situations easier and more productive.
An elevator pitch helps in situations where you might be uncomfortable or get a little tongue tied when trying to explain what you do. It gives you a ready-to-go introduction, which can take a lot of the stress out of a situation. Having a well practiced pitch will present you as more confident and self-assured leading to a great first impression.
What should I say in my elevator pitch?
The point of creating an elevator pitch is to design a statement that explains to someone with limited knowledge of your industry, what you do, how you do it and who you do it for. It should be simple, short, concise and easy to understand.
What are the essential Elements of an elevator pitch?
Your elevator pitch needs to be goal orientated and targeted. Ask youself, what is the reason behind my pitch and who am I talking to? You may need to create a different pitch depending on your different objectives and audiences.
Try to include a hook. This is the element that captures your listener’s attention and makes them want to know more. Try to use words or phrases that strike a chord in your listener.
Where do I start?
1. Write down what you do. Get a pen and paper out and write out what you do in different ways about 10-20 times. Don’t be too particular at this stage as this first step is for generating ideas and getting a feel for descriptive words.
2. Determine your objective. What is the point of your pitch? Do you want to gain a new client, make a sale, enlist support for an idea, or entice a journalist to write about you?
3. Develop action statements. Create 10-20 statements or questions designed to act as a call to action in associated with your objective.
4. Record yourself. Listening to a recording of yourself, whilst daunting can help you be more critical of your performance and help you make a decision on the best approach.
5. Get another opinion. Once you have made necessary edits and perfected your pitch to fit into a 30-60 second time frame, run it by as many people as you can. It helps to do this practice with people you trust that already have some understanding of what you do (colleagues, clients, friends and family), so they can best provide feedback.
6. Practice, practice, practice. Now you have your final product. Write it down and memorise it so you are comfortable delivering it in any situation.
7. Continue to perfect. There is always room for improvement. Listen for phrases that could help make your elevator pitch more clear and powerful. As you, your business, your goals and your services change you will need to change your elevator pitch to reflect these changes.
Sydney Public Relations Agency, CP Communications provides specialist media, traditional and online PR strategies that get amazing results. Contact us today. For more great tips visit our website www.cpcommunications.com.au.
