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What's in Your Elevator Pitch?

How would you describe your business if you met your dream customer in an elevator and you only had the time it takes to get from the top floor to the bottom? A brief but compelling story will get you started…. but it needs to be intentional if you expect it to have legs and merit further exploration.

What is an Elevator Pitch?

The elevator pitch highlights the most important points from your value proposition. It’s a 1-2 minute story that is designed to spark interest in your solution. The best possible response you can hear is “tell me more” or “that sounds interesting.”

What Makes a Good Elevator Pitch?

Fundamentally, you can think of it this way.

  • What kind of problem do you address?

  • How do you solve it?

  • How would your customer describe or measure the value of your help?

This is basically your value proposition.

Some Tips For a Successful Elevator Pitch— The Three “I’s”:

  • It is informative and relevant to the customer.

  • Your story is intriguing. They want to learn more.

  • It leads to an invitation to have another conversation.

Some Quality Indicators to Keep in Mind— The Eight “C’s”:

  • Concise? Use as few words as possible.

  • Clear? Make it easily understood.

  • Compelling? Describe how you solved a big problem for one of your customers.

  • Credible? Explain why your company is qualified.

  • Conceptual? Stay out of the weeds.

  • Concrete? Make it tangible.

  • Customized? Keep it focused and relevant to the recipient.

  • Conversational? The objective is to get the ball rolling.

Example Elevator Pitch:

Elevator Pitch Best Practices:

  • The elevator pitch is essential to getting traction with a new or existing account. Always be prepared to meet someone new; there will be new players throughout the sales process.

  • Quickly transition from “presentation mode” into a conversation. Start to make it about them.

  • Your elevator pitch is designed to be the beginning of a conversation that creates a real sales opportunity. It takes practice but it works.

  • Test your Elevator Pitch with a colleague, your sales leader, or a trusted customer.

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