Karen Hurd on Refining Your Elevator Pitch
Do you have your elevator pitch down? Do you have more than one elevator pitch down? As a commercial real estate professional, it’s important to always be ready to throw a pitch at a second’s notice. I know I always have mine armed, and furthermore I am constantly refreshing it to suit my audience.
Recently I was asked again to speak at a CREW Boston Speed Networking Event, an evening held downtown to kick off the CREW Mentor/Mentee program. I addressed the group about the very foundation of successful networking: the elevator pitch.
3 Tips For the Perfect Elevator Pitch
Since the elevator pitch gets your foot in the door to build relationships, I see it as step one. Your elevator pitch should be a succinct and persuasive sales pitch. It is an opportunity to capture the listener’s attention in 30 seconds to promote your personal, and company, brand.
This isn’t a lot of time, so you need to be succinct! The three parts of a successful elevator pitch always include:
1. Say Who You Are.
Do this is 10 words or less. Unless you are the Dali Lama or Donald Trump, it shouldn’t be that hard to condense your main intro to your name, your position and who you work for.
2. Say what your Company’s Product or Service Is.
After you introduce yourself, introduce your service offerings. Instead of focusing on your skills, your elevator pitch needs to describe your company and the people you serve.
3. Provide a Compelling Reason to Hear More.
Get your listener excited about what you do, so they want to hear more. Be prepared to differentiate yourself from the competition. Look at the news, adapt to what is relevant and important to your customer. Revamp and refine and always end your pitch with a question.
3 Biggest Elevator Pitch Mistakes
- Describing skills rather than purpose
- Failing to tell an interesting story
- Not being prepared or rehearsed
Is your introduction ready to roll?
Make sure to practice!! Practice until you can introduce yourself and your business in less than 30 seconds, which is about how long most prospects will give you to grab their attention.
As you are out in the market every day meeting new prospects and relationship building, keep in mind:
- First impressions make a difference…be prepared! Handshake, smile.
- Make the focus on the person across from you, not yourself. Listen.
- You won’t connect with everyone, know when to bow out.
- Be prepared for your next meeting. Do your research.
I’d like to hear yours or help you refine your pitch. Contact me today if I can be of any help as you network your way to success!