First and foremost, it has to be noted that an elevator pitch should never actually take place in an elevator. That would essentially be face to face cold calling and would be considered extremely rude. An elevator pitch is basically a short statement (short enough to be explained during the short time spent in an elevator, hence the name) that explains an idea, product, or company in a way that just about any listener can understand. Here are the best rules to follow to create an engaging elevator pitch that actually works.
Keep it compact
While creating this pitch, keep in mind that it needs to be short. This is not something that can just be done on a whim. It must be well thought out, planned, rehearsed, rewritten, and rehearsed again. It must be practiced over and over until it sounds natural before ever using it, or it could be a total flop.
Keep it simple
Deciding what information needs to go into this pitch isn’t going to be easy. How does one sum up an entire business concept into a couple of sentences? Well, that’s exactly it. Don’t try to explain the entire concept. Just explain the important juicy bits to get the audience interested. Once hooked, they will probably ask to set up a meeting to hear more about it.
Avoid jargon
The jargon we use every day can be totally foreign to someone else. Those fancy words and terminologies can be immediately off putting, and no, we aren’t impressing anyone by using them. Don’t give the audience a chance to be confused, because we don’t have the time to explain what we mean. If they are confused, we have already lost them.
USP easy
Make sure to share your Unique Selling Point during this pitch, but make it easy to understand. Saying something along the lines of “I’m a consultant” sounds so vague. There are thousands of different things a consultant can do. Take it up a notch and say exactly what you do. “I help people build their networks into active portfolios via my proven methods” sounds better, it explains exactly what is done, and how.
Consider starting with the result
This is a different way to pitch altogether, but sometimes it works really well. Instead of explaining who we are and then getting to what we do and then the results we achieve. Start with the results right off the bat. For example, a standard pitch might sound like this: “through my proven and tested methods, I will help you increase your sales by 65%.” Starting with the results will sound like this: “A 65% increase in sales is what my proven and tested methods will help to achieve.”
Test the pitch
It’s been written, rehearsed, rewritten, and rehearsed again. It looks great on paper and sounds great when it’s said… or so we think. We can only know for sure if its a winner by testing it out. Test it on anyone who is willing to listen. Start with friends and colleagues if need be. Watch their body language, especially their eyebrows. If they lift their brows during the pitch, they have bought into the idea and are intrigued. If they frown, they are probably confused and that sale can be considered lost.
Following these steps is a surefire way to nail that pitch!
