Less is more. Famously known as the elevator pitch, memorising a short verbal pitch for your organisation will leave anyone you meet with a clear idea of who you are and what you do.

The elevator reference comes from a popular challenge where a business person is asked to imagine themselves in an elevator with a great prospect and have only the length of the ride to ‘close the sale’. Obviously the length of an elevator ride varies, and so do verbal pitches. But generally speaking it should between 20 and 60 seconds.

What defines a good verbal pitch?

1. It’s short. Think of yourself as an advertisement. Does anyone want to listen to a TV or radio commercial for more than 60 seconds?

2. It’s simple. Are you a global strategist who leverages vertical integration opportunities and realises immovable deliverables? Then change your language or you’ll lose your audience. Avoid jargon and keep it simple and clear.

3. It’s visual. It’s said that humans are 80 percent visual, so find words that create images in your listener’s mind.

4. It tells a story. People love stories, whether they be movies, news reports or a good piece of advertising. If your business started as a way of overcoming a problem, include that in you pitch.

5. It knows the audience. When devising your pitch put yourself in the shoes of your target audience. What interests them? If you have more than one type of customer (eg. business and consumer) create different pitches to suit the occasion.

6. It has a goal. Think about the outcome you want from your pitch. Are you looking to close a sale, interest a prospect, win backing for an idea, or hoping for a referral?

7. It has a point of difference. Again, think of yourself as an advertisement. What sets you apart from your competitors? What does your target market need right now? A good hook makes your message compelling and aids recall.

Crafting your elevator pitch is easier if you have your business’s key marketing messages and brand positioning clearly defined. Please contact me for help with your marketing communications strategy.

Kind regards
Megan Walker