How to craft the perfect elevator pitch
An elevator pitch is a quick, memorable personal summary. This 2-3 sentence pitch includes an introduction of yourself and an overview of your experience. The idea behind the name is that it should be short enough to share during a 30-60 second elevator ride.
When should you use it?
As a small business owner, you can rely on your elevator pitch in many different situations. It’s great to have on hand for networking events, including trade shows, job fairs, career expos, or even work holiday parties. It’s also a tried-and-true way to introduce yourself to potential customers, and vendors.
Elevator pitches are a helpful asset for your online presence, which is increasingly important for small and medium business (SMB) owners. They can act as a succinct, professional bio for social media platforms such as LinkedIn or X. Think of your elevator pitch as an extension of your personal brand.
Components of an elevator pitch
There are four questions your elevator pitch should answer:
1. Introduction
Who are you? It may seem obvious, but make sure to include your name! Feel free to personalize. For example, “It’s lovely to meet you. I’m Bill…”
2. Description of your business
Give a brief description of your role and a high-level overview of what your company does: “I’m the owner of xy, a dog treat company based in Denver, Colorado,” or “Five years ago I founded xx, to help make new businesses with their social media strategies.”
3. Your value proposition
This section is the core of the conversation. Are you offering your services to a new client? Trying to hire new staff? Be clear about what you are looking for and what you bring to the table. You can say something along the lines of “Our bookkeeping service can help keep you organized so that your business can continue to thrive,” or “Other bottle shops in this area have had great success with our specialty ciders, and we think it would be a great fit to stock our beverages in your store.”
4. Call to action
End the pitch with an action item. For example, “I think our product could be a great fit for you, are you available for a meeting next week?” or “I would love to discuss bringing you on as our new vendor.” This sets up concrete next steps.
Best practices
- Keep it concise: It might be hard to confine all the amazing things about your business to just a few sentences. However, you want to keep your audience’s attention. Emphasize your values and advantages. A successful pitch will hook your listener in; you’ll have plenty of time to expand on your products and services at a later date.
- Know your stuff: Confidence in your pitch will come across to the listener. Practice your pitch in front of a mirror, record videos of yourself, or ask a friend.
- Keep it natural: Don’t be TOO rehearsed. Speak slowly and conversationally. Convey confidence through nonverbal cues – stand tall, keep your head straight and your shoulders back, and make eye contact with your audience. Make sure to get the key points across but feel free to customize your pitch where you can. For example, you might give a more technical description to someone at a trade show, but give a broader overview at a general networking event.
- Stay connected: When appropriate, end the conversation by exchanging contact information, giving out a business card, or sending a LinkedIn connection request.
Now that you’re familiar with elevator pitches, you’re ready to write your own!
*The purpose of this page is solely to provide information and should not be considered as financial advice.
**Melio does not provide legal, tax or accounting advice; you should consult a professional advisor before making any financial decisions.
