3 Tips to Improve your Elevator Pitch

The elevator pitch has become a staple for business owners, creators and entrepreneurs. If you haven’t heard the expression before, an elevator pitch is essentially a concise summary of your business, brand idea or opportunity that you can deliver effortlessly in a very short space of time. In line with the name, if you were given 60 seconds going up in an elevator with someone how and what would you choose to say?

Obviously, this skill isn’t limited to elevator journeys, it’s a talent that will serve you well networking, interviewing, well, everywhere. The point is that the human brain switches off when someone starts talking to us if we don’t hear something that piques our own individual interest early on. We may appear to be listening, but the reality is we check out pretty quickly and genuine interest and information absorption is minimal. That’s why we need to be able to convey the value of our ideas quickly.

Whatever your passion or vision is, be it brand, business or otherwise, you should have a considered and ideally rehearsed elevator pitch to support it. So, the next time someone asks you: “What do you do?” or “So what is it your company does?” you’re not stuttering or babbling. To help you along and give you another skill to tuck up your sleeve as you get going with our Business-In-A-Box mobile app agency business , here are some tips to condense and refine your elevator pitch:

Skip the Back Story

No one really cares that the company was originally started in your Grandad’s spare room back in 1909 and that he stumbled upon his big idea while playing dominoes. Even if your business does have a rich heritage, it’s a nice to know story for later on down the line, it isn’t essential information and it doesn’t get to the point of what your business actually does anytime soon. So, resist the urge to ‘start at the beginning’.

Don’t Say Who or What You Are, Say What You Do

Rather than the obvious “I’m a social media marketer” or, “We’re an advertising agency” be more focussed on what it is you do and the service you provide. Example: “I help SMEs to get more sales and customers from their social media.” A job title or industry label alone won’t mean much to some people and it doesn’t really do you justice. Focus on what you do rather than who you are, and it’ll hit home with who’s listening and be much more impactful.

Justify Your Claim

Ensure that as part of your pitch, ideally after you’ve described what it is you do, that you follow up with some justification. Think of the justification part of the pitch almost like a credentials page on your website but take one key example. For example, if you had a glowing piece of customer feedback or a case study from a client you’ve helped, you’d share it on your site wouldn’t you?

So, if you’ve just told your audience that you help SMEs get more out of social media, then go ahead and give an example. It’s not that they won’t believe you but it’s a powerful way to stamp some authority and credibility onto your pitch naturally. “We helped a clothing retailer double the amount of sales and traffic they earned from social media in just two months.”

Don’t be obnoxious or hit overkill here, just naturally share a success story relevant to your pitch and if your audience wants to ask questions, they will.