Do you want to learn how to create the perfect elevator pitch so that you can impress a potential employer or land a new client? Are you trying to decide if you need an elevator pitch?
Here, you’ll learn why it’s important to have an elevator pitch, how long your pitch should be, and how you can create a pitch that sparks interest and leaves the other person wanting to know more.
And if you stay around until the end, you’ll learn my secret formula for saving time when creating your own powerful pitch.
If we’ve never met before, I’m Heather Austin from ProfessorAustin.com and The Career Club on Facebook, and here, I share simple solutions to help you build a business or launch a career you love.
Before we jump into how to write the perfect pitch, remember that the purpose of an elevator pitch is to quickly let others know what your expertise and qualifications are. It’s designed to ignite a two-sided conversation between you and the other person. Think of it in terms of baseball: You toss a pitch only for it to come back. Rather than you doing all the talking, your pitch should engage the other person in a positive, thought-provoking conversation. Let’s jump into how to create the perfect elevator pitch. Start with a simple statement that quickly grabs the attention of the other person and piques their interest in wanting to know more about you. Here’s an example of how I would start my own elevator pitch: I am a career and business strategy coach helping working professionals find a career that brings true happiness and fulfillment. To keep the other person engaged, mention why you do what you do. This will help you better explain your purpose and clarify your passion and commitment to what you do. This will also be one of the reasons the person with whom you are speaking will take action (which we’ll talk about in a second). So here’s how I would explain this in my elevator pitch: One of my greatest passions is to provide award-winning career guidance to business professionals that want to learn top-notch job search strategies, LinkedIn tactics, interview preparation skills, and career transition approaches. Your elevator pitch is similar to your professional bio. To learn more about a professional bio, read or watch about it here. After you’ve explained who you are, who you help, and why you help them, mention what makes you so special and different. Out of all the other people that do what you do, why are you unique? An easy way to do this is to mention your greatest accomplishments. Talk about some of the biggest problems you’ve solved and major contributions you’ve made. This will help keep the momentum going and will give you more credibility. So here’s how I can explain this in my elevator pitch: In addition to career strategy, I help my clients explore options for starting and growing a new business. I provide actionable advice to those that are striving to become entrepreneurs. Your whole goal in sharing an elevator pitch should be to get the person you with whom you are talking to take some type of action. This action can be something like an exchange of business cards, a request to connect on LinkedIn, or, even better, a follow-up meeting. One of my favorite ways to get the other person to take action is by asking a question. For example, I might say something like: Is entrepreneurship something you’ve considered before? This will be the start of a new relationship that will hopefully lead you to your end goal. One of the best things you can do is to practice your elevator pitch out loud. Say it to your family members, friends, and colleagues. Don’t be afraid to change it. Your elevator pitch will go through different iterations. You may even find, depending on the situation, that your pitch changes. That’s okay. Another thing to remember is that you don’t want to ramble; you need to be able to pitch yourself in 30 seconds or less. Now to make sure you get it right when it comes to your elevator pitch, follow this simple formula: I am a [say what you are] helping [say who you help]. One of my greatest passions is [state your passion here]. I’ve been fortunate to [list some of the biggest problems you’ve solved or some of your greatest accomplishments]. Have you ever [finish your question]?Step #1 – Identify Who You Are and Who You Help
Step #2 – Identify How You Help Them
Step #3 – Explains What Makes You Unique
Step #4 – Include a Call to Action
Step #5 – Practice and Revise
And Here’s a Formula to Help You Get Started