[Whether you are talking to existing customers or prospects, everyone in your organization is selling your company at every moment of the day.
But how many of your employees know exactly what to say when they meet a new potential customer? Can they properly describe who you are and what you do in a way that is compatible with your brand message? And can they do it in one minute or less? That’s the maximum that we recommend for the classic “elevator pitch.”
An elevator pitch is the capsule speech that you recite to anyone that asks. “So, what is it that you do?” Your goal is to make a great first impression and get that person excited about your brand, product or service. It’s also a great way to introduce yourself to prospects, turn employees into salespeople, recruit new talent or simply explain what you do to Uncle Ed. But most importantly, an elevator pitch must be used consistently by everyone throughout your organization.
The following are five tips we suggest for developing a powerful elevator pitch:
- Keep it short. Your total elevator pitch should be no more than one minute, but thirty seconds is ideal.
- Always explain the “why” before you explain the “what”. People will understand better if they first know why you do what you do.
- You must tell a relevant story. You can tell a story about how your product or service made a huge difference for a customer. Or you can simply highlight how your product or service saved the day.
- Find the right words and script them. You can use that repeatedly as needed.
Master the easy-to-remember elevator pitch and make sure everyone in your entire organization does too. This tactic will allow greater access and quickly build on that first great impression.
If you’re interested in seeing the elevator pitch that we created for ourselves, just drop us a line and we’ll be happy to share it with you.
Be sure to check out our new book, Marketing Smart-a collection of proven marketing strategies and tips to help Challenger Brands take on their larger competitors… and win!
