It's important to be prepared to answer the question : "what do you do for a living?. Preparation includes practicing a clear, concise and succinct answer that summarizes what you do and offer to your clients.
Yes, but an elevator pitch needs to be much shorter and in multiple parts. Few have time to listen to you speak for 30 seconds, uninterrupted.
If someone asks me what I do I say,"I help small company business owners have more fun and make more money."
If they ask how, then I say, "We work together to define the purpose of the business, set goals to accomplish the purpose, then plan a strategy to execute it. The fun part is having everyone in the organization clear on the purpose and aligned in their execution. Wouldn't you like to work in a company like that?"
If they want to know more I give them a business card and ask for theirs. I invite them to check me out on LinkedIn and my website, and let them know I'll contact them within a day to see if they want to pursue working together.
Hone in on the primary pain point your target market experiences and develop a benefit statement. If the listener is interested they will engage, if not they may refer you to someone else.
Ours is "We remove construction contractors paperwork frustrations, do you know of anyone who would be interested in learning more?"
Elevator pitches have evolved over the last few years. It's important to ask questions first instead of going directly into a sales pitch. A two way conversation will beginn to build a relationship. Your goal is to find out more about them and then to find some common ground. It's just another form of networking which is very much a conversation.
Yes. Elevator pitches serve two important purposes. First, they force you to clearly and crisply define your business - the problem you solve, how you solve it and what makes your solution unique. Second, they enable you to quickly and clearly convey your business to a stranger (think prospective customer, investor, etc.) The challenge many business owners have is they view their business from the inside - they live it everyday and have deep knowledge about the business. When you are forced to quickly explain your business to a stranger, you have to describe the business from their perspective. This helps to avoid what is called the curse of too much knowledge.
Being prepared and ready to share information about your business is always helpful. I coach my entrepreneurs to offer a short, one sentence pitch and then give the listener the driver seat to steer the conversation so they don’t zone out on your pitch mid-way. I also recommend they have strong print collateral to give out so they can turn more leads into sales.
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I just think relationship building is the way to go.
Nope. Check out a book called "Kill the elevator speech" My staff and I use a slower more connected approach.
Yes, but an elevator pitch needs to be much shorter and in multiple parts. Few have time to listen to you speak for 30 seconds, uninterrupted.
If someone asks me what I do I say,"I help small company business owners have more fun and make more money."
If they ask how, then I say, "We work together to define the purpose of the business, set goals to accomplish the purpose, then plan a strategy to execute it. The fun part is having everyone in the organization clear on the purpose and aligned in their execution. Wouldn't you like to work in a company like that?"
If they want to know more I give them a business card and ask for theirs. I invite them to check me out on LinkedIn and my website, and let them know I'll contact them within a day to see if they want to pursue working together.
Hone in on the primary pain point your target market experiences and develop a benefit statement. If the listener is interested they will engage, if not they may refer you to someone else.
Ours is "We remove construction contractors paperwork frustrations, do you know of anyone who would be interested in learning more?"
Tell your story, be honest and real and people will want to work with you.
Yes but they don't necessarily happen in an elevator
Elevator pitches have evolved over the last few years. It's important to ask questions first instead of going directly into a sales pitch. A two way conversation will beginn to build a relationship. Your goal is to find out more about them and then to find some common ground. It's just another form of networking which is very much a conversation.
Yes. Elevator pitches serve two important purposes. First, they force you to clearly and crisply define your business - the problem you solve, how you solve it and what makes your solution unique. Second, they enable you to quickly and clearly convey your business to a stranger (think prospective customer, investor, etc.) The challenge many business owners have is they view their business from the inside - they live it everyday and have deep knowledge about the business. When you are forced to quickly explain your business to a stranger, you have to describe the business from their perspective. This helps to avoid what is called the curse of too much knowledge.
Being prepared and ready to share information about your business is always helpful. I coach my entrepreneurs to offer a short, one sentence pitch and then give the listener the driver seat to steer the conversation so they don’t zone out on your pitch mid-way. I also recommend they have strong print collateral to give out so they can turn more leads into sales.