If you’re a small business owner, then you need to be prepared to sell your goods and services no matter the time of day. You never know when you’ll run into your dream client and you want to be prepared. That’s where the elevator pitch comes in. In short, an elevator pitch is a 20-30 second persuasive pitch that is used to spark interest in what your organization does.
It is an important to develop, and perfect, an elevator pitch so that you can easily repeat it off the cuff – communicating the most important aspects of your business and service.
Not that we covered the why, it’s time to learn how to craft your pitch. This is done in 5 easy steps. First, grab a blank piece of paper and a pencil and briefly answer these three questions:
- What do you do?
- What distinguishes you from the competition?
- What are your goals?
The biggest thing to remember when crafting your pitch is that you are presenting yourself and your company as a solution to the potential clients problem. So as you craft your message, keep asking yourself, “What problem does this person need solved?”
Looking at the answers to your questions that you wrote down from above, tailor them into a brief paragraph. You’ll explain what your company does in a very simple, non-technical way, followed up with those distinguishing features you wrote down. Wind down by asking an engaging question or providing an attention-grabbing statistic. And lastly, always have your business card on hand to present to the potential client following your pitch!
Perfect the Pitch
Read over your written elevator pitch. Now read it again. And again. Once you have it memorized, practice, practice, practice. Practice in the mirror. In the car. Wherever you have a free moment.
When you have it down pat, present it to a friend and ask them for constructive feedback. You want someone that will be objective and won’t be afraid to tell you if something is confusing or too technical to understand.
Now that you’ve received feedback and honed your pitch, record it so that you can hear how you come across. Is your tone friendly? Are you talking at a decent pace without rushing? Make sure you are relaying the key points, that you aren’t overusing filler words such as “umm” or “like” and that you don’t repeat words unnecessarily.
You should now have a well-crafted elevator pitch that you can use when out and about, at networking events or trade shows. Most businesses don’t sell themselves, so don’t be afraid to tell your story!
Have more questions regarding small business marketing? Check out our Digital Marketing FAQ’s!