3 basic elements of a dynamic elevator pitch
How to build them in English
You find yourself accidentally in an elevator with your company's CEO. It’s time to shine and tell them about your fantastic cost-cutting idea. You have 30 seconds before the doors open and they forget you, your sweaty hands, and your pounding heart. 30 very short seconds to make your elevator pitch. Maybe just a tiny bit more if you are on the top floor of a New York skyscraper. But what can you possibly say? More importantly, how do you communicate your excellent idea in just a few little seconds?
Before we see how to build one, let’s first answer the main question:
What exactly is an elevator pitch?
An elevator pitch is a short, informal speech aimed at getting someone to buy into an idea or, simply, to do what you want them to do. It can be about a multitude of things, such as:
- being able to engage an additional resource
- opening a new division or office in a specific area
- investing in your business
- buying one of your products
- getting a job interview
- simply getting noticed by someone in a position of influence.
Am I really going to make my pitch in an elevator?
Not necessarily. In the fast-paced business world, there are times when the maximum time you have with a key decision-maker is only a few seconds, the duration of an elevator ride.
The idea behind the elevator pitch is to create a short message aimed at your listener, which you could present during the duration of an elevator ride while having maximum impact. People have a limited attention span, need a reason to care about what you are saying, and generally do not have time to waste.
The pitch can be relevant in any situation where you have the opportunity to engage in a short conversation with a key person, for example at a trade show, a client event, or even at the airport while waiting to board.
How to build an elevator pitch that will spark interest
The best approach to building an elevator pitch is, like many things in life, to keep it simple!A good pitch has 3 basic elements: 1. Describe : who you are, what your goal is, and what you are presenting 2. Help : how everything you just described will help the person in front of you 3. Question : shift the focus back to your listener and turn the pitch into an engaging conversation, or suggest a follow-up if you feel they are interested.
All of this must be done in 30 seconds. When you create your pitch, do not consider this as just a recommendation. Consider it as an absolute rule. When you start to speak, that person does not yet care about what you have to say. Give them a reason to be interested by concisely explaining the benefit you can bring to them.
English expressions to help you during your next elevator pitch
Describe
Mr/Mrs. _____, please allow me to introduce myself. My name is __________ and I'm the project leader for the new __________.
I own/I'm the owner of a marketing firm downtown that has successfully rebranded over 200 local, mid-sized companies into world-renowned international symbols.
We have just developed/just launched a new __________ with the purpose of __________.
The aim of our organization is __________.
We strive to __________.
Our focus is __________.
We're passionate about __________.
Help
I'd like to propose a way in which you can increase employee retention and decrease absenteeism.
If you implement our new CRM system, your company can double its revenue in 6 months by never allowing any lead to fall through the cracks.
By choosing our service, you can save countless hours in managing customer complaints.
We're happy to share that our customers have seen an average of $1 million in savings per year thanks to our system.
We provide companies with time-tracking software that is proven to increase productivity by 20%.
Our focus is on providing our customers with cost-effective apps that allow them to focus their time on more strategic activities, rather than the day-to-day.
Question
How do you currently manage your opportunities/complaints/employee scheduling?
What's an aspect of your customer interaction that you've wanted to improve?
How often do you receive interactions from customers who are only English speaking?
Why don't/How about I give you a call on Friday so we can discuss in more detail/set up a meeting?
Would you be interested in receiving our product catalog?
Could I stop by your office next week and quickly show you the new prototype?
To conclude, the essential thing is to keep your pitch as natural and informal as possible. The idea is to explain what you do and why it might interest your interlocutor without giving them the impression that you are actually trying to sell them something.Tell us about your last elevator pitch. Did you achieve your goal?
The LV Linguistics team loves to write about everything related to corporate culture and enjoys finding ways to use it to help its readers improve their English skills. In addition to articles dedicated to the business world, entrepreneurship, work-life balance, and much more, we work hard to create and share English vocabulary and grammar exercises that we hope can help you excel in your language learning. Please feel free to let us know if there is a topic you would like us to write and publish an article about!
