Here’s How to Perfect Your Elevator Pitch
As a small business owner, you understand that you’re always representing your business. Every conversation is an opportunity to sell your product or service to a potential buyer. But how do you give yourself the best chance at opening the door to a productive conversation?
Enter the elevator pitch.
What is an elevator pitch?
Rumor has it that Elisha Otis, the inventor of the elevator, is responsible for the first elevator pitch. He allegedly showed onlookers the benefit of the safety brake in real-time at a convention center, demonstrating its value in less than 30 seconds. And that’s exactly what your elevator pitch is going to be for your business: a brief 30 to 60-second story about who you are and what you do.
Why you need one
Aside from the obvious ability to describe your job when someone asks, “So what do you do?”, there are a number of great reasons to develop an elevator pitch.
Credibility: You instantly appear more credible when you can describe what your business does without fumbling and stumbling.
Self-promotion: Let’s be honest; it’s hard to shamelessly self-promote. But it’s something you have to do as a small business owner. And having a script can give you the confidence to talk about your business in a more natural way.
Makes interactions less awkward: Ever been at a networking event and got to chitchatting about the weather? Yep, we all have. Instead of twiddling your thumbs and looking around desperately for things to say, you can use your elevator pitch to open the door to further conversation about you and your business. Awkward turtle moment averted!
What makes a great elevator pitch?
A truly great elevator pitch is targeted to a specific audience. You need to know who you’re talking to and what you want to convey to them. The good news is elevator pitches generally fall into one of two categories. If you develop each of the following, you can alter just a few words to make it work for any audience.
The two types of elevator pitches
Blanket elevator pitch
The blanket pitch is a generic option you can use any time, any place. It speaks to who you are and what you do in a very general way that encourages people to ask questions if there’s an aspect that interests them. It’s great to use at parties where you’re being introduced to people for the first time. It’s the pitch you might use if you were literally in an elevator with a stranger.
The template:
Who you are
What you do
Why it matters
Example blanket elevator pitch: I’m Brooke, a digital marketer and writer. I own a marketing firm that does website design, brand strategy, and content development for small businesses. We know small business owners are busy, so we handle the marketing tasks they might not have the time, skills, or energy to do themselves, like email marketing, website management, and content creation for social platforms.
Ideal prospect elevator pitch
You can use this pitch when you’re networking with people who you know are your ideal prospects or are closely connected to that audience. This is more tailored to the desires and pain points of your ideal prospect.
The template:
Who you are
What you do
Who you serve
Why it matters
What to do next
Example of an ideal prospect elevator pitch: I’m Brooke. I’m a digital marketer and owner of Big Bad Marketing, a firm that shows small business owners how to play big with their marketing efforts, even on a small business budget. We do the heavy lifting for owners who don’t have the time, skills, or energy to figure out marketing on their own. We’ve helped local businesses like yours increase their website traffic by over 250% in just six months.
Optional add-on if you’re really ready to go in for the kill and already have interest: We do free 30-minute consultation calls. What’s the best time for us to connect next week?
There you have it. The two types of pitches and how to create them from scratch. But before you leave, it’s important that we cover one last important thing: what not to do in an elevator pitch.
The no-no’s of the elevator pitch
Your elevator pitch is NOT your life story and shouldn’t include details like your past roles or where you went to school. The elevator pitch is not your resume; it’s about your business! Keep it focused on the key points we outlined above. As long as you tell people who you are, what you do, and why it matters, you’re cleared hot to pitch the day away.
Key takeaways:
An elevator pitch should be 30-60 seconds long and succinctly explain who you are, what you do, and why it matters.
The elevator pitch can be used in more formal conversations with your ideal prospect or as a way to strike up a conversation with a stranger who asks what you do for work.
Your elevator pitch should be a subtle self-promotion tool that establishes your credibility and opens up a further conversation for the right people who are willing to engage.
