An elevator pitch or elevator speech is commonly used among people who are looking for a job and people looking to pitch ideas to prospective clients. You can also give a pitch when you meet prospects at any networking event, in passing, and at meetings or in an organization.
An elevator pitch is a great marketing tool you can harness to sell yourself or your business. Once you have created one, you can use it over and over again in many different scenarios. Typically, it is a clear and quick summary of your background and experience, which is the reason it’s called the elevator pitch to be able to run in an elevator ride time frame. Here are some tips for making your elevator pitch a valuable tool in your marketing toolbox.
Effective tips on how to make an elevator pitch:
1. Memorize It and Practice
Memorizing an elevator speech is very important, the challenge probably is learning it by heart but still being able to deliver it naturally. The more you practice delivering your elevator pitch, the easier it will be to sound conversational and more relaxed it could be.
2. Point to Qualifications
Giving a successful elevator pitch, you'll also want to point to your qualifications and want makes you unique. Now is the time to share information about some combination of your leadership, experience, achievements, expertise, skills, and strengths. Clue: Answer the questions; what makes you qualified to do your job/run your business and how long have you been doing it? If you're a new graduate, try point to your university major. If you're affiliated with industry organizations or have specialized certifications, make a note of it to your listener as well, it helps a lot.
3. Pinpoint the issue You’re Solving
So what problem does your product, service, or skills trying to solve? This is the first step in figuring out how to market your business or yourself because, at the end of the day, that’s what an elevator pitch is: one-to-one marketing. You develop a solution to a problem. Also, what do the people you are trying to court their attention want at that moment? By answering these questions, you’ll be able to step in with the right message at the right time.
4. Highlight unique Qualities
After establishing your background and goals in the qualifications, you'll want to point to any qualities, experiences, or achievements that make you stand out. That person may already know somebody with 5-10 years worth of experience in a similar field, so what makes you different? Consider what special niche or extensive knowledge you can share with your contact that will set you apart from the rest.
5. Communicate Your Unique Selling Proposition (USP)
Your elevator pitch also needs to communicate your unique selling proposition.
Identify what makes you, your organization, or your idea unique. You'll want to communicate about what you do and why your service is the pressing need of the moment.
6. Tell a Story
Everyone loves a grass to grace kind of story, get a story that has a telling on your business. Think of the story of your business in terms of a beginning, middle, and end. People like a good story. Especially a story that builds up to something interesting—a turning point moment with a powerful moving message. Try selling a well-crafted story about you or your business and see how people will show interest.
7. Define Your Takeaway
When it’s all said and done, did anything come out of the exchange? It’s up to you to decide what you want your call-to-action to be, especially in this era of digitization; have a social media presence and attached those handles to your business cards, flyers, and posters. Also, handing off a business card might not make the magic happen, but getting the person’s name or phone number and following up with an email and calls will give you a much better shot.
You need to be succinct while conveying this important information.
To craft a great pitch, follow these extra steps:
*Identify your goal.
*Explain what you do.
*Engage with a question.
*Put it all together.
*Practice and practice.
