Photo: Two smiling women sitting at a table by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash.

4 Steps to a Successful Elevator Pitch

How often do you find yourself in a situation where a friend or family member asks you, “What do you do?” A lot, right? If you’re anything like me, the response plays out in this same way every time. I’ll momentarily freeze before blurting out one of the various iterations of the title of my role, such as “I’m a marketer,” and the conversation quickly pivots in another direction from there.
However, without fail, in the times where I’ve spoken more at length about what it is I do, I am met with a response of, “I need help with marketing for this project I’m working on. How much are your services?” Clearly, the assumptions we make based on titles alone are generally false, but it’s what we default to all the time.
 
As a business owner, having a well-thought-out and memorable elevator pitch can make or break your business. Think of all the potential word-of-mouth opportunities you’ve missed out on because your potential referrer just didn’t know you were the right fit for the job. That’s like knowing you pointed to the exact chocolate bar that had the golden ticket inside but didn’t pick it up. Ouch.
 
All you need are these four simple steps to create your successful elevator pitch.
 
Step One: Whom do you work with?
These are the clients you work with. Can you identify them? What are their demographics? What are their frustrations? Their wants and needs? Answering these questions will help you clearly define your clientele.
 
Step Two: What problems do you solve, and how do your clients benefit?
What is the benefit of working with you? Think about this question from the perspective of the client. What is it intrinsically that they are looking for?
 
Step Three: How do you solve your client’s problem or frustration?
What is it that you do to achieve step 2? How do you help your clients get to where they want to be?
 
Step Four: What makes you uniquely qualified to do so?
What can you pull from your personal history, training, life experiences, or interests that make you stand out? Why should the client pick you?
 
If you take the time to thoughtfully go through these four steps, the results will give you a pitch that clearly articulates your target market, the services you provide, and showcases why you’re unique.
 
As an example, here is how I can transform “I’m a marketer” into a powerful, memorable pitch:
 
“I bring creativity to the everyday small business owner overwhelmed by trying to connect with potential clients on social media platforms. I own the marketing processes from creating and publishing content to outreach email campaigns so that your business gets the recognition it deserves in an aesthetically pleasing, authentic way.”
 
Extra credit: step five would be to practice your pitch out loud. Rehearsing may feel silly, but it will help you refine your pitch in a way that will sound more natural AND be easy to remember. Then you’re all done! Give yourself a pat on the back. You’re about to change the way you market your business. Success never tasted so sweet.
 

 

Written by Harleen Bola