Sometimes, all you have is 30 seconds to explain your business concept to a potential client or investor. Nicknamed the “elevator pitch” because it lasts as long as the average elevator ride, this short speech should be given careful preparation and consideration. Develop an engaging elevator pitch so that you will always be ready to sum up your product, its benefits and a little bit about yourself in a convincing and succinct way.
A good pitch will include the listener as a potential recipient of the company’s services. How could your product improve their life? How might it address their concerns? Make your concept relatable so your audience will feel invested. Always keep an open mind for improvements to your pitch. The language of business is constantly evolving so your words and ideas should seem relevant to the current business market at all times.
When you are ready to craft the pitch, start by writing it down and revising the words until you find what feels right. It can be up to 150 words and should last between 30-60 seconds (the shorter the better!). This is not the same copy found in your business brochure or on your website; these words will be delivered in person so they need to be engaging discourse. The written words can sounds stilted in conversation, so you’ll need to read it aloud to make sure it sounds natural. You’ll also want to be as concise as possible since the average attention span starts to wander after 30 seconds.
Here’s my elevator speech for “The Suites Collection”:
- “We operate business centers that provide private offices to individuals or small companies. Our offices come in a range of prices and sizes to fit up to 50 people. Staffing and technology systems are already in place – telephones, internet, fax – we provide it all. Our receptionists answer your phone calls and you can access your office 24/7. You won’t have high start up fees with us. Do you know how much it costs to equip a modern office? We’ve handled that so you can focus on what’s important to you. And, you can be up and running the day you move in. Unlike most of our competitors, we are a small business too, so, we can be nimble and respond very quickly to special requests. Our tenants appreciate our personal touch and find a lot of value in all of the shared services.” (142 Words, 45 seconds)
The day I drafted my elevator pitch, I met a businessman at a networking event who was looking to relocate his office to Chicago. He had already visited some of our competitors. It was the perfect opening for my speech so I launched into it and found that some of it seemed awkward when said aloud. I had to revise several more times before I found something that sounded natural for me. It does help to have the pitch written down because then you will have confidence that you are reciting the best version. As always, practice makes perfect so run it by your friends and family for their feedback. That will allow you to succeed in the all important subliminal part of your sell – showing your listener that you have confidence in yourself and that you know your product is superb.
