3 Tips for Better Elevator Pitches
How to use an elevator speech as an effective marketing tool
Mar 28, 2009
This article explores 3 ways to improve elevator pitches to start productive business conversations.
The elevator pitch is the short, focused description of services that could be shared in the during the length of an elevator ride. The aim of an elevator pitch is basic; it should make an impression on the listener who might have need of the service offered, or know someone who does. Because prospects are not always in need of a service immediately, the elevator pitch needs to be clear and memorable.
- Elevator pitches are not be about closing a sale but about making an introduction. The aim of the pitch is to offer up useful information that starts a conversation with a prospect. Overt selling when you are first introduced to someone is not necessary and can often be a turn-off.
- Concrete examples work best The easiest way to introduce someone to the service offered is to give them an example: You know when X happens, I help people to deal with it by doing Y. An elevator pitch that is essentially a story about how the provider solves a problem for a client is an invitation to the listener to think about whether he or she also has that issue. Instantly, the service being offered becomes more concrete and easier to remember.Additionally, and importantly, this approach also shifts the focus from the person offering the services to the client or potential client. People do not buy services; they buy solutions to their problems. This approach to the elevator pitch makes it easy to grasp what the proposed solutions are.
- Focus on a defined area, and offer it with confidence. An elevator pitch is not the place to recite a long list of services offered. That is boring and difficult to remember. The key is to focus on the situation and the main skill or product that will make things easier for the client. A successful pitch must, therefore be based on self-knowledge and an understanding of the client problem.It is also important, and sometimes difficult for creative services providers, to speak confidently about the service offered. For instance, if someone says he is a writer who also does some design, it sounds like he dabbles in design. The impression he gives is that he’s not really serious or confident about either skill. If he says he offers a complete and holistic package of words and design that work together to strengthen the message, he offers the same skills but confidence and focus on the client’s problem make it a much more appealing message.
As with all marketing materials, the best elevator pitches will focus on helping the client easily understand what the service provider can do to make his or her life easier. These three tips will help move an elevator pitch closer towards that goal.
The copyright of the article 3 Tips for Better Elevator Pitches in Self-Employed Marketing is owned by Alison Harrison. Permission to republish 3 Tips for Better Elevator Pitches in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
