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How To Craft A Killer Elevator Pitch

October 26, 2021
/ Jamie Walker
/ Networking Tips

Have you ever been caught flat-footed when someone asks you, “so what do you do?” or “where do you work?”. That stumble out of the gate can quickly deflate an opportunity to connect with a potential prospect. To be prepared for an instance like this you need to develop a short and snappy explanation of what you do or what business you are in. This quick and easy to grasp explanation is called an elevator pitch and it is your best opportunity to make people feel more comfortable in getting to know more about you and your business.

To help you craft the perfect elevator pitch we will take you through 5 easy steps that you can use to create a pitch that will help you get noticed at your next networking event.

1. Start by introducing who you are.

When you meet someone new in a business setting, the first step is telling your contact or audience your name, your role or title, and the name of your company. Your introduction should be to the point and communicate with confidence. The goal here is to get out of the starting gate on the right foot and not get too far into the weeds yet.

An example of opening your elevator pitch should be like (My name is John Smith, and I’m the Director of Business Development at Superior Widgets.)

2. Describe what your company does.

This is your chance to describe the products and services that your business offers and how your customers use them. This is also part of the elevator pitch where you introduce your company and continue to build momentum with a potential prospect.

As with the introduction of who you are, you do not want to get too far into the details in case you get cut off mid-conversation or in the instance that you are running short on time. Rambling on can cause you to lose steam on a pitch that needs to be to the point.

Let’s add to our example, “My name is John Smith, and I’m the Director of Business Development at Superior Widgets. Fortune 500 companies across the US use our line of widgets in building out their distribution networks and supply chain infrastructure.”

3. What value do you offer?

This part of your pitch is where you start putting all the pieces together by offering more details on how you help your clients and what benefits your products offer. So far you have set the stage by introducing yourself and you have communicated what your role is and what your company does. Now is the time to convey the overall value of your products.

“My name is John Smith, and I’m the Director of Business Development at Superior Widgets. Fortune 500 companies across the US use our line of widgets in building out their distribution networks and supply chain infrastructure. Our cutting-edge technology and industry expertise in logistics help our clients get the most out of our full line of widgets.”

4. Qualify your success.

Now it is time to wrap up your pitch with a qualifying statistic about the success rate of your products and services. This part of the pitch adds credibility to what you do and shows that businesses that use your products or services get successful results.

5. Put it on paper, edit it and practice it so you can pitch with confidence.

As the old saying goes, practice makes perfect, and the more you read your pitch aloud, the more natural it will sound. Soon enough, you will be able to communicate your elevator pitch like it is second nature, and never again will you be caught flat-footed when someone asks you what you do or what business you are in.

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How To Craft A Killer Elevator Pitch

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