GET A WILDLY EFFECTIVE ELEVATOR PITCH IN 3 STEPS
We’ve all been there.
You’re at a business lunch, a networking event, or a social occasion (or maybe you’re actually in an elevator with your dream client 😏) and someone asks, what do you do?
Your brain does a few hoola-hoops, you know the answer you give is important, so why isn’t it on the tip of your tongue? Your mind somersaults back to the brand deck your team created last month as you desperately try to recall the first slide – you know, the one that had your vision, mission statement, elevator pitch thingy on it.
Here’s the problem:
If you can’t say it from memory, it’s no use. If you can’t say it, no-one else will be able to say it either. And if they can’t say it, they can’t tell their friends about you. Spreading the word about what you do starts with having the right words to spread.
We Need Words that Make People Lean In, Not Tune Out
To create an effective elevator pitch that people actually listen to, you must use words that make people lean in, not tune out. You want to craft a mini-story so that people feel hooked and compelled to listen to the end.
Do this by stringing together 3 essential soundbites: problem, solution, and success.
Step 1: Open with a Problem
Every good storyteller knows that they need to get to the problem quickly. Otherwise, the audience won’t know what they are being asked to invest in. If there is no problem in a story, there’s no story because a problem opens a story loop. When you start with a problem, your audience is immediately invested in the story because they’ll want to find out if and how the problem is going to be resolved.
Let’s take this divorce lawyer’s elevator pitch as an example:
“We’re divorce lawyers. We advise and assist people with all the legalities associated with divorce.”
It’s fine, right? But look what happens if we open with a problem:
“Getting divorced is stressful, and people worry about complicated and costly legal processes.”
Now you’ve got me. This story is much more interesting because it gets to the problem fast. Now I’m wondering how you help me deal with the worry of complicated and costly legal processes associated with divorce.
Don’t make the mistake of trying to state every problem your business solves in this section. Even though you might solve 50 problems for people, you can’t communicate all of them in one piece of marketing copy.
Step 2: State your Solution
Now that you’ve told me about the problem, I’m eagerly anticipating a solution. This statement in your elevator pitch should sound like the big reveal. Keep it short, try to make it feel like a new idea, and make sure that the solution is connected to the problem.
Let’s stick with the divorce lawyer example:
“At ABC Law we handle everything for you with a fixed-fee agreement….”
The solution solves the problem and tells me what’s unique about ABC Law. It’s clear, short, and I can understand it. Don’t make the mistake of using too many words – you’re not writing a novel. Be clear and succinct, even at the expense of leaving good stuff on the cutting room floor.
Now we need to close the story loop.
Step 3: Close with Success
This is the all-important finale, the part that the audience have been waiting for. Every story we read, every movie we see, every play we watch moves towards a climactic scene. The problem section of your elevator pitch created tension. The solution part gave us a plan to solve that tension. In the final part, you want to speak to the happy result that your solution will bring to your customer’s life.
“...which results in a calm divorce and costs you’re in control of.”
Now we know what this divorce firm is really selling. They’re not selling ‘assistance with all the legalities’. They are selling a calm divorce process without any nasty money surprises. The success should be about your customer, not about you.
Put it All Together
Put your problem, solution, and success sentences together. Don’t worry if it feels a little clunky – once it’s written down, you can wordsmith it.
Here’s what we end up with from our example above:
“Getting divorced is stressful, and people worry about complicated and costly legal processes. At ABC Law we handle everything for you with a fixed-fee agreement which results in a calm divorce and costs you’re in control of.”
As compared to what we started with:
“We’re divorce lawyers. We advise and assist people with all the legalities associated with divorce.”
Use It
People remember stories and forget lists. If you have a mini-story for your business that is simple to understand and easy-to-remember, you effectively have a very powerful free marketing tool. Use it in conversation, put it in your email signature, put it on your website and social bios, and make sure that every member of your organisation knows it from memory.
That’s how you spread the word.
Most businesses waste money on marketing tactics because they don’t have the right words. At monicaInk., I use a 7-part story framework to clarify your message so that your marketing wins. Book a free discovery call today.