Over the last couple of years all kinds of face-to-face business meetings became a rarity – but now that vaccinations are taking the sting out of Covid and we’re learning to live with the virus they’re making a return.  Chances are your in-person networking skills have become a little rusty.  In this post we give you some tips and advice on how to sharpen up your elevator pitch.

What is an elevator pitch?

It’s a succinct summation of your job role or profession accompanied by a one or two line explanation of how you and your business adds value to clients.  The idea is that it should be short enough to deliver during an elevator ride.

When do you use an elevator pitch?

When someone asks the “what do you do?” question it’s good business practice to have a well-prepared answer.  You never know when this situation may arise – as you step into an elevator with them, or at a networking event, a seminar, a workshop, a trade show, at a social event or when you strike up a conversation with a stranger on a train, in a queue or down the pub.  So have your answer ready!

Why do you need an elevator pitch?

Because everyone you meet is potentially a useful business contact.  In most cases what you do and what your business offers will be of only casual interest to them.  But when you have a good elevator pitch it’s surprising how often it leads to something more substantial – they might need your services themselves, or (more likely) they can introduce you to a potential client, supplier of partner. 

Every person you meet represents an opportunity to spread the word about your business - so you need to make the most of it by doing a good job of answering that “what do you do?” question when it pops up. 

What makes a good elevator pitch?

Think about occasions when you have asked somebody else the “what do you do?” question.  How often has the reply left you none the wiser?  Too often!

A good elevator pitch makes it absolutely clear what you do, in a way that’s interesting, appealing and memorable.  It needs to be just long enough to accomplish this, but not any longer – people have very short attention spans!

How to structure an effective elevator pitch

Describe yourself, using an appropriate and accurate job description.  For instance, Health & Safety Consultant, Solicitor specialising in intellectual property, Web Designer and Digital Marketing Expert, Insurance Broker, Dietician…   Just something very simple that will give them an initial clue as to your occupation.

Then describe in slightly more detail what you do, covering who your typical clients are and how you help them.  Outline your offer and how you add value to people/what problem you help them solve.   For instance, “I work with small business owners, giving them peace of mind that they are fully compliant with all the latest health and safety regulations that cover their industry.  Or, “I help innovative food and drinks companies protect and monetise their digital assets – I minimise their risks and boost their profits.”  Or “I build websites and create digital marketing campaigns for Mumpreneurs who want create a strong brand that attracts a steady stream of fresh client leads.”  Each of these examples works because it contains a client benefit – they define the kind of clients you serve and makes it clear why these people are glad they hired you.    

How to make your elevator pitch even more engaging

Using the approach above is engaging because it makes it clear who you help and how that person or business benefits – they can immediately see “what’s in it for them.”

However, you can make your pitch even more engaging by phrasing it as a question. 

For instance, “You know how difficult it is for a small business owner to make sure every aspect of what they do is fully compliant with the relevant Health & Safety regulations?  I take care of all of that so they have complete peace of mind.”  Or, “Do you ever worry about competitors copying what you do and infringing your intellectual property rights?  I solve that problem for businesses like yours.”   Or, “How confident are you that your website is doing the best possible job of promoting your business?  I offer a free website evaluation.” 

How to close your elevator pitch

If the person shows a genuine interest in what you have just told them then you need to try and develop the relationship.  You could ask “Is that something that might interest you, or do you know anybody who could benefit from my services?”  If their response is favourable you need to either offer them your business card or request theirs.  If they don’t have a card on them try and get an email address. 

Practice your elevator pitch

You need to practice your elevator pitch so it comes out correctly and smoothly when the opportunity arises.  Being hesitant is not good.  And you don’t want to sound like a robot either – it has to sound natural and not too rehearsed!

How to use your elevator pitch most effectively

If you introduce your elevator pitch too soon in a conversation, or you do it abruptly, this will come across as pushy – it’ll just put people off!  There are a few conversational skills you can use to get the other person in the right frame of mind before you deliver your elevator pitch.  These are covered in our earlier blog post “How to click with people at business events”

Anything else we can help you with?

Hopefully these tips will help you sharpen up your elevator pitch and prepare you to seize every opportunity to add new clients and contacts to your business. Looking to host a business event to speed up the process? Just get in touch - Clevedon Hall is the ideal location for all kinds of business get-togethers, from training sessions to corporate celebrations and networking events to team building sessions.