Elevator Pitches To Lift You & Your Company To The Next Level Of Success!

As the term suggests an Elevator Pitch is designed to successfully deliver a key message about a product or service in a quick and effective manner. In fact, to be called this it needs to be around 30 seconds to 2 minutes in length (the time it would take to actually ride in an elevator). 

It sounds pretty easy, right?  So why is it that most companies do not teach their staff how to write and deliver one effectively? And why is it that it is a skill associated with only the sales professional to master when in fact all employees are selling themselves to someone internally every day and will also occasionally be asked to attend events or get asked by their own personal network “who is it you work for and what does your company do? 

Networking Events... I can't tell you the number of events I have attended over the years where people either babble on with no meaning, value, structure or end goal in mind or they go the other way and give me some really vague explanation that leaves me thinking "hmmm that was a complete waste of time as I still don't know what you actually do and the benefit of your offering to me" 

And then there is the front line sales professional who of course will get asked often and very early on in a conversation/connection "what do you do and why are you ringing/contacting me?" More often than not they then proceed to babble or waffle on and lose the prospect at HELLO! When, if they had an effective succinct elevator pitch they would have a lot better chance of getting into a meaningful conversation that would lead to a successful outcome. ALL business owners need to educate and then demand that their staff have their own elevator pitch that aligns with the business.

So…. What is a good elevator pitch and how can we effectively structure one for success?  Below are the six components I use when writing my own or coaching someone around theirs.

1 PURPOSE AND PREPARATION

There are many reasons why you might need an elevator pitch such as for a new investment or funding, a new prospect or client opportunity, a networking or partner opportunity, or maybe just an introduction to a certain company to name a few. So make sure you know what the purpose is (which will then tie into your end goal) It is then important that you do some pre-research (where able) around who is your audience/individual and what is important to them. Also, genuine compliments go along way! So if, in your research, you see they have done something wonderful lately, won an award etc, incorporate it into your introduction it is a really nice touch.

2 INTRODUCTION

Remember that first impressions do count and people buy off people.  You need to come across as trustworthy and knowledgeable in this situation so, who are you and what value/experience do you personally bring to the table? NB personal brand counts for A LOT these days so make sure you own yours!

3 VALUE TO THE PROSPECT

The value lies in you selling a desired or improved future outcome for the client. The value IS NOT your product or service offering there is a big difference. So make sure you know what that means and what yours is in this instance.

4 UNIQUE SELLING POINT

How does your company differ? And how does it solve the desired outcome identified in 3 Value To The Prospect? Please DO NOT feature push here, be a change-maker with a solution to offer that makes sense and is valuable.

NB Article to come on establishing and owning your unique selling point

5 QUESTION

A successful elevator pitch keeps them engaged, builds rapport and credibility, stops them in their tracks and makes them think. So how do you do that…. Simple! You incorporate a question that doesn't actually require an answer as it is so valuable to them its a no brainer! Eg if I was pitching my services I might incorporate the following questions

Do you want order-takers or opportunity makers in your sales force?

Could you do with some more new business?

Would you love your salespeople to be more proactive in lead sourcing and generation?

My sales methods increase your sales success rate by 30% is this something that would be of interest to you?

6 END GOAL

You have already decided what your purpose (end goal is) in 1 PURPOSE AND PREPARATION so you should have earnt the right to now ask for it! NB delivery needs to be confident and passionate. If you don't do this you are not pitching you are just talking and wasting their time and your own.

Once you have thought about all 6 steps and then incorporated it into a full elevator pitch you then need to practice, practice and practice.

7 PRACTICE PRACTICE PRACTICE

Like with anything the more you practice the better you become. With elevator pitches, they need to be rolling off your tongue with ease, as natural as breathing in and out. You need to be able to deliver them with confidence and the right tone is needed to engage and inspire the end listener.  Also, please note that different situations will probably require different elevator pitches so please don’t just stop at just one!

Good luck and let me know how you go.

#salestips #sales #selling #elevatorpitches