5 Tips for Crafting the Perfect Elevator Pitch
When it comes to unlocking business opportunities, one of the keys to success is being able to master the art of the elevator pitch.
Have you heard the phrase, “Your network is your net worth?”
Essentially, your network, the people you’re connected to, are your key to the next level. By building relationships, you establish trust thus creating opportunities for collaboration and growth.
As your professional network grows, your access to valuable resources and support can help move your career forward, opening doors to new opportunities you may never have imagined.
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 70% of all jobs are found through networking, reiterating the fact that building and nurturing professional connections is not only valuable but also essential for career advancement and success.
Since networking plays such a large part, having a well prepared elevator pitch is an essential tool to have in your professional toolbox.
If you’re unfamiliar with the term, an elevator pitch, or elevator speech as it’s sometimes referred to, is a short yet compelling summary of who you are, what you do, and what you can offer that is designed to spark the interest of whomever you’re sharing this with and of course, leave a lasting impression all in the time it takes to ride an elevator.
This type of pitch should not be something created on the fly, rather, have something committed to memory so each time you’re approached, you’re prepared and ready to take on the question without pause.
Before you get started crafting the perfect elevator pitch, here are four tips to consider:
What makes you unique?
What type of opportunities are you seeking?
What can you offer in a way of expertise?
What fact about you would you like the person to remember?
Once you’ve had the opportunity to craft responses for these four important buckets, it’s time to get to work. To help you get started, we’re sharing the five steps to take in order to craft the perfect elevator pitch.
1- Outline Your Goal
One of the ways to structure and tailor your messaging successfully is with the STAR (Situation, Task, Action, and Result) method. It’s an opportunity to identify and articulate your top work and experience. Think of it like a highlight reel - what are the best parts of what you do that you want people to know about?
Utilizing the STAR method will help provide a structured framework for tailoring the pitch to highlight relevant experiences and real life experiences both of which helps make the pitch more persuasive, providing concrete evidence of your abilities.
2- Know Your Audience
This is an important step in many aspects of business. Knowing who your audience is, understanding their interests, what they care about, and what they find valuable, will help you personalize your pitch to resonate with their specific needs and interests.
By understanding what matters to them and what problems they’re looking to solve, you can include highlights in your pitch with the most relevant benefits and solutions.
Keep your language simple, focused, and free of jargon. While industry jargon can showcase expertise in your field, it can also be off-putting or confusing for someone who may not be familiar with the terminology.
Remember, a personalized approach increases the chances of capturing a person's attention and generating interest in what you have to offer.
3- Be Concise
One of the key things to remember is that you should be able to deliver your elevator pitch in 60 seconds or less. It should be brief enough to deliver in the time it takes to ride an elevator.
As you focus on the information you want to share, review what you’ve written and shorten each “story” to a sentence or two, focusing on your action and the results of those actions. Your pitch doesn’t require your full work history or career objectives, it just needs to be a brief summary of your identity and profession.
4-Highlight the Benefits
This step helps to shift the focus from simply describing your product, service, or idea, to placing emphasis on its value.
By highlighting how your offering improves the lives or businesses of your intended audience, you’re laying the foundation for others to see the connection between what it is you’re offering, and the needs of your potential client or customer.
5-End With a Call to Action
This critical step serves as the catalyst for driving engagement and initiating further interaction with your audience. The premise of the elevator pitch is to communicate who you are and create the opportunity for further engagement.
By providing a specific directive, you’re guiding your audience (aka the person you're pitching) to take the next step in deeping their connection with you. A call to action is empowering, it moves beyond the stage of listening and encourages them to actively engage with you or your business. A strong call to action will not only remind them of your pitch’s value, but also encourage them to actively engage and pursue your desired goal.
Once you’ve crafted the perfect elevator pitch and are ready to start pitching it, remember to speak slowly, get right to the point, and keep your energy level high.
It’s not just about selling yourself, it’s about creating those meaningful connections and seizing opportunities. You’ve worked hard on crafting the perfect pitch, or two, now it’s time to hit it home.