Elevator Pitch

Everyone in your business should be able to explain:

• What your company does
• The value of its product or service

Meaning the salespeople and business owners should try to perfect their elevator pitch.

And it’s something every salesperson and marketer should know.

So in this blog post, we will learn about how to craft an elevator pitch.

Let’s get into it.

Pitch Structure

It’s helpful to draft an outline before writing your elevator pitch:

Explain

In one line explain about:

• Your company
• Product, or service

Make sure to leave out all the technical jargon for the people not in your industry.

Value

Demonstrate data that shows why your idea is valuable for your audience.

The advantage of using data for an elevator pitch includes:

• You can say a lot in a few words
• It gives you credibility

Can’t find data relevant to your pitch? Find an example that relates to your audience instead. 

Remember to make sure it shows how your product or service fits into their daily lives.

Ask

Tell your audience what you’re asking them to do in a detailed but concise way, like:

• Checking out your website
• A product purchase
• Investment capital
• A partnership

Meaning detail exactly what you’re asking them to purchase.

And remember a 20-second pitch won’t be enough to build value for high-commitment investments.

So start with something small if your business has an extended buying cycle or high purchase price.

After completing the three sections above, create different versions, making the first around 20 seconds or less.

If you’re likely to receive some follow-ups, your elevator pitch should include a longer version of maybe a minute or 90 seconds.

Just remember to prepare for follow-up questions after delivering your pitch and respond with quality answers.

Targeting Different Personas

You will need to change your pitch depending on the target audience segment you’re speaking to, especially the ‘Value’ section.

See if the value your business, product or service provides personas relates to the ‘Value’ section of your elevator pitch.

If not, create a version of your elevator pitch that targets persona’s value proposition.

You can also adjust the ‘Ask’ section for personas different purchasing habits.

The Delivery

A great elevator pitch is one that has a great delivery, so be passionate and show energy.

But being too excited makes you come across as:

• Distracting
• Off-putting
• Desperate

So rehearse your pitch over and over to someone who knows nothing about your business.

Then ask them:

• Do they know what your company does
• The value of your product or service

Then ask if they would take action or not, depending if you built value for them to act.

Finally, try your elevator pitch on a few more people, get feedback, refine and practice in front of the mirror.

Remember the more times you practise, the easier it is to speak confidently, concisely and passionately.