Whether you’re hunting for a job or want to pitch a business idea to investors, you need to be convincing. You have to showcase yourself as the right person for the task, and also emphasize how you can add value to people’s lives. This is where an elevator pitch comes in. An elevator pitch is basically a short description of a product or idea which you can deliver in a short time to interested parties. Usually, it is the first step to getting your foot in the door. Therefore, it is extremely crucial that you get it right.
So, you need to work hard on your elevator pitch and make sure it convinces your target audience. It is not enough to just say you are offering Optimum packages, for example. You should state why these plans are so good, and how you will implement them for your customers. Draft your elevator pitch in a clear, concise, and convincing manner. Here are a few tips you can follow to help you get the perfect one.
Say Who You Are
The first thing you should do is clearly state who you are. Include your field of expertise, level of experience, and areas of interest. You can also add your previous job titles here, if they’re relevant to your pitch, and add value to it.
If you have any previous achievements you’re proud of, also add those here. However, do not ramble on for too long about yourself, and try to keep everything in two to three crisp sentences.
Define What You Do
This is where you can start expanding your information a bit and getting to the purpose of the elevator pitch. Lead on from where you describe yourself, and segue into what you do in your industry. At this point, you can explain your areas of expertise, and how you have added value to your sector.
This description can be longer than the previous one, but should still be pretty concise. Do not list irrelevant hobbies or things like college club memberships, unless they are absolutely relevant to what you want to propose.
State Why You Made This Choice
Now, go on and explain why you decided to invest yourself in this product or idea, and state your motivations behind it. This is where you will explain your idea with some details, and state how you believe it will contribute to the world. You need to justify the concept’s value so that investors are convinced about its viability.
At this junction, you can add a few basic statistics and figures to cement the value of your idea. Numbers can go a long way in convincing investors, so do include them from reliable sources.
Identify Your Target Audience And Customers
Then, identify who the exact target audience is for your idea. Reaffirm how valuable your idea is and then explain how it will add to their lives, write in your elevator pitch about what problem the target audience is facing, and how your idea sets out to solve that problem.
Once you define your audience, state how you will approach and target them. Write a few lines about how you will market your idea to them, and how it will improve their lives. Keep this part short, but do not leave out any important information.
Explain Your Future Goals
Once you’ve gotten all of that down, you can go on to explain what you have in mind for your idea. State the basics of your strategy, and what milestones you hope to achieve within a certain timeline. Basically, explain your goals and targets to your pitch audience. Try to add statistics and numbers to this part, so that investors can find it easy to assess your product’s value.
However, do not overstate your goals. Keep them practical and realistic. If you exaggerate unrealistically, investors might not trust your idea, and won’t be able to see its value. So, keep a healthy balance between practicality and optimism when drafting these goals.
Add A Unique Element
You need something that stands out for your pitch audience. This can be something about you or your idea that makes you memorable. The goal of this step is to make sure whoever is listening to your pitch remembers you.
Again, do not over exaggerate or embellish the truth at this stage. Investors will see right through that and that will hinder your goals there and then. Just state what is unique about you and your idea, and make it sound valuable for the investors.
Practice And Time Your Pitch
It’s not just what your pitch is that matters, but also how you deliver it. Therefore, you should practice it, and perfect your timing. Do not let it be more than around 5-15 minutes, and do not just read it out.
Your tone should be convincing and you should know exactly what you’re trying to portray. So, practice delivering it to your friends or even to a mirror, so that you can get it right.
Follow these simple steps to get your elevator pitch right. This will help you convince investors and businesses to see your value and how you can add to the industry.
