The most successful speeches give the listener a hint of how you might be of
interest or benefit to them, but without answering so many of their
questions that they feel they have no need to talk to you further. Remember,
after a short intro about who you are, the best speeches focus on what can
be of benefit to the listener and encourage further dialogue.
Obviously, not everyone you meet will be of value to you, but they may know
someone who would be. Opportunities are not necessarily obvious.
Many great pitches have an explanation or informative introduction and then
aim to rapidly engage the other person by asking questions. Depending on the
time available, situation and context, this may become a highly successful
tactic.
Should it be rehearsed?
This is the aspect that traditional British business culture has the most
difficulty with. Despite the concerns that a prepared elevator pitch may
appear insincere, immodest and ‘salesy,’ the scripted, rehearsed and
polished pitch has a number of clear advantages:
- You won't fumble for words to try to describe the business when time is short.
- You can ensure that all key points of information are included and
communicated effectively.
- You can frame your words so that the appropriate content is included to
encourage further communication.
- By framing the conversation, you are able to filter the people you meet to
maximize your time and effectiveness.
- You can impart confidence about yourself and your offering.
Most of the concerns about the elevator pitch may be overcome by becoming
comfortable with the script and ensuring that you try to engage the listener
and not talk at them.
That way, and by making it informative rather than obviously promotional, the
sincerity will remain and you should have a higher success rate.
The classic elevator pitch
Although each and every pitch is tailored to the company and audience, there
is a standard, classic structure which over time has proven effective.
The key features include;
- An overview of what the business does / sells (although don’t go into too much
detail)
- What your main market is, (who you sell to, what industry you are in, what
sort of market share you have)
- What your clients / customers experience as the key benefits of your products
/ service
- Your main competitive advantage / Unique Core Differentiators (what makes you
different and better than the competition)
Things to avoid:
- Don’t be vague
- Don’t resort to catchy phrases
- Don’t use advertising language
- Don’t use jargon – speak in plain language
A sample pitch
Here’s how it’s done:
"Hello. My name is Robert Simmons, and I am a director of Leverage
Publishing. We specialise in online marketing materials and systems designed
to help opticians, dentists and small businesses in the health sector become
more successful. Our best-selling package, More Clients, typically increases
client numbers by over 25 per cent within three months, and was awarded the
Silver Star for support services in this year's Optician News awards."
Remember, make it brief, informative and powerful, and don’t be afraid to
continually work on improving it. Very rarely will a successful script be
written straight off without tweaking over time.
About The Author
Daniel Ronen is a director of Portman Business Consultancy , a London-based
firm which specialises in processes to help the owners and managers of small
and medium-sized businesses to develop and grow their firms.
