The Necessity of Elevator Pitches

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Since 2008, when the US economy seemed to hit rock bottom, many people were forced to consider new ways of earning a living. Many opened their own businesses and introduced themselves to other business owners.

One essential part of being an entrepreneur is networking with other professionals. One part of networking that you can count on is the elevator pitch. The elevator pitch is when you speak for a short time (30 seconds is common) to the other networkers to tell them what you do and what you need. The reason that it is called an elevator pitch is that it should take approximately as long as an elevator ride takes. The purpose for your networking is to establish connections with other people so that you can hopefully help each other professionally. The elevator pitch is a tease. In other words, you are enticing the other people just enough for them to be interested and to want to learn more about you and your business. The elevator pitch (or some form of it) must also be a part of your entire online presence. It should be included in every social media profile that you have online and on your website homepage. On your website, the concept must be there even if the wording is not identical to the verbal elevator pitch that you share with others when you are networking in person.

Changes over time

Elevator pitches are interesting. The elevator pitch that you use when you first start networking is most likely not the elevator pitch that you use subsequently. It changes all of the time. As you start to develop your business and experience new things and new people, your wants and needs will change as well. Your elevator pitch will be adjusted to fit the rest of it. Bear in mind that when you are giving your elevator pitch, people aren’t interested in the minutest details. They are interested in the bottom line and they want to know immediately how you and your business can help them to solve their problems. There are several elements that go into an effective and successful elevator pitch.

  • Humor
  • Entertainment
  • Very little or no technical details
  • Your elevator pitch assumes that your audience has an extremely short attention span
  • Your elevator pitch will help you to gain clarity
  • It puts you in a position of understanding the position of the person to whom you are presenting your pitch

If you incorporate those elements into your elevator pitch, you will capture the audience’s attention and you will succeed at keeping their attention. In addition to those elements that have already been mentioned, there is some additional information that you may find useful and effective in your elevator pitch.

  • An explanation why you are doing what you are doing (professionally)
  • Your elevator pitch captivates your audience
  • Your elevator makes you seem credible

Getting people interested in what you are doing

Your absolute first goal is to get people to be interested in what you are doing and what you are offering. If you can get them interested with that initial 30-second pitch, you can go into more detail at a later date. In fact, it is at the time when you share more details about your business that you will be able to distinguish yourself as a subject matter expert and the person who other people will go to when they have an issue or question that needs to be resolved. Elevator pitches may seem very easy but there is more to them than you might think. It is important to be well prepared before you walk into the room and you will be surprised at how much polishing is necessary before you actually get to the point of standing up and delivering your pitch.

Conclusion

Elevator pitches (whether you like them or not) are an extremely important part of your business. It is so important for you to be able to articulate what you do and how you can help other people through your offerings. Remember that your elevator pitch has nothing to do with actually selling anything directly. You will want to say something in your elevator pitch that stands out and that makes the members of your audience associate you with something that you said in those 30 seconds.

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Author

  • Carolyn Cohn

    Carolyn Cohn is the Co-Founder & Chief Creative Services of CompuKol Communications. Carolyn manages CompuKol’s creative and editorial department, which consists of writers and editors. Her weekly blogs are syndicated globally. She has decades of editorial experience in online editing, and editing books, journal articles, abstracts, and promotional and educational materials. Carolyn earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo.

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25 Responses

  1. GREG says:

     

    Via LinkedIn Groups

    Group: Linked-N Bergen County NJ
    Discussion: The Necessity of Elevator Pitches

    Excellent advice!
    Posted by GREG

  2. Robin says:

     

    Via LinkedIn Groups

    Group: Guerrilla Marketing Tips for Small Businesses
    Discussion: The Necessity of Elevator Pitches

    The 'elevator pitch' was probably the first marketing tool I learned. It's hugely important.
    Posted by Robin

  3. Amy Bly says:

    Great points, Michael. Just sat here refining my elevator pitch thanks to your reminder! 

