An elevator pitch is an overview of your business, and, as the name implies, it is delivered in the time it takes to complete your average elevator ride. It can be one of the simplest yet most powerful marketing tools for a small business owner.
According to wikipedia, An elevator pitch, elevator speech, or elevator statement is a short description of an idea, product, or company that explains the concept in a way such that any listener can understand it in a short period of time. This description typically explains who the thing is for, what it does, why it is needed, and how it will get done. Finally, when explaining an individual person, the description generally explains one’s skills and goals, and why they would be a productive and beneficial person to have on a team or within a company or project. An elevator pitch does not have to include all of these components, but it usually does at least explain what the idea, product, company, or person is and their value.
An elevator pitch can be used to entice an investor or executive in a company, or explain an idea to a founder’s parents. The goal is simply to convey the overall concept or topic in an exciting way. Unlike a sales pitch, there may not be a clear buyer–seller relationship.
When delivering your elevator pitch, the goal is to be short and snappy to entice your would-be prospect to want to know more about your business. The length can vary, but you typically want to be able to present your elevator pitch comfortably without rushing in 30 seconds or less. 1
How to Write an Elevator Pitch.
credit to https://www.thebalancesmb.com/how-to-write-an-elevator-pitch-2951690
The elevator pitch goes beyond sharing what it is you do. Instead, the goal is to intrigue your lead so that they want to know more. So, instead of saying, “I’m a virtual assistant,” you might say, “I help busy small business owners get more done, in less time, to earn more profits.” Any small business owners who heard that would likely want to know how they could earn more by doing less.
Here is a six-step process to help you write an elevator pitch:
Who Are You? Write one sentence about yourself. For example, you might introduce yourself as a consultant to small business owners.
What You Do or Offer? Use your mission statement and product/service listing as a guide, and write a sentence or two about what you do every day in your business. If your emphasis is on time-saving techniques, state briefly how your strategies work.
What Problem Do You Solve? Identify the value you offer to your customers or clients. Avoid listing only your features, and instead, translate them into benefits.
How You Are Different? Use your unique selling proposition (USP) as a guide and write about what sets you apart from every other business owner who does what you do. Perhaps you’ve had relevant experiences and overcome them yourself or you have an uncommon strategy.
Ask a Question: Elevator pitches are generally delivered in in-person situations, such as an elevator or networking event, which means you want to be social and engage your lead in a conversation. A great way to involve your lead is to ask a question that relates to your lead and your business. Using the virtual assistant question, you might ask, “What business activity do you find the most tedious?”
Give a Call to Action: Once your pitch is done, give the lead something to do next in a call to action, such as take your business card. Briefly let your audience know what they can do to follow up and hear more. Provide a means for further contact or for scheduling a meeting.
Putting Your Elevator Pitch Together
Once you’ve come up with something for each of the six steps, work with your responses to create up to a 30 second or 80- to 90-word pitch.2 Add transitions and edit your pitch until it flows conversationally and captures the most important information. For example, it might read something like this:
“Hi, I’m Sally Smith, a virtual assistant who helps busy small business owners get more done, in less time, to earn more profits. What business activity do you dislike doing the most?”
Or
“Hi, I’m Sally Smith, I’m an accountant who helps people keep more of their hard earn money. Last year I helped my clients save over six-figures. Here’s my card which lists the top tax deductions most people don’t take advantage of.”
The above examples are shorter than most, but they highlight your goal which is to give an indication of what you do and how you can be helpful to your lead.
Here is our Boots & Ladders elevator pitch,
“Technology is the great equalizer – except when it comes to trade services. Every middleman wants to get in on the action, which only increases cost to the customer for a simple plumbing job and eats into the profits of an honest tradesman.
At Boots and Ladders, we focus on two things – getting customers the best results possible, and letting tradesmen keep their hard-earned cut. With a merit based marketplace, you can be assured that we have your best interests at heart! Stay toned while Boots and Ladders complete the work order for the work ahead.”
Tips to Effective Elevator Pitches
There is a secret to a good elevator pitch which goes to the psychology of sales and marketing. Here are a few things you need to keep in mind:
Know Your Audience
Get your lead talking first so you can learn something about them and their pain points so you can tailor your pitch to fit their needs. For example, if Sally Smith learned that a small business owner was buried under papers, she could say, “Hi, I’m Sally Smith, a virtual assistant who helps small business owners get their ducks in a row. My clients scan their paper items and I organize and file them for them, saving them time, money, and clutter.”
