An elevator pitch is the aptest way to describe what your business is and what you can deliver in about 30 seconds or 1 minute — roughly the amount of time you spend in an elevator with another person.
Why your small business needs a crisp elevator pitch?
The greatest benefit of creating an elevator pitch for your small business is that it highlights the most significant aspect of your business. It doesn’t matter what you do, where you conduct your business and how long is the list of clients and customers you are serving. Within a couple of sentences (preferably, one sentence) you should be able to explain what value you deliver and how your customers and clients can use your product or service. After listening to your elevator pitch the other person should be able to get a grasp of what you do and what is the benefit of doing business with you.
Creating an effective elevator pitch for your small business also helps you define your work and get a greater sense of clarity. Sometimes, in the midst of the daily hubbub we lose track of what motivates us and exactly what value we provide. Creating an elevator pitch, memorizing it and communicating it to various individuals reaffirms our own belief in our business.
Creating an elevator pitch
You don’t necessarily have to be the master of words in order to create your elevator pitch. First of all you have to realize that the other person is not interested in knowing your qualifications and the cutting-edge software you use at your office. He or she is interested in knowing what you can deliver and why you are better compared to the others?
Here are a few things you can do:
- Decide the length of your elevator pitch: This will depend on your comfort level. Are you a good talker and a fast one? Will you be able to communicate many words fast but clear, without floundering? If not, just focus on creating a single sentence. If yes, you can create a couple of sentences, or even more. Just make sure that it doesn’t go more than 30-40 seconds.
- Use crucial phrases: You need to make the maximum impact in the minimum amount of time so you cannot afford to use words needlessly. Stick to the core words (just as you would use keywords while search engine optimizing your web copy) and make sure they deliver your message clearly and succinctly. Use action words and direct language.
- Just focus on what you deliver: Does your software make accounting easy even to those who have never used accounting applications before? What unique techniques you apply to improve the ROI of your clients’ websites? How your advertising agency can help your clients improve their bottom line? Focus on what you deliver rather than what are your expertise and for how long you have been working.
- Create your elevator pitch for a particular audience: Don’t try to accommodate everybody. Your business isn’t for everybody. Even if you design websites, you must have a specialty and focus on a particular industry rather than trying to design websites for every business. You need to be an expert and this should reflect through your elevator pitch. This will also help you define your language. If you try to create a generic pitch it won’t make the right impact.
- Create multiple versions of your elevator pitch: Don’t just stick to one version. Create many versions so that it gets embedded into your site as a concept rather than something that you have mugged just to make an impression. Also, if you have many versions, you will be able to choose what works the best for you.
- Create your elevator pitch for a purpose: This will help you clearly define your language. Are you trying to get new projects? Are you simply interested in networking? Do you want leads? Do you want a reference?
Creating and delivering an elevator pitch is a crucial process. So after you have written it down, learn it by heart and practice it. Be mindful of your modulations and style. If you can, record your speech and observe what improvements you can make. Delivering an elevator pitch is as important as creating one.
