How To Give A Knock-Out Elevator Pitch

An elevator pitch is made to catch investors or clients attention and attract them to your business, whilst still being short and snappy. A standard elevator pitch is between 30 seconds and 2 minutes, it’s your choice how long you’d like it to be. Personally, I would recommend 45 seconds to a minute to avoid the chance of the other person losing interest. Here is how you can give a knock-out elevator pitch.

First, Why Do I Need An Elevator Pitch?

You know your business is amazing but it’s hard for other people to see it too, unless you have a great pitch. Many people are so busy they don’t have time to listen to your big ideas, an elevator pitch helps the other person see the bigger picture. A perfectly crafted elevator pitch can help you secure investment in your company or attract clients.

Having an elevator pitch gives you a completely different answer to “What do you do?”, instead of answering “I work in web design” you can elaborate more which can open up to more conversation. An elevator pitch is NOT a sales pitch, it must tell the other person about your business and not just about your products or services. Tell, don’t sell.

Find out about the other person first

Where possible, ask the other person what they do and find out what makes them tick, find out what their wants and needs are. By finding out about the other person you can use emotional triggers, plus it can also help you both develop a mutually beneficial relationship.

Pull on their heartstrings

By this I mean make the person you are pitching to care about your product or service. Humans naturally care about what’s in it for them. Describe the benefits of them whilst adapting it to your audience slightly, make it slightly more personal where possible.

Act natural

Don’t just sit there and try to pitch every other second, work it naturally into conversation. If somebody wants to know what your company does they will ask, and if they don’t try and prompt them (by asking them what they do!) Structure your pitch in such a way that it the phrasing is like normal conversation, and practise it so much you can recite it backwards.

Keep it simple

There’s no point filling your pitch with lots of industry specific words or business jargon, it’s overcomplicating things. Keep your pitch simple and if you need to use some business chit chat, use them in a context where it’s easy to understand.

What makes you different from your competitors?

You must always acknowledge your competitors. You can go one up and explain in your pitch what makes you stand out from your competitors or why you are the better option – but make sure this is backed up with facts!

What makes your competitors better than you?

If you’re searching for investment, you should have an idea of what your competitors annual turnover etc is. If your competitors are successful companies then there must be something right about your product/service.

Avoid using fillers

Do you find yourself adding in adjectives because your company is so amazing and cool? Try not to. Instead, use relevant words without going over the top with adjectives. Using adjectives can distract from the main point of the pitch and can waste precious elevator time.

Think about the future

Do you know where you want the business to be in 5 years, or even 10 years time? Take some time to incorporate your future plans into your elevator pitch and work out an exit strategy just in case things go awry. Potential investors like to know these details so they’re aware of your preparation.

What is your Why?

After explaining what your business can do, explain why you’re doing it. Are you sick of people not having amazing websites? Or maybe you work in recruitment because you love helping people achieve their dreams. Think back to when you first started your company and why you did it, context is king in this sense. People like to see the human side to the brand, and if you have a reason other than “I want to make money” for starting your business then use it to your advantage.

Prioritize your pitch

Work out what the most important parts in your pitch are and make sure to put them in early on whilst their interest in piqued. If your business solves a lot of problems, don’t just list them. Stick to the most important ones, and if asked elaborate on the other solutions you provide.

End with a request or call to action

End your elevator pitch with a call to action or a request. Ask the other person if you can take a business card, or if they have shown interest, schedule a follow-up call. Never leave the conversation without getting a means of future communication.

Many entrepreneurs actually forget to mention their name, or even their company’s name in their pitch. Key information like your companies name should be repeated a few times throughout the pitch. This is so your company name is most likely remembered, as well as other important nuggets of detail. Once you have your pitch ready, practice it in front of somebody and then put it into action! If you’re looking for business events in Kent to attend, we have compiled a list! Remember to be equipped with business cards!