How to create a winning elevator pitch

An elevator pitch is a 30-second response to the question: “so, what do you do”? Most of us have an elevator pitch or at least realize we need one. You never know when someone will walk up to you and ask: “so, what do you do”? You might not have 30 seconds to answer this question. Let me explain what happened to me last year when I gave a speech in the San Francisco Bay Area.

A man walked up to me afterwards, pointed a finger and said: “in 15 words or less, why should I do business with you”? I said” “what”? He repeated the question. I looked like Mr. Stupid and I had a very long drive home from the Bay Area.

That gave me time to think up some good responses. These include:

·         I turn your problems into solutions

·         I’ve been doing this since ****

·         My ideas work for my clients and for my business

This 15 word response will probably take 8 seconds to recite. Yes, I am asking you to condense your 30 second elevator pitch into 8 seconds. This is not easy. However, 8 seconds may be all the time you have to answer the: “so, what do you do” question. You have to be ready. I find myself at many network events during a given month. I’ve recited a 30-second elevator pitch and felt people tuned out after about 15 seconds. We’ve all heard elevator pitches and have grown tired of them. Listening to a verbal pitch for 30 seconds seems more difficult and unattractive than ever. That’s why 30 seconds is too long and why you need a much shorter response. Your 15 word (8 second) response to the question: “why should I do business with you” is a much more attractive option.

You should also put this in your online profiles. LinkedIn permits a 120 character headline. Assuming the average word has 8 characters, you can squeeze 15 words into a LinkedIn headline. This will work very strongly to your benefit. When someone finds you at LinkedIn, they will see your picture, your name and your headline.

When someone Googles your product or service and sees your entry at LinkedIn, they will see your name and headline. Yes, my friends, the LinkedIn headlines are indexed. Creating a powerful and keyword-friendly headline can work to your benefit.

You can borrow one of mine or write a few that a specific to you and/or your profession. Feel free to send them to mark@cameronparkcomputer.com for my review.