Elevator Pitch
So you want to learn how to create the perfect elevator pitch so that you can impress a potential employer or land a new client? In this video, you’ll learn how long your pitch should be and what you can say to spark interest, leaving the other person wanting to know more about you.
And if you stay around until the end, you’ll learn my simple formula that will save you time to create your own powerful pitch. If we’ve never met before, I’m Heather Austin from ProfessorAustin.com and The Career Club on Facebook and on this channel I teach simple solutions to help you build a business or launch a career you love. So if you’re new here, hit that subscribe button down below and the bell notification so you don’t miss a thing.
Whether you’re a job seeker or an entrepreneur, having an elevator pitch is essential for your career progression. This simple, yet powerful representation of who you are will give you more confidence when meeting with prospective clients, attending networking events, or job fairs.
Before we jump into how to write the perfect pitch, remember that the purpose of an elevator pitch is to quickly let others know what your expertise are, what your greatest accomplishments are. It’s designed to ignite a two-sided conversation. So think of it in terms of baseball. If you pitch a ball to someone, they’re going to pitch it back to you. So you don’t want to do all the rambling; you want to turn it into a two-sided conversation.
So let’s jump into it.
Tip number 1: Identify who you are and who you help. Start with a simple statement that quickly grabs the attention of the other person and piques their interest. Here’s an example of how I would start my own elevator pitch. “I am a career and business strategy coach helping working professionals find a career that brings true happiness and fulfillment.”
The next step is to identify your why to keep the other person engaged, mention why you do what you do. This will help you better explain your purpose and better clarify your passion and commitment to what you do. This will also be one of the reasons why the person you are talking to takes action in the end.
So here’s how I would explain this in my elevator pitch: “One of my greatest passions is to provide award-winning career guidance to business professionals that want to learn top-notch job search strategies, LinkedIn tactics, interview prep skills, and career transition approaches.”
Now your elevator pitch is very similar to a professional bio. To learn more about how to write a short, professional bio, I created a video that will help you do just that. I’ll go ahead and link that video up below.
Step number 3: Explain what makes you unique. After you’ve explained who you are, who you help, and why you help them, you then want to talk about: what makes you so special? What makes you different. An easy way to do this is to mention your greatest accomplishments. What are some of the largest problems you’ve solved or major contributions you’ve made. This will help keep the momentum going and will give you credibility. So here’s how I can explain this in my elevator pitch: “In addition to career strategy, I help my clients explore options for starting and growing a new business. I provide actionable advice to those that are striving to become entrepreneurs.”
Step number 4: Include a call to action. Your goal at the end of the conversation should be to get the other person to take some type of action. This can be something like an exchange of business cards, or a request to connect on LinkedIn, or, better yet, a follow-up meeting. One of my favorite ways to get the other person to take action is by asking them a simple question. For example, I might say something like: Is entrepreneurship something you’ve considered before? This will be the start of a new relationship and hopefully lead you to your end goal.
Step number 5 – Practice and revise.
One of the best things you can do is to practice your elevator pitch out loud. Say it to your family members, to friends, even colleagues and coworkers. And don’t be afraid to change it. Your elevator pitch will go through different iterations and will change over time, depending on your recent accomplishments or the problems you’ve solved. And remember, you don’t want to ramble when it comes to your elevator pitch. You want to practice saying it within 30 seconds or less. Now to make sure you get it right when it comes to your elevator pitch, follow this simple formula:
I am a [and than list what you are] helping [list who you help]. One of my greatest passions is [and then list one of your passions here]. I’ve been fortunate to [and then list some of the biggest problems you’ve solved or some of your greatest accomplishments]. Have you ever [and then list the question you have to get them to take action in the end].
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