A great introduction goes a long way to setting the stage for a professional conversation—especially when used at networking events or tradeshows. The one tool that people use to make introductions simple and effective is the elevator pitch. Today, we are going to provide several elevator pitches (speech) examples and tips to help create, craft, and deliver your message. Throughout this blog, we will use elevator pitch and elevator speech interchangeably. So, let’s get on with the topic.
What Is an Elevator Pitch or Elevator Speech?
An elevator pitch or speech is simply a quick summary of your business. It receives its name from the length of time it takes to ride an elevator from the bottom to the top of a building. This is roughly 30 seconds or 75 words. Sometimes elevator pitches are thought to be specific about an idea or a product, but you can also have a pitch to sell yourself as a professional. So, let’s find out why elevator pitches are important.
Why Are Elevator Pitches Important?
Elevator Pitches are often used as an icebreaker when starting a conversation. This conversation could take place at a networking event, tradeshows, a cocktail party, or other social settings. Also, individuals who tend to get nervous at events may find that running through your elevator speech could reduce your nervousness.
A significant advantage of using an elevator pitch is that you take the lead in the conversation. No more waiting on the other party to direct the communication, you simply explain what you have to offer. A lot of times, this can be a relief to the people that you are talking too. Next, we will discuss how to write an elevator speech.
How to Write an Elevator Pitch?
Basically, your elevator speech should answer the following questions: Who you are? What do you do? What do you want? It is that simple. So, let’s get started creating.
Start by introducing yourself
What do you do when you meet someone? You introduce yourself. That is what we are going to do. You will provide your full name, extend your hand for a handshake, and say, “It’s nice to meet you.” It is as simple as that. Now let’s go on to the next step.
Provide a Summary of What You Do
Your summary contains a brief description of your background. You want to include the most relevant information like your work experience, and key specialties or strengths. If you are still confused or not sure what to write, then just start writing. I find that by just writing everything that comes to my mind down on paper is the easiest. Once you have finished writing, go back and remove everything that is not absolutely critical to explain your background and why your audience might be needing. Think of it this way, it is highlighting the best parts of your resume. The goal is to get it down to a few points and then organize them, so it makes sense. Consider it your story.
Here’s an example:
“Hi, my name is Nancy. It is so nice to meet you! I am a Business Consultant, Podcaster, and YouTuber that helps businesses with Government Contracting. Along with my thirty-five years of professional experience, I also graduate with my MBA from Ottawa University.”
Explain What You Are After
In this step you are pitching your business. You could be focusing on a new innovative product, the value that you bring to your clients. Think about this from your potential client’s point of view. What information would they need to sell your product, or service. This is all about what you have to offer.
Now let’s review the pitch that I did earlier:
“Hi, my name is Nancy. It is so nice to meet you! I am a Business Consultant, Podcaster, and YouTuber that helps businesses with Government Contracting. Along with my thirty-five years of professional experience, I also graduate with my MBA from Ottawa University. I find that helping small businesses to be innovating and refreshing – I’d love the opportunity to put my expertise to work for your company”
Finish with Your Call to Action
You should end your elevator speech by asking for what you want to happen next. If you feel an elevator pitch is appropriate for a certain situation, begin with the goal of gaining new insight or determining your next steps. Some explains include asking for a meeting, or maybe asking someone to be your mentor.
Yes, I know that a call to action can be intimidating but it is important to have an action item instead of letting the conversation die. Remember that you just met this person, so make the ask simple with little required on their part. Let’s look at the example again:
“Hi, my name is Nancy. It is so nice to meet you! I am a Business Consultant, Podcaster, and YouTuber that helps businesses with Government Contracting. Along with my thirty-five years of professional experience, I also graduate with my MBA from Ottawa University. I find that helping small businesses to be innovating and refreshing – I’d love the opportunity to put my expertise to work for your company. Would you mind if I setup a quick call next week for us to talk about any upcoming opportunities?”
Examples for Elevator Pitches
Elevator Pitch Examples:
“XXX helps small businesses quickly and easily save money on their credit card processing costs by comparing the leading options in the market. It’s completely free to the end user, there are no obligations and takes just one minute to do.”
XXX works because the company concentrated on one main benefit. Saving money and overcoming common objections about cost, obligations, and time. Also, they emphasized how fast their system provided the results.
Here is another example:
“”ABC” is an online platform directly connecting local consumers with house cleaners. With Hux, you can easily compare local house cleaners on total price, reviews, availability and instantly book a service. Our technology empowers local house cleaners by replacing costly overhead found in the traditional service industry and makes it easy for consumers to book services online in just two minutes. Just think of us as the Uber of house cleaning!”
The above example works due to the comparison that the owner made regarding Uber. By referencing Urbe helps drive home the platform’s ease of use and instant booking features.
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Final Elevator Pitch Tips
It is going to take some time to develop a pitch that focuses on your background and immediate goals. Be sure to keep practicing and refining it. Make sure to read it out loud to yourself so you can reveal any mistakes, opportunities for better wording or extraneous information that distracts from your main points. Ask someone to help you practice it out loud and give feedback to start polishing your speech. Next up are a few tips to help you practice:
Take Your Time Saying Your Elevator Pitch
Your elevator pitch is a short conversation, but don’t try to speak too fast. Your speech should be around 75 words that help you transparently deliver optimal information. Also, do not rush through your pitch or try adding too much information.
Your Elevator Pitch Needs to Be Conversational.
You must plan your elevator pitch out ahead of time and practice it. But you don’t want to sound rehearsed in delivery. A great way to keep the speech conversational is to memorize the critical points of your elevator pitch. Remember to keep the structure in mind and adapt your speech to each person. Also, you should practice your elevator speech out loud and have someone listen to it. They can provide valuable feedback.
Avoid Niche words or phrases
Remember to avoid the use of acronyms, technical terms, or industry-specific words and phrases. As a result, it can cause alienation or confusion. Remember that you need to speak to people with varied backgrounds. Try to replace the acronyms, or technical terms with general, easy to understand language.
Express Confidence
Your delivery will determine your effectiveness when delivering your elevator pitch. Keep your chest high, shoulders back and smiles when meeting someone and delivering your pitch. Your voice needs to be strong to show your confidence in your experience. There is really no need to be nervous.
If the person you gave your pitch to does not seem interested just back off, if you asked for an in-person meeting and they said no, then ask if they prefer email or a phone call. Remember to pay attention to how the person is receiving your message. You may have caught the person on a bad day or they were simply not prepared for your elevator speech.
Trust me; it will get easier as you go along. I have been using the pitch for Federal Contracting Made Easy for so long that it just flows out of my mouth before I know it. In fact, I say it at the beginning of every video.
Summary
Remember that developing an elevator pitch takes time. Don’t try to rush through the process. Also, follow the steps above to start outlining your pitch. Furthermore, in any professional situation, your elevator pitch will work. Remember to deliver with confidence.
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