Is An Elevator Pitch Really That Important?
These days everyone is talking about Elevator Pitches.
First, for those of you who may not be familiar with
this term let me explain.
An Elevator Pitch (also referred to as an Elevator
Speech) is a 30-second description of your business,
product or service. It’s a concise and compelling
answer to the question, ‘So what do you do?’
The reason it’s called an Elevator Pitch is because
it should be brief enough to deliver in the time it
takes to ride a few floors on an elevator.
Any time I start hearing something talked about
over and over again, I have to ask myself, is this
topic really that important or is it just that
everyone’s on that band wagon right now?
When it comes to Elevator Pitches, I absolutely believe
they are THAT important.
Yes, it’s helpful in networking situations to be able
to clearly communicate what you do in a way that sparks
interest from others.
For example, if I’m at a networking event and someone
asks me what I do, I can answer in one of two ways:
I can respond with ‘I’m a marketing consultant and coach’
(NOT an Elevator Pitch, but this style of response is
very typical).
Or, I can say ‘I help people learn how to market their
own business in 10 simple steps’ (my Elevator Pitch).
Which response is more interesting to you?
Which one would be more likely to prompt further
conversation? Well, I’ve tested both and the second
one wins hands-down every time.
So that’s one reason I believe having a clear, concise
Elevator Pitch is important. It will generate more interest
in you and your business among people you meet and when
you’re networking, that’s key.
But there’s another reason I believe having a strong
Elevator Pitch is important and it far outweighs
reason number one.
If you have a clear, concise Elevator Pitch that
communicates the benefit of the products or services
you provide, you’re much more likely to have marketing
that does the same.
However, if you can’t sum up what you do in a clear,
focused Elevator Pitch, there’s a good chance your
marketing message is not focused and clear either.
And, if your marketing message is not focused and
clear, odds are it’s not as effective as it could
be. That means it’s not attracting as many prospects
or clients as it could be.
And as you may have realized, it costs just as much
to put out an ineffective marketing message as an
effective one.
It just takes a little more time and attention upfront
to create an effective message.
When I work with clients, developing a powerful
Elevator Pitch and Key Marketing Message are two
of the tasks they struggle with the most, yet I
believe they are the two most important tasks you
have as a marketer.
Because even if you have the greatest product or
service in the world, if you can’t communicate that
greatness effectively you won’t attract clients or
make sales.
So, I challenge you to sit down, review your Elevator
Pitch and ask yourself these three questions:
1) Is it Clear?
2) Is it Concise?
3) Is it Compelling?
Then measure your marketing message the same way.
If they don’t pass the test, I encourage you to do
whatever it takes to make them Clear, Concise and
Compelling. Your Elevator Pitch and your Key Marketing
Message are the foundation for your marketing and
your business success depends on them.
(C) Copyright 2006 Debbie LaChusa
Debbie LaChusa created
The 10stepmarketing System to make marketing your own business as simple as answering 10 questions. Learn more about this unique, step-by-step system and get a free 10-week
Marketing E-Course when you subscribe to the free, weekly 10stepmarketing Ezine at http://www.10stepmarketing.com
