Elevator Pitch
Knowing What to Say When the Doors Close
In our increasingly fast-paced world, the elevator pitch has taken on
new importance as part of the B2B marketing arsenal.
The elevator pitch refers to what you tell a prospective client to grab
attention and pull them in when faced with a time limit of, say, 30-60
seconds (the amount of time spent traveling between floors on an elevator).
But if you are like most small business marketers, you haven't spent much
time developing this pitch for your company.
If you were getting ready to launch a brand new business, or even a new
product or service within a business, you would undoubtedly spend a
considerable amount of time, effort and money to prepare for the unveiling.
You would know all about its features and how it works. But are you ready to
stand up in front of a group of potential clients and give a compelling
one-minute pitch about your company and what sets your products and services
apart?
Preparation is the key to success when honing your elevator pitch. You
know what you do, but you must clearly articulate what differentiates your
business from your competitors and how the prospective target can benefit
from using you. Here are a few ideas to help you create an elevator pitch
with impact.
Step back. While you are intimately familiar with every feature of your
product and all the advantages of your company, you won't have time to cover
all of this within the span of a minute. You must hit a home run on the
first pitch. Step back from the technicalities and clearly identify the
solution you provide.
Cut the fat. Make your message as simple and compelling as possible.
Avoid the typical cliches used by sales and marketing people; instead,
emphasize the benefits your company offers and how you can solve a problem
for your prospect. Spend some time refining your message until you have
perfected the basic pitch.
Call to action. What do you want your listener to do? Conclude with a
request for a business card, interview or permission to call your prospect.
Practice. Practice your elevator pitch out loud until you can deliver it
naturally.
For more information on having MarketBlazer guide your business to
the next level in marketing, call (770) 406-6343 or email us at
info@marketblazer.com.
