We know firsthand how passionate you can get about your business. You could likely talk about your business all day to anyone who would listen. But how do you take all that passion and excitement and condense it into a 30-second or one-minute pitch? A pitch that will excite everyone around you? This pitch, or an elevator pitch, isn’t easy to craft, but anyone can create one that resonates. By the time you finish reading our five ways to make your elevator pitch more inspiring in order to convert more leads, you’ll be the best pitcher around.
What is an Elevator Pitch?
An elevator pitch condenses essential information about your business down to a short and compelling introduction you can give at a moment’s notice. These pitches are short and to the point and are so concise you could deliver them in the time it takes to ride an elevator to the top floor – hence the name. The best bit is an effective pitch is so good it leaves people wanting to know more, to the point they may be willing to invest in you.
If you’ve ever bumped into a dream client or investor and not known what to say to them, you need an elevator pitch. Get your pitch buried deep in your memory, and you’ll always know what to say when the moment comes.
Do You Need an Elevator Pitch?
If you’re a business owner, entrepreneur, or someone with a lot of ambition, then you need to have an elevator pitch to hand. A quick half-a-minute speech gives you everything you need to sell yourself, your aspirations, goals, and incredible ideas to potential connections and clients, no matter when or where you find them. Opportunity knocks at any time, so you must always be prepared to answer.
How to Make Your Elevator Pitch More Inspiring
Without further ado, here are our five tips on how to elevate your elevator pitch;
1. Focus on the Key Essentials
It’s all too common to see entrepreneurs go into way too much detail with their elevator pitches. It feels like someone trying to auction off a precious collection. They must think of it like that because they have this idea they need to address each aspect of the business plan all at once. Explaining everything and jumping between so many topics so quickly makes you seem anxious and nervous. It sends the wrong message. It’s also extremely confusing to the person to whom you’re pitching.
Don’t forget that less is more when it comes to giving a pitch like this. Focus on important details and stick to those points. Don’t forget to take a breath every so often. Taking a moment to breathe and compile your thoughts before talking helps you give a more compelling pitch to attract clients and investors.
2. Outline the Business Model
Your business model shows investors how your idea becomes an economically viable business in which they would want to invest. Part of an inspiring elevator pitch is outlining this business model. Take a moment to explain what your company does and how you can use that to make money.
3. Make the Presentation Crystal Clear
A great pitch and presentation are so easily understood even people who aren’t in your industry and don’t understand your business model can understand it. If you reach that point, you’re doing pretty well. If your pitch is predominantly jargon, acronyms, tech-speak, and buzzwords, then it’s not very good. A good pitch is one that the average everyman can understand.
Keep the pitch short and simple. It should be as to-the-point as possible. Consider practicing the pitch on people outside of your company. Ask them if they can tell you what they understood, what the business model was, and why you’re doing what you’re doing. Ask if they have any questions or need any clarification. You’d be surprised at what people might take from your pitch and repeat back to you. Chances are, people are getting an entirely different picture from what you said versus what you want them to know and remember.
4. Talk More About Yourself
You shouldn’t be afraid to talk a little about yourself. Keep in mind that investors invest in people as much as they invest in products and businesses. They invest in people first; ideas come second. You may even find investors that tell you they want to invest in you and want to hear about your next venture because your current one isn’t appealing, but they think you have great ideas and want to invest in you as a person. Perhaps you’ll even find someone who invests in your current project but still wants to hear about the next one.
Don’t be afraid to talk yourself and your team up a little. You should be proud of your accomplishments, particularly when those accomplishments relate to your venture and the effort that goes into starting one. Show and tell investors why you are the person for the job.
5. Showcase the Numbers Behind the Numbers
It’s not enough to say that your business will generate millions of dollars per year. Don’t just claim to be worth $50 million within three years. Most investors won’t believe you unless you’ve got the experience and you’ve got a proven record of executing at that scale.
Rather than focusing on big numbers and how much you can make, showcase the numbers behind them. Show investors how you plan to make that much money and reach that company value. Share information about the company that makes you forecast this level of growth and sales. Talk a little about the why as well as the what.
Final Thoughts
How is your elevator pitch coming along? Could you impress a potential client or investor if you ran into them in an elevator? Do you have everything you need to knock their socks off in sixty seconds? If not, then put a bit of thought into it, and you’ll have an impressive and inspiring pitch before you know it.
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