Every Entrepreneur's Guide to the Elevator Pitch

 2020-02-24

What is an elevator pitch?

The elevator pitch is a short speech that conveys who you are, what you do, and what you will bring to the table. Most importantly, it is aimed at getting the attention of the panel on you.

What distinguishes the elevator pitch is its length. The content should be summarized in 30 seconds to a minute – the amount of time that one spends in an elevator to get somewhere.

What goes into an elevator speech?

A successful elevator pitch is never impromptu. Rather, it is well-crafted to leave a memorable impact on the audience. It is a compilation of the very best that you have to offer professionally, compressed in to 30 seconds of clear speech. When preparing an elevator pitch for a panel of mentors or investors, bear in mind that the speech should project the best (and honest) version of your professional self.

In order to do this, you should pay attention to:

• • Your Profession

This is what you're knowledgeable about, well-grounded in, and excel at doing. Talk about what you studied and your core competency in that field. When talking about your current profession, use the present tense to describe what you are, as opposed to what you used to be. Consider including the types of organizations that you have worked with, if that will have a positive impact on your current speech.

• • Your Expertise

Your expertise are your competencies and skills. Make a note of all your skills, differentiating between hard skills and soft skills. Hard skills are skills that can be acquired, defined and measured. They are tangible and teachable. Soft skills are all about how you operate in a professional environment. Are you an expert programmer? Are you PMP-certified? Do you have excellent public speaking skills? Compile an exhaustive list of your skills.

• • Your Achievements

Illustrate how you have utilized your expertise and skills to get results at the workplace. It is not enough to come across as someone who is 'capable of'. You need to portray yourself as someone who has already achieved something. Did you break any sales records? Did you facilitate an impressive merger? If you achieved something worth bragging about, list it down.

A good elevator pitch is one that captures the attention of the audience. It highlights the very best that you have to offer, flows smoothly and sounds effortless. In order to get your elevator pitch to this level, it is necessary to have some level of preparation.

Practice the following steps to fine-tune your effort:

• • To get your ideas in order, write out your speech on paper first. Start out by including the relevant detail in a cohesive order. Then, format and edit it until it is concise enough to fit the time frame of 30-60 seconds.
• • Rehearse the written speech until you have it memorized. Repeat it to yourself in front of the mirror. Even better, record yourself so that you can observe for flaws afterwards. Review how you sound and how you come across. Try different styles of speaking to see which sounds most effective.
• • Keep practicing your speech in front of others, and solicit constructive feedback from them. Remember that this pitch is being tailored for someone else. It would be wise to get the opinion of an audience.
• • Embrace feedback and make the necessary changes. Perhaps the content of the speech doesn't get your best self across and needs more work. Consider making some revisions.
• • Ensure you maintain eye contact and a pleasant demeanor while making the pitch. You want to make sure you have the attention of the audience.
• • It should be well-rehearsed but come across as effortless. Anything that sounds monotonous or robotic will not fulfill the purpose of the elevator pitch.
• • If you're appearing in more than one interview, tailor each pitch accordingly, especially if you are applying for different roles or to organizations that do different work. There is no one size fits all for an elevator pitch.
• • Do not undersell or oversell yourself in the elevator pitch. Be honest and truthful while getting your confidence across.