Know Your Elevator Pitch by Heart or Lose Prospects

Has anyone ever asked you what you do for business and you blank out for a second and don't really know how to explain it? An elevator pitch is when you give a thirty-second (...okay, maybe you have up to a minute) summary to prospective clients that explains the heart and soul of your business. The purpose: impress them enough to buy, or at the very least, to open a more in-depth conversation for a potential sale down the road.

The term ‘elevator pitch’ is slang for the notion that you need to sell your brand in the brief time you take an elevator ride. Cute, huh? If your pitch is honed and you're always ready to go you may gain a client when the opportunity arises; if not, you won’t. It’s as simple as that. So, how do you write the best pitch possible?

1. Un-Learn Your Brand

Imagine that you don't know anything in-depth about your business at all. How would you want someone to explain it to you? In a long 30 minute conversation about every minor detail? Or something simple that is relatable that you understand. We think the second option is better 😉 You know the ins and outs of your business:

• You know the industry you're in like the back of your hand

• You know statistics and facts about your business' best practices

• You know the minute details of your processes

But it doesn't mean potential clients know or care about all those details! The trick to delivering a dynamic elevator pitch is to take time to write down the basic information about your business that prospects need to know, so they are willing to hire you over the competition.

2. Are You Selling? Or Are You Conversing?

Don’t overthink. You may want to use ‘big’ words or adjectives that are over the top. You don’t need to, and people can tell when you're embellishing. Just be who you are as a person and think of this as a semi-casual conversation. If a prospective client can relate to you and what you’re telling them, that’s an invaluable skill set.

The overall goal of an elevator pitch is to get prospects talking back, asking questions, or searching for more information. If they do, then you know you hooked their attention, and that’s a great opportunity to set up a meeting online or in-person!

Pro Tip: Make sure you always set up a meeting time during the call. Don't wait to schedule time later. If you can get a meeting booked in the moment - do it!

3. Where's Your Confidence?

After you’ve memorized and felt comfortable with your elevator pitch (this may take a few days, btw) - gaze into a mirror and deliver it to yourself. Your reflection will give you feedback on how effective your words will be in real-time.

• Your body language/posture

• How you use your hands

• Your eye contact or lack thereof

All of what you see in your reflection will give you a good idea about how confident you will appear to prospective clients, especially when they unexpectedly come across your path. Make sure you stand up tall, make direct eye contact, and really connect with the person you are speaking to. Speak like the confident business owner you know you are!

Summary:

An elevator pitch should be part of your marketing plan. You may want to procrastinate on this one because brief speeches are difficult to write and deliver. If you decide to skip this vital step in your marketing efforts though, you can bet you’ll lose potential clients you didn’t even know were out there. Take the time. Write the speech. Memorize and practice, practice, practice. You’ll be glad you did.

What's your elevator pitch? We'd love to hear from you!