OK we’re not in the US but the term they use over there for a concise, carefully planned, and well-practiced description about your business that a 12 year old (I have one which is useful!) should be able to understand delivered in the time it would take to ride up or down a lift is a good one.
An elevator pitch is something all of us in business should use and memorise so that’s it easy to trot out. It’s halfway between your opening selling one-liner e.g. a good opening question that can’t cause offence such as “do you have a good accountant?” and your sales script where you go into detail about your products and services.
It should cover:
- Who you are
- A very brief description of what you do
- Who your market is
- What your USP (Unique Selling Point) or competitive advantage is
- How you do what you do to provide credibility
- A counter to the biggest objection prospects come up with e.g. cost
Whew, I can hear you saying, all that in a few short words – that sounds tough? Well yes but as they say, if you’re going to do something you may as well do it properly so here are some pointers:
- Keep it as short as possible. Ever been to a business speed dating event? Enough said?
- Practice until you’re word perfect, timing yourself
- Don’t use jargon or technical terms
- Have a hook or a call to action
- Keep this updated frequently
- Spend more time listening than talking as the person you’re talking to will be feel a lot better about you if they’ve told you all about them!
If you need help with your elevator pitch contact Nick on 0800 ASK NICK or email nick@abac.co.nz.
