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Whether you’re introducing yourself at a networking event, explaining your business to new colleagues, or pitching to another professional, capturing attention quickly is essential. An elevator pitch is a brief, easy-to-grasp explanation of your company and its products. This article covers what an elevator pitch is, provides helpful examples and templates, and offers best practices and mistakes to avoid.

What is an Elevator Pitch?

An elevator pitch, or elevator speech, is a short, memorable description of what you do and/or what you sell. The goal is to earn a second conversation, not to convince the person you’re talking to that they should hire you or buy your solution. It’s an opportunity to capture more of your prospect’s attention and time.

Elevator Speech Example

“Hi, I’m an account manager with Vacation Locator. We help travelers across the world plan their perfect holiday based on their interests, budget, and location preferences. With travel experts assigned to each account, we find the best deals and most unique experiences for each client, so they can enjoy their vacation without stressing about planning it. On average, we save travelers up to 30% on expenses such as hotel and airfare.”

When to Use an Elevator Pitch

You can use your elevator pitch at networking events, conferences, warm calls, job interviews, or career fairs. Keep your pitch goal-oriented and always end with a business card or a request to connect on LinkedIn.

How Long Should an Elevator Pitch Be?

An effective elevator pitch should be no more than 30 seconds long, like the length of time you ride in an elevator. Avoid getting too deep into specifics to keep your prospect’s attention.

How to Write an Elevator Pitch

1. Use Elevator Pitch Templates: Templates can help structure pitches for key audiences, such as prospects, investors, and potential network connections.
2. Introduce Yourself: Provide mission-critical context about who you are and who you’re with.
3. State Your Company’s Mission: Briefly mention your company’s goals and what it does.
4. Explain the Company Value Proposition: Articulate why your product or service is valuable.
5. Grab Their Attention with a Hook: Use a compelling story, statistic, or engaging information.
6. Keep it Conversational: Avoid sounding too “sales-y” and maintain a casual tone.
7. Keep it Simple and Focused: Convey one clear message without cramming too many details.
8. Read and Edit the Pitch: Ensure it sounds natural and engaging.

Elevator Pitch Examples

1. An Attention-Grabbing Question: “Has your boss ever asked you to ‘whip up a quick report before the end of the day?’ We created a tool that puts all your data in one place and creates unique reports within 30 seconds or less.”
2. The Credibility Boost: “As an account executive, I talk to hundreds of marketers per month. 99% of them hate creating reports. Our tool creates any report you want in less than the time it takes to pour a cup of coffee.”
3. The Surprise Ending: “How long would it take you to create a report? With AnswerASAP, you’d already know. It creates reports in seconds.”
4. An Outlandish Stat: “Your marketing team will spend approximately 8,730 minutes per year on reports. With AnswerASAP, we’ve saved companies thousands of dollars per year.”
5. The Story: “The founders of my company were marketers who hated making reports, so they created AnswerASAP, which can create any report in seconds.”
6. A Customer Story: “Siena Rosen used to spend 30 minutes per day on reports. Now, with AnswerASAP, it’s down to four minutes.”
7. The Reality Check: “The average marketer spends half an hour on reports. With AnswerASAP, you get any report in 30 seconds.”
8. The Joke: “How many marketers does it take to do monthly reporting? None, if they use AnswerASAP.”
9. The Emotional Appeal: “When I started my marketing career, I was stuck with reports. AnswerASAP reduces time spent on reports to just a few seconds.”
10. The One-Liner: “AnswerASAP saves marketers time by creating reports in less than 30 seconds.”
11. The Mutual Connection: “I understand we have a mutual connection. His company cut its software development lifecycle in half with our solution.”
12. The Advisor: “We’ve helped your industry peers increase leads by 20% with our content marketing solutions.”
13. The Networker: “We’ve cut reporting time from 30 minutes to 30 seconds, giving marketers more time for high-priority tasks.”
14. The Salesperson: “Do you enjoy manually creating reports? Our automated tool does it in 30 seconds.”
15. Business Owner to Business Owner: “I noticed opportunities to improve your reporting processes with an automated system.”

Elevator Pitches From Real Sales Leaders

1. Webvizio: Streamline web project management for digital teams.
2. EchoGlobal Tech: Bridge the gap between innovative projects and top remote software developers.
3. Dundas Life: Simplify the insurance buying experience.
4. EZ Sell Homebuyers: Maximize real estate investment.
5. CodeDesign: Enhance online visibility and increase sales.
6. Festoon House: Premium lighting solutions to elevate style and ambiance.
7. RedBat.Agency: Solve food waste in restaurants.
8. JetLevel Aviation: Top-tier private jet charter services.

Elevator Speech Best Practices

1. Keep it Brief: Stay under 60 seconds.
2. Practice Multiple Times: Ensure smooth delivery.
3. Come Prepared with Materials: Provide business cards or brochures.
4. Be Positive and Enthusiastic: Show your personality.
5. Vary the Tone of Your Voice: Keep the listener engaged.

What Not to Do in an Elevator Pitch

1. Don’t Ramble: Stay concise.
2. Don’t Use Too Much Jargon: Keep it accessible.
3. Don’t Insert Personal Information: Maintain professionalism.
4. Don’t Under-emphasize the Problem: Highlight urgent issues clearly.

Conclusion

A well-crafted elevator pitch can turn a single conversation into a long-lasting customer relationship. Use these examples and tips to create an effective elevator pitch that captures attention and sparks interest.