The elevator pitch, a short but powerful presentation in which you must convince a potential customer or investor of your product or service. Whether you actually make an elevator talk or are at a networking drink, it is a must for every sales professional to have a strong elevator pitch. But how do you make an unforgettable impression with an elevator pitch? How do you ensure that your story arouses the interest of a potential customer or investor?
Perfect, and what is the elevator pitch?
The elevator pitch, also called the elevator speech, is, according to Wikipedia, a method of presenting an idea for a product, service or project. The term comes from New York, the city of skyscrapers. An elevator in a skyscraper takes an average of 188 seconds to reach the top in this metropolis. This waiting moment is an excellent opportunity if you need to speak to someone important with whom you cannot make an appointment. You wait until the person arrives at the elevator, "coincidentally" also gets in and then it's time to pitch.
Nowadays, an elevator pitch no longer only occurs in the elevator. Also consider a short pitch during a job application, company party, etc scholarship, an introductory round with a new customer or a private event such as a birthday. The well-known question “What do you actually do in everyday life?” you have certainly been presented with it before.
What are the parts of an elevator pitch?
The opening
Don't start with a standard introduction. Introductions like “Hi, I'm Jan and I work at company X” are predictable and boring, especially if you hear this from someone you don't know at all. Use a stimulating opening, for example start with a question, anecdote or a joke: something that evokes a response. This immediately arouses the interest of others.
Issue
Put yourself in the shoes of the other person. When creating the elevator pitch, you look for a recognizable problem or pain point for the customer. If your product or service does not have a solution for this, your business will not be of value to the customer.
Solution
Once you have formulated a problem, you will have to explain what solution your product or service offers. What are the advantages? What are the unique features? Name alternatives and underline what distinguishes your product or service from the rest. Make sure you focus on one problem and don't brag about multiple problems that your product or service can solve in one go.
Closing
How do you end an elevator pitch? What action(s) should you take? This varies per target group and occasion. For example, at a networking drink you can make a proposal for a coffee appointment, while you would rather formally ask an investor about an exploratory meeting. Remember that the purpose of an elevator pitch is simply to make contact, don't try to do something right away sold.
Tips for an elevator pitch
To practise
After writing out your elevator pitch, it's a matter of practice, practice and practice. Out loud, because hearing yourself talk gives an extra dimension to the practice. While practicing, a pitch can suddenly sound very long, so make notes and delete later where necessary. After all, pay attention to you body language, intonation and your voice volume.
Enthusiasm
Not every elevator pitch will be equally strong in terms of content, but your enthusiasm can still make your story strong enough to arouse interest. People are attracted to a positive attitude and if you are passionate about your product or service, you should have no problem conveying your enthusiasm.
Professional jargon
The purpose of your pitch is to convey a clear message about your product or service. When you use jargon, you make the conversation unnecessarily complicated. The message sticks a lot less and no matter how enthusiastic your story is, retelling it becomes a lot more difficult for the customer. Of course, your pitch does not have to be entirely in jip-and-janneke language, but try to assume that you should also be able to pitch your story to, for example, a family member.
Custom pitch
Every investor is different. A pitch to an investor is very different from a pitch to a potential customer. Therefore, make sure you tailor your pitch so that it is tailored to your conversation partner.