Elevator Pitch. Barbecue Pitch. Whatever McGregor Pitch. You name it.
It wins the award for Silliest Marketing Jargon, but truth is, your Elevator Pitch is probably the most vital tool in your marketing armoury.
Imagine this.
You’re at a poker night/singles club/wildlife tagging event. (Elevators and barbecues are so nineties, right?) Someone comes up to you and says ‘Hey! What do you do?’ Whoever this person is, you ABSOLUTELY HAVE to ensure your pitch is sharp, concise and ready to roll.
Why?
Three reasons.
- You only get one chance to engage someone’s interest.
- You want to make it easy for them to tell someone else about you.
- Nailing your Elevator Pitch can RADICALLY CHANGE the way you feel about your business. For real. With all sorts of amazing consequences.
(The third one is for real: I’ve seen businesses go through the roof once their owners start to OWN their Elevator Pitch. You have to see it to believe it. I’m going to write a blog about it one day).
Not sure if your Elevator Pitch is up to the mark?
Here’s the Ambush Test.
- Find a good friend.
- Get them to ambush you. On the street, in the shower, on the toilet. Any of the above is fine, so long as they take you COMPLETELY by surprise.
- Ask them to leap out in front of you and shout ‘HI! WHAT DO YOU DO?’ in your face.
Can you answer them, in FIFTEEN words or less? (Fifteen. For real. Any more and they’ll glaze over):
- Without a single stutter, stammer, umm or blush? Is it compelling enough for them to want to find out more, there and then?
- Is it SIMPLE enough that they could explain it to their Nan? (Also without stuttering, stammering, umming or blushing)?
- Did you include WHO IT’S FOR?
- Did you include WHAT YOU DO?
- Did you include WHAT MAKES IT DIFFERENT?
- (All within fifteen words or less).
If you’ve answered yes to every question above, congratulations! Pass go and collect $100. As well as a thriving business and a steady stream of enquiries.
If you didn’t, your Elevator Pitch needs some love. You can do it. And if you can’t, I can help. My tips on writing an excellent pitch might steer you in the right direction. Or, why not just give me a buzz and we can work on it together.
All the love, people.
Em x