Elevator Pitch Examples

Elevator Pitch Examples Jump To: Re-Start Your Elevator Pitch Elevator Pitch Builder For the 60 Second Pitch 60-Second Elevator Pitch Example For the 30 Second Pitch 30-Second Elevator Pitch Example More Elevator Pitch Examples That Work Quick! You have 60 seconds or less to sell yourself. How do you respond? Will you bore the other person to sleep with an elevator pitch so memorized that you could recite it in your sleep? Or will you be caught rambling, trying to find the right words to wow the person you just met before the ding of the elevator goes off? Either way, your pitch needs some work. The elevator pitch â€" the script you use to promote yourself or your brand in the amount of time it would take to ride an elevator â€" is hard to nail. It’s rehearsed, but not robotic. It’s professional, but not boring. It’s clear and complete, but not wordy. It tells a story, but not your whole life’s story. It’s selling yourself, but not overselling yourself. It’s terrifying and it’s tricky. But it’s also inevitable and invaluable. Which is why you need to craft a winning elevator pitch that will get the conversation underway and convey all the information you need to sell yourself. To get you started, here are a few tips to help you build the best elevator pitch. Re-Start Your Elevator Pitch Revamp your elevator pitch to make it personal, brief and memorable. A strong elevator pitch should: 1. Have a Purpose When you chat with someone for some non-business small talk, it’s about connecting and caring about the person you’re talking to. Unlike casual conversation, however, your elevator pitch should be created with intent. You must have a goal in mind. Is it to nurture a lead? Snag an investor? Land a job? Further your network? Whatever your purpose is, that’s what should guide the creation of your pitch. 2. Say Who You Are and What You Do Your pitch should explain â€" cohesively but succinctly â€" who you are. The trick here is to communicate some excitement about what you’re doing â€" if you aren’t enthusiastic about it, why would anyone else be? Of course, the enthusiasm should be sincere. No one sounds authentic when they don’t believe in what they’re doing. Think about what excites you and use that to direct your pitch. 3. Have a Hook No one wants to hear you talk about yourself and only about yourself, even if it’s for only 60 seconds. That’s why you need to get their attention. Make them want to listen with a hook. Consider your audience. Now, find a surprising or tantalizing bit of information that’s relevant to them and makes them want to hear more. What problem can you solve? What sets you apart? What is your audience really looking for, and how can you work that into your pitch? Make sure your hook leads into your selling point to share how you can solve that problem. Good hooks for your elevator pitch can take you to the next level. 4. Explain Your USP Early Don’t bury the lead by withholding your unique selling point, or USP, until the end of the conversation. You may have lost their ear by the time you get to what makes you special, so use that upfront. As soon as you’ve explained your purpose and who you are, explain how your skills, product or service can uniquely solve a pain point. Show off what makes you different from anyone else, and therefore makes you able to provide them with something they can’t get elsewhere. 5. Plan Time to Listen There’s a lot of advice about creating the perfect elevator pitch out there. Often, that advice will include the directive to ask a question, and that’s a great idea â€" as long as you have integrated time to listen to the answer. Asking a question is good advice, because it initiates a conversation and engages your listener. If you ask a leading question, but treat it as a jumping off point without hearing the answer, you may not get very far. At the very least, factor in time to ask for a follow-up or to get their business card. 6. Create Less From More Yes, an elevator pitch should be succinct. But if you want a strong pitch, start with more. Outline the different parts (who you are, what you do, how you do it, why you do it, what makes you unique, what you’ve accomplished, your hook), and use them to craft your narrative. Write down a few ideas for each, and treat them like a puzzle that needs solving. When you’ve got them laid out, organize them in a logical order with the most important information at the beginning. Some of those won’t fit, but in the process of jotting down ideas, more ideas will be forthcoming. Save your best ideas â€" the puzzle pieces can always be rearranged to suit the audience or the situation when building an effective elevator pitch. Elevator Pitch Builder Now that you have an outline to work with, start timing yourself. Timing is crucial to a strong elevator pitch. Too long, and you’ve lost them. Too short, and you never had them. Of course, some of the length will depend on your field and industry, but err on the side of brevity. For the most part, 60 seconds should be your max, but you should have both a 30-second and 60-second pitch at your disposal â€" depending on how far up your elevator is going. When you create each, consider what you have time to include. For the 60 Second Pitch: There’s a lot that can be communicated in a minute. Choose what you want to include carefully. The order of your pitch may be different, but here’s a template for those precious 60 seconds: Introduce yourself â€" 5 seconds. Explain who you are and what you do â€" 5 seconds. Get their attention with a statement or question â€" 5 seconds. Discuss your USP and how it’s unique â€" 10 seconds. Share your accomplishments â€" 10 seconds. Communicate your goal â€" 5 seconds. Offer a follow-up meeting. Give/take business card â€" 15 seconds. For this template, there’s a five-second cushion, so if you know you need extra time explaining your USP, put it there. If it takes a bit to explain your work, use the extra time upfront. Remember, every pitch is different. This example of how to build an elevator pitch is only meant to be used as a starting point. Make sure you use your time how it’s best suited to sell yourself. 