No matter to which profession you belong, a strong elevator pitch is an essential tool that can help you achieve success at every step.
Don’t confuse your elevator pitch with your autobiography!
It is actually a summary of you, your work and your accomplishments which you can utilize to sell yourself. You can create an elevator pitch about yourself or your company.
An elevator pitch is, therefore, a concise, verbal form of personal branding that you need to outline in a format that most individuals are familiar with.
Since, it is verbal and you may have only 60 seconds to speak up, make sure that it is absolutely memorable and punchy.
Crafting an Elevator Pitch:
It is essential that you are always prepared with a power-packed elevator pitch that can impress the listener and make you score full marks, as new business opportunities can strike anywhere!
So, if you really want to build an impressive and award winning elevator pitch for yourself, but don’t know how to do this, then read these simple and fruitful steps below.
1. Start on a strong note:
Large portion of how winning your elevator pitch is, depends on its starting note. So, make sure that you begin on an extremely catchy note so that you can easily snag your listener’s attention and he becomes curious to know more about you.
Once you do this correct, then your prospects will follow you, and everything will go fine.
2. Be realistic and interesting:
Generating interest within the listener and providing him with valuable information is the key to outlining the award winning elevator pitch, but at the same time it is required that you stay realistic and authentic of what you say.
Don’t try to make outlandish claims about your work or your company, as eventually it will be known and this may ruin your entire integrity.
Better than this, is to present your company and work in an impressive manner so that the listener becomes curious to know more about it.
3. Outline an Objective:
Develop an objective of your pitch. For instance, decide that whether you want to tell your clients about your organization or do you want your great product idea to be executed through your pitch or do you want to simply brief about what you want to do in future.
Once you are clear about what you want to tell the listener about your client, it will be easier for you to develop a strong beginning and happy ending for your pitch, and so you will be able to confidently converse with the client.
4. Focus on Service of Your Company or Product:
Concisely, focus on what your company does and problems that your company or product solves.
You can also add great statistical information about your company in order to make your pitch more interesting.
If you are trying to sell your services, then focus on them so that your message is easily conveyed to the listener.
5. Be enthusiast while speaking:
No matter what your objective is, make sure that you are an enthusiast and excited, but confident while you speak.
This is very vital and is also helpful to snag listener’s interest. May be the listener doesn’t remember much of your words, but surely he will remember your enthusiasm and your personality.
6. Know the Target Audience:
When you are outlining your elevator pitch, then first think about the audience that you need to target. Make sure that your pitch is inclusive of information that is useful to the listener, as only then he will be more curious to know about you.
So, shift your pitch depending on the audience you are trying to target in order to create a positive lasting impression with ease.
7. Prioritize Your Pitch:
Use plain language to describe problems that your product solves. If your product solves too many problems, then focus on the important ones.
Stick to what problem you can solve, how it is helpful to customers and why people have faith in you, the rest will follow.
8. Personalize a problem into a question and give the listener a reason to listen:
Try to personalize a problem into the form of a question and make sure that you give the best solution for it.
You can also include points like, “who cannot afford”, or “who are tired of”, to make the listener believe that you really care about your customers.
9. Keep the Pitch Conversational:
You want to generate curiosity within the listener and also stand out of the crowd, but make sure that you do not regurgitate a well memorized pitch, which may seem boring or like an ad. Try to be conversational and try building a connection with the listener.
You can speak out your pitch in the form of a story, which has problems and then you give out the best solution.
10. Differentiate Yourself or Your Company from Others in competition:
The person who you have just met is showing interest after your strong starting note. Now it’s your duty to provide quality information about you or your company to that person.
Try to list down one or two facts about you or your company, which shows that you are different from others in the market. Portray your uniqueness to the listener in just one or two sentences.
11. Know your end goal:
As soon as you generate your elevator pitch, you should also outline an impressive exit strategy.
Those who are listening to your pitch, must understand that you have evaluated everything and have an excellent plan to work on.
12. Try making a connection:
Your elevator pitch is an extremely vital networking tool. It is your verbal business card that briefs about you so that you can benefit from new business opportunities.
So, while you are in front of the listener, make sure that you not only provide genuine information, but you also try to develop mutual beneficial relationships with the listener so that it can help you avail benefits in future time.
13. Use a friendly tone:
If you want your elevator pitch to be easily comprehensible by the listener, then you have to completely avoid using industry jargon.
Even if your job is highly technical, make sure that you use words and language that a common man can easily understand. As only then you will be able to avail benefits, which you desire, from your elevator pitch.
14. Talk about your customers:
Now, once you have informed elevator crowd, about your business or job, immediately talk about your customers, and how you serve them. Describe in simple, distinct language, what you do for your customers.
15. Deliver what is required:
While developing a winning elevator pitch, be sure that you frame it in an interesting manner and with information that is genuine and not fake.
Also, the information you are delivering must be meaningful and useful to the customer, as only then he will be interested to know more and complete of it.
16. Be clear and punchy:
A major role of your job is to motivate individuals to act. No matter what your profession or business is, you have to be well prepared with an unforgettable and compelling story that can easily draw your audience in.
So, while you make use of your elevator pitch, it is better to tell, and not sell. If you will be clear and be able to deliver a memorable pitch, then there are more chances that the listener will come back to you to hear all about it.
17. Talk about your revenue model:
The subject of ‘money’ is always interesting. So, you can talk about your revenue model, or in simple words, you can tell ways with which you expect to make some money.
May be this interests the listener and he gets ready to give you your golden chance.
18. Finish on a Happy Customer Ending:
Provide your elevator pitch a happy ending, like the way it has in good stories. You can describe about specific client issue that you resolved, as it will portray your concern towards your client.
19. Refine and Practice:
The more time you practice your elevator pitch, the easier it will be to speak out. To be brief, just lay your objective in an interesting way and then back it up with two to three supporting points to prove it.
20. Open new ways to continue the conversation:
Your elevator pitch might last for very less duration, may be a minute. So, if you want your conversation with the listener to continue, you need to reach to responses that can line your further meetings with the listener.
You can hand over your business card, and besides giving it a happy customer ending, you can also ask for next meeting with the listener.
21. Remember, you have very less time to talk about yourself:
You will get the chance of speaking out your elevator pitch for very less period of time. So, try hard to make best out of it.
Just speak what the listener wants to listen, but also be sure that the entire information is genuine and real. Be confident, talk smartly, and provide information up to the point.
Conclusion:
Most people get scared, when it comes to outlining an elevator pitch, but if you are clear about your objective and you follow these simple steps, then you can easily generate an elevator pitch that is not only award winning, but is interesting and talks everything about you and your working in a very impressive manner. Generate your elevator pitch now, as you never know when and where a new business opportunity will strike you. So, be prepared and grab the opportunity right there!
