You’ve heard it before and you’ll surely hear it again: “What is your elevator pitch?” Compressing passion, data and complicated work into a few key points is no small feat, but it’s necessary for introducing your startup and approaching potential investors.
Whatever stage your organization may be in, always be prepared to strike up a conversation. If you’re looking for tips, read on to learn how to craft and deliver an award-winning elevator pitch.
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- Be specific, but keep it short. Your elevator pitch is much like your mission statement. It breaks down your who, what, where and why in a quick and easy-to-digest manner. Set the scene to captivate your audience, like introducing dates, numbers and even locations up front. While you want to be specific, it’s important to be brief. Since 2000, the average adult attention span has fallen from 12 seconds to eight seconds – can you believe that? When crafting your pitch, a good rule of thumb is to cap it at no more than 30 to 60 seconds.
- Position yourself as a team. Say you’re up for a covetable interview at your dream job. You walk in, sit across from the interviewer, and begin to go through the motions. You have two options: you could beg for the position, pleading for the interviewer to hire you, or you could outline all the ways you could help each other. At the end of the day, elevator pitches are an invitation to get involved in your organization, not just a solicitation. Explaining how someone’s involvement is an opportunity to be part of a larger vision creates excitement and enthusiasm around your mission.
- Let your passion shine through. All great ideas evolve from passion. No matter why you started this organization, you’re here because you want to be here – because you have to be here. Let that passion come through in your elevator pitch.
- Know your ask. You’ve come this far, now you have to know what you’re asking for. How much money are you trying to raise? How much have you already collected? If you’ve used the above tips, you’re already on your way to a successful pitch and now’s the time to bring it home. Take a breath, be honest and think of this as the conclusion to your story.
- Practice, practice, practice. Don’t be discouraged if your first pitch didn’t go how you’d planned. It’s important to practice and work hard to learn the techniques of storytelling and public speaking. Study other people’s presentations, take online courses, and, if you really find yourself intimidated by the process, consider taking improv classes in your area to improve your speaking skills and confidence.
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Pitching is a very necessary part of scaling your startup or small business. Rather than dreading the process, view it as an opportunity to share your passion and talk about your business with even more people! So go ahead, craft your pitch, practice and get out there to make this your organization’s best year yet.