  4. Arthur says:

     

    Via LinkedIn Groups

    Group: MCCC – Morris County Chamber of Commerce
    Discussion: The Necessity of Elevator Pitches

    Good article – I'm in the process of "reinventing" our sales/marketing and will include your ideas in revamping my elevator pitch. Thanks Art
    Posted by Arthur

  5. Michael says:

     

    Via LinkedIn Groups

    Group: Linked-N Bergen County NJ
    Discussion: The Necessity of Elevator Pitches

    I agree with your advice 100% once you get the prospect attention ,you can close the deal later .
    Posted by Michael

  6. Dan says:

    No truer words have ever been spoken. Great article. We'll be sure to spread the word Carolyn! I'd also add that when you put that pitch on video it gains impact.

  7. Deb says:

     

    Via LinkedIn Groups

    Group: Professional Bloggers
    Discussion: The Necessity of Elevator Pitches

    I've worked in the technology industry since the 1980's, and in that time, I've worked with dozens of start-ups that grew into very large businesses with names you'd recognize. I quickly realized that the difference between the smart technical people with great ideas who struggled to get funding and grow and the ones who easily get funded and have an uninterrupted path to success is the simplicity of their elevator pitch. If you can't articulate in <25 words what your company/product does, who your customer is, and why you're better than anyone else, nearly everything you do is going to be harder. I think that's true for bloggers, too. I did a workshop recently with the PR distribution service my company uses to promote our blog, and I've gotten HUNDREDS of questions from people who attended in the weeks since. Nearly all of them relate in some way to the question of defining their blog and identifying their keywords for SEO and promotional purposes. 
    Posted by Deb

  8. Richard says:

     

    Via LinkedIn Groups

    Group: The Content Wrangler Community
    Discussion: The Necessity of Elevator Pitches

    Hi Carolyn. Recently, I posted my elevator pitch for Author-it on my blog. It was targeted at communications professionals at the TCUK conference. 

    Personally, although I don't have any elevator pitches memorized, I think they are important. I have been in many, many situations where I've vaguely expressed my business goals and felt disappointed that I haven't provided a structure. The difficulty is that you need a pitch for every situation. Perhaps then it would be best to learn to consciously create a structure on the fly then go through each of the points from practiced snippets – like single-sourcing in your head, you could arrange the same sound-bites into different patterns.
    Posted by Richard

  9. Jon Babcock says:

    The elevator pitch is useful to both large and small companies and yet many people have never developed or used this networking tool.  My company had a training exercise where we had everyone develop their own unique elevator pitch about our company and the indivdual that was doing the networking and it has worked out great.  What a learning experience.  

  10. Jon says:

     

    Via LinkedIn Groups

    Group: Linked-N Bergen County NJ
    Discussion: The Necessity of Elevator Pitches

    I agree with the importance of the elevator pitch as a networking tool for both large and small companies. My company has been using this pitches for a few years now with tremendous success.
    Posted by Jon

  11. Pat says:

     

    Via LinkedIn Groups

    Group: Guerrilla Marketing Tips for Small Businesses
    Discussion: The Necessity of Elevator Pitches

    I break the customer conversation down into two components "open the call" and the "sales dialog". Included in "opening the call" with a new prospect is the position statement "elevator pitch".

    It is a must have.
    Posted by Pat

  12. Kathy Condon says:

    I would like to suggest that we start a movement to change the wording "elevator speech."  I have no idea where the term came from, however I do not feel it explains it's real purpose.
    Just like we now call them contact cards instead of business cards, it is my belief we can come up with a phrase that more accurately explains this phrase so people can more easily identify with the real purpose and why it is necessary.
    Any suggestions?

  13. Carmine says:

     

    Via LinkedIn Groups

    Group: Linked-N Bergen County NJ
    Discussion: The Necessity of Elevator Pitches

    I don't agree that "Your elevator pitch assumes that your audience has an extremely short attention span"; I think it's more accurate to say that your audience will give you a limited amount of time to listen to your initial, summary pitch, and will then determine whether they want to hear more detail.
    Posted by Carmine

  14. Lana says:

     

    Via LinkedIn Groups

    Group: Books and Writers
    Discussion: The Necessity of Elevator Pitches

    Great article, Carolyn. I'd like to share this information with my writing students and clients.
    Posted by Lana

  15. Marilyn Angelena says:

    I have a Complimentary CD "Crafting your Elevator Speech" 7 Simple Steps to Crafting Your Elevator Speech to say what you do in 20 seconds or less to get your message across and have the person begging for more!

