Why Perfecting Your Elevator Pitch is Vital to Business Success

When someone asks you about your business or business idea, what is your response? Is it a long-winded answer about how [such and such] will do [this and that]? Do you even know how to answer the question?

You may be thinking of course I know what my business is, but did you know many business owners actually don’t, that is to say they know what their business is, but they don’t know how to explain it, or they’re very generalised in their answers.

My business sells… (stuff, clothes, candles, cars, services, plants, coffee). And while that is all well and good, it doesn’t tell you anything about why the listener should care.

The human attention span is very short lived and when someone asks the question (what is your business or idea about?), they want short and simple. They want to understand why you do what you do. They want to understand what it means, and they want to know if it’s something they should care about.

So in that moment, you have 2 options, give the stock standard answer, or take it upon yourself to introduce your business the right way and potentially gain a new customer, client or investor in the process.

I know which one I’d choose.

So what exactly is an elevator pitch?

An elevator pitch is a well-crafted introduction to your business, used to make a memorable first impression, generate interest, and connect with potential clients, customers or investors.

It is a way to help you communicate your business ideals quickly and effectively and help you stand apart from the crowd.

The Elevator Pitch, is a verbal pitch in which you should be able to convince another person in as short a time as an “elevator ride” (30 seconds to 2 minutes) to take action towards your business/project/cause. Anything longer has the potential to cause doubt or lose the interest of the person you are pitching to. So make it short, memorable and spark enough interest or curiosity to have them want to take the next step. It also shows the confidence you have in your business and shows professionalism.

If you can tell your pitch as a captivating story.

So how do we craft the perfect elevator pitch?

Step 1 -

Start with the hook, you need to open with a compelling statement or question that intrigues the listener from the very beginning by addressing a problem or particular pain point that your business can solve.

See my blog “Why Your Hook is Key to Your Marketing Success” to learn more about crafting the ideal hook.

Step 2 -

Introduce your business, state it’s function and purpose. Who is your business, what does it do, who does it help? Knowing the exact purpose of your business shows professionalism, knowledge and confidence in the business itself. Your idea or business and how it is the answer to the problem in Step 1. What opportunity does your business create?

Step 3 -

Address the Unique Selling Point (USP) of your business. Why is your business different from every other business in the same industry? Why will it benefit the listener? Why should they choose you?

Step 4 -

Provide evidence, statistics, key achievements, case studies and even notable clients, something that shows that your product is worthy, that it works, and has proven useful for others. Why should they trust you?

Step 5 -

End with a Call to Action (CTA), offering where to go from here, schedule a meeting, send an email, get in touch, etc. What action do you want the listener to take now?

Check out “How to Write Powerful Call to Actions” to learn more.

You may need to practice and change your elevator pitch over and over to ensure it is impactful, relevant and effective, and even alter it depending on who you are talking to. Whether it be a potential client, customer, business associate, investor, or stranger, make your pitch work for you, after all the most effective marketing is word-of-mouth and who better to sell their business then the business owner themselves who know more about it then anyone.

Until next time, Happy Writing!

If you would like help crafting your elevator pitch, to captivate your audience and sell your product or services, then Contact me today or join The Digital Branding Journey, where I will deep dive into your business and help you to generate leads, increase your traffic and build your brand through engaging creative content.

Hi there! I’m Kaeleigh, a Digital Marketer with a focus on Creative Content & Copywriting, who helps business owners and entrepreneurs generate leads, increase traffic and build their brands through engaging creative content.