The Elevator Pitch When to Use it and Why

The Elevator Pitch When to Use it and WhyThe Elevator Pitch When to Use it and WhyAn elevator pitch is a way to help other people shortcut their thinking about you in a way that you guide and approve of. It allows them to understand whats important about you without knowing your life story.The key elements of an elevator pitch are brevity (can be delivered in the time it takes to change floors in an elevator), differentiation and promotion.Why is this so hard to do? It requires you to understand whats special about you, how others perceive that and how to communicate it.Lets break it down into baby steps in the context of a real example.1. What are you?If someone were to slap a label on your professional career, what would it be? Salesperson? Teacher? Project manager? Nurse? Its important to speak in language that others understand. Otherwise they wont remember what you do.Example I have done work in different niches throughout my career (Public Relations,marcom, copywriting, demand generation), but the broad label I would use to describe my career is absatzwirtschaft.2. What makes you different from all the other people with the same label?This doesnt mean that no one else in the world does what you do, but among people in the same occupation what makes you stand out? Another way to look at this is regardless of your profession, what things do you do well?Example I drive efficiency and process everywhere I go. I like to take on new challenges and different projects. Once they start moving smoothly I hand them off and move on.3. Why would this be interesting to someone else?People remember things that are personal to them or that they find interesting. Give people an idea of situations where you would be useful to help them visualize placing you either at their own company or someone elses. Speak to their need, not your own interest.Example Within the world of marketing, I can help people create new programs or refine programs they already have that arent runn ing smoothly.4. Dont forget to tighten and refine.Now that you have the basic structure of your elevator pitch, spend some time tightening and refining it. Aim for a length of 50 words or something you can say in about 20 seconds. Differentiate between the written and verbal versions. Your written example might use higher-level language, whereas your verbal version should use short words and can be less formal.Written Example I excel in creating structure, process and program management for new or failing endeavors. If you are looking for someone to create a marketing program from scratch or troubleshoot and revamp a program that is underperforming, I can help you create order out of chaos.Verbal Example I am a marketing person who adds process and structure to new or failing programs. I can create marketing programs from scratch or revamp programs that arent performing well. When a company needs someone to create order out of chaos, Im the person they call.Once youve got your eleva tor pitch down, practice it until you can recite it in your sleep. Then youll be ready when your moment comes.