    • Keren says:

      Hi Marilyn,
      Just read your post.  Where would I be able get your CD on crafting an elevator speech?

  16. Caryn says:

     

    Via LinkedIn Groups

    Group: Linked-N Bergen County NJ
    Discussion: The Necessity of Elevator Pitches

    Yes, not necessarily a factor of attention span but often due to large number of attendees at networking functions – everyone has their 30 seconds which after a while can get quite tedious (esp. when certain attendees don't follow the rules and blather on and on and no one cuts them off!) – get your message in efficiently and as Carmine notes, anyone interested in hearing more about your product or service will seek you out. I believe that's the idea.
    Posted by Caryn

  17. Lisa Kanarek says:

    I've lost track of the number of times I've met someone who couldn't describe his or her business. After several minutes, they finally give up. It's so important to know what you do and to be able to explain that to someone. Thanks for the reminder to create an effective elevator pitch. Good post.

  18. Angie @AgentKnowHow says:

    Carolyn, as always helpful advice, especially to a life long entrepreneur like me. My elevator pitch has evolved over time and I do have situational elevator pitches. Richard's advice above in the comment section is equally important to me and that is to learn a structure to create an elevator pitch on the fly. I find that when I am at a large Meet-Up group, for example, when we go around the room introducing ourselves, if there is someone else in the group like me, I take notice of their pitch especially if they speak before me. At that moment, I either leave my pitch as is or change it if I feel it is necessary., not that my core pitch changes, just that I try to be different at that moment so that I am memorable.   

  19. Hanoch says:

     

    Via LinkedIn Groups

    Group: Jewish Professionals
    Discussion: The Necessity of Elevator Pitches

    Very helpful article. When I started my business 7 years ago, my elevator pitch was all I had. Thanks for the reminder that it needs to stay sharp.
    Posted by Hanoch

  20. Marjorie says:

     

    Via LinkedIn Groups

    Group: Social Media Marketing Questions & Answers
    Discussion: The Necessity of Elevator Pitches

    An elevator pitch is a necessity … in person and in social media settings. The ability to describe what you can do FOR a potential client or employer in 30 seconds (or 30 words – is essential today. Notice I said not what you can do … but what you can do FOR. Your elevator pitch must put the essential BENEFIT you can provide right up front. It's the best way to differentiate yourself in these tough times.
    Posted by Marjorie

  21. Jonathan says:

     

    Via LinkedIn Groups

    Group: Social Media Plus
    Discussion: The Necessity of Elevator Pitches

    Apart from their value as sales tools, the elevator pitch is an excellent tool for teaching folks (writers, etc.) how to identify their core message.
    Posted by Jonathan

  22. Gene says:

     

    Via LinkedIn Groups

    Group: Social Media Marketing Questions & Answers
    Discussion: The Necessity of Elevator Pitches

    We spoken and to the point Marjorie, just like the elevator pitch should be. The BENEFIT is the most important to the pitch
    Posted by Gene

  23. Christopher says:

     

    Via LinkedIn Groups

    Group: Social Media Marketing Questions & Answers
    Discussion: The Necessity of Elevator Pitches

    Totally agree with these comments on the importance of an elevator pitch, however, much easier said than created. With that said, can anyone post their eleveator pitch that's been successful for them so others can get a sense of how to create their own? I think it would be a great exercise along with a way to subtly pitch your business.
    Posted by Christopher

  24. Chitra Raghavan says:

     

    Via LinkedIn Groups

    Group: Business Writers of America
    Discussion: The Necessity of Elevator Pitches

    Hi Carolyn, enjoyed reading your take on "Elevator Pitches", especially the need to keep it fresh and relevant for each new step that you want to achieve. I liked the "Remember that your elevator pitch has nothing to do with actually selling anything directly." Thanks for these tips.
    Posted by Chitra Raghavan