Most of us know how important a personal elevator speech is in a job interview. Equally important is your business elevator pitch. Photo by Mahad Aamir on Unsplash.
Usually we think of elevator speeches as having to do with a job interview.
I previously wrote about job interview elevator speeches way back in this April 2021 blog post.
But you also need an elevator speech, or pitch, for your business.
It’s imperative that you can talk confidently, clearly and passionately about your business in less than a minute — especially in a business networking meeting.
Over the years, I’ve been to countless business networking meetings. Typically, everyone gets a turn to introduce themselves and their business to the others.
The No. 1 mistake I hear over and over again is being way too me-centered.
Here’s a hypothetical example:
I’m John Boring with Sleep Consultants. We’ve been in business for 25 years and we help people sleep better. Our staff is trained to… [more details on why the company is so great. And then the ending is typically…] Again, my name is John Boring, Sleep Consultants.
Brag, brag, brag (see the me-centered bolded words). AND boring, boring, boring.
It’s a fundamental marketing/communication principle that people care more about what you can do for them instead of who you are.
Just like with any product or service, you need to sell what it (your business) does, not is.
That being said, here’s the current business elevator pitch I use in networking meetings:
There are about 170,000 words in the English language. It’s absolutely crucial you know which ones to choose when telling others about your business.
Here’s why:
Anytime you communicate, whether it’s via the written or spoken word, the recipients of your message will do one of two things:
- they’ll either tune in because it’s interesting…
- or they’ll tune OUT because they’ll quickly classify it as NOISE.
I’m Jeff Pizzino, Chief Authentic Officer at AuthenticityPR. And I have the perfect antidote for NOISE. You see, I’ve been blessed with the superpower to tell your story with clarity, impact and authenticity.
I’m looking to connect with fast-growth, scalable, innovative businesses — or those with annual revenues of at least a million dollars — that want their internal and external communications and other promotions to be more attention-getting, engaging and persuasive.
Your press releases, website copy, founder’s story, newsletters, brochures, business cards, job postings, and more will all TELL IT, so you can SELL IT — which is the key from going from NOISE… to NOTICEABLE.
Learn more about what we can do for you at: AuthenticityPR.com
I don’t hit the me-centered stuff until I’m well into my pitch.
But more important than that, look at my intro. It’s different, and it’ll likely stand out from all the other elevator speeches in the room.
The mere fact that it’s different will make it attention-getting, noticeable, and memorable.
I’m not saying I have the best business elevator pitch in the world, but it currently works for me. At the same time, I’m always thinking of ways to tweak and improve it, as well as adapting it to my audience.
In addition to the words, your ability to deliver your business elevator speech with passion, well-timed pauses, and great eye contact will all play an important role in its effectiveness. (In fact, maybe we’ll have Leticia address that next week.)
The 3 Big Takeaways
- Want to grow your business? Write a you-centered business elevator speech.
- Make the beginning attention-getting, different from everyone else’s pitch.
- Practice it until it sounds natural, not memorized.
Need help with your business elevator speech? Want your current one critiqued? Schedule a time to chat with me here.
Stay authentic… and noticeable!
Jeffery E. Pizzino, APR (seen here in a vintage photo circa 1983 serendipitously doing a Clash impersonation in a since-forgotten location) is a spin-free public relations pro who is passionate about telling the why of your story with clarity, impact and authenticity. He began his PR career in 1987 at Ketchum Public Relations in New York City but has spent the majority of his career as a solopreneur. He’s the Chief Authentic Officer of the Johnson City, TN-based public relations firm, AuthenticityPR. He also functions as the fractional CCO for his clients.
Jeff has an MBA in Management from Western International University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications — with an emphasis in PR — from Brigham Young University (rise and shout!). He’s also accredited in public relations (APR). This Milwaukee, Wisconsin native holds an Italian citizenship and plans to live and work there someday. Jeff and his storyteller wife Leticia have four children and four grandchildren. In his extremely limited nonwork hours, he studies Italiano, practices guitar, write songs, gardens, works out, disc golfs, reads, listens to New Wave music, serves as an assistant communication director in his church, watches BYU football, enjoys watching the original Mission Impossible TV series, and plays board games (mostly Dominion and Seven Wonders). No, this guy’s never bored and looking for something to do. Email Jeff.