60-Second Elevator Pitch Example “Hi, I’m Sarah Landrum. Nice to meet you! (Allow time to shake hands.) I’m a freelance graphic designer and the co-founder of Landrum Designs, a logo design and branding firm based out of York, PA. Did you know the average person decides within two seconds of looking at a company logo whether they like it or not? It may seem minor, but a poorly designed logo can damage your brand and cost you customers, not to mention time and money of a re-brand. Having worked for over 7 years as a professional graphic designer specializing in brand identification, I’ve built my reputation on the longevity of my logo designs. I can say that not only are my clients happy with what I’ve done for them, but my designs have gone on to win national and international logo and branding awards. I’ve won XYZ award and received XYZ recognition. I’ve worked hand in hand with some of the biggest advertising agencies and companies, like XYZ company, and out of over 300 contracts, have had only one logo changed. I’d like to bring that award-winning history to your company. Would you be willing to meet with me for 20 minutes to go over my portfolio and see how I can help make sure your logo properly reflects your brand?” For the 30 Second Pitch: Thirty seconds isn’t a lot of time, but it’s more realistic for the time you will have available to hook a listener. It should be balanced a bit differently. Try this elevator pitch builder as a guide to get you started. Grab their attention with a hook â€" 5 seconds. Explain who you are and what you do â€" 5-10 seconds. Choose a USP to fit your audience and discuss â€" 5-10 seconds. Add in your biggest accomplishment to keep their interest â€" 5 seconds. Share your goal and offer a follow-up â€" 5 seconds. It takes skill and practice to pull off a strong elevator pitch in 30 seconds, but one way to do it is to be personable. If you they can’t remember what you said, leave them with a positive impression of who you are. 30-Second Elevator Pitch Example “Did you know the average person decides within two seconds of looking at a company logo whether they like it or not? I’m Sarah Landrum, the co-founder of Landrum Designs, a logo design and branding firm. Having worked for over seven years as a professional graphic designer specializing in brand identification, I’ve built my reputation on the longevity of my logo designs. I’ve had the pleasure of working with some of the biggest advertising agencies, like XYZ company, and out of over 300 contracts, I’ve had only one logo changed. My designs have also won national and international logo and branding awards, including XYZ award. I’d like to bring that award-winning history to your company. Would you be willing to meet with me for 20 minutes to go over my portfolio and see how I can help make sure your logo properly reflects your brand?” More Elevator Pitch Examples That Work The most challenging pitch is the one that works in under 30 seconds, but what you’re pitching matters a lot. Job seekers will need to frontload different aspects of careers than those pitching startups. Students â€" who often don’t have a lot of experience â€" should focus less on that aspect of the pitch and more on what makes them unique. Here are some examples of each: Elevator Pitch for Job Seekers Hi, I’m Kevin. I’ve been working in digital marketing for the last five years and am looking for a position that utilizes my expertise in social media. In addition to crafting the perfect 140-character ?? Reply Sarah Landrum December 7, 2016 at 3:43 pm (3 years ago) Thanks, Shawn! So glad you liked it! I couldnt agree more It all comes down to how you deliver and relate the hook. You have to make it natural and relevant, not just interesting, to make it flow. When well done its the selling point to a great pitch! Reply Home Renovations Coromandel March 8, 2017 at 9:45 am (3 years ago) Revamp your elevator pitch to make it personal, brief and memorable. A strong elevator pitch should Interesting hoe responsive some are when prices are challenged obviously you need to be genuine with competitive pricing Reply 1Pingbacks Trackbacks on You Need to Try This Elevator Pitch Builder (With Examples!) Whats Your Pitch? Mark Ray | Writer says: February 23, 2018 at 8:58 pm [] can find lots of information  online  about pitches, including in this article from Punched Clock. And to give you a little incentive, Im running a contest. Post your pitch in the comments [] Reply Leave a Reply Cancel replyYour email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *Comment *Name* Email * Website Notify me via e-mail if anyone answers my comment. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Meet Sarah Sarah Landrum is a leading millennial career expert and the founder of Punched Clocks. Find Out More! 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