Do you have an elevator pitch for your business? Do you know what one is?
Think of it as being how you would describe and pitch your business to a potential client or investor in the duration of an elevator ride. It needs to be punchy and get right to the point. You need to be able to deliver it with total confidence and give the person you are talking to as much information as possible in a couple of short sentences.
For more ‘traditional’ businesses and professions it’s reasonably easy…I mean if you are an accountant or a physio or a real estate agent what that means is obvious and tangible for most people. However, does that really describe what you do and, more importantly, who you would like to be working with?
By getting more specific with your elevator pitch you have the opportunity to start defining and attracting those people that you would love to be working with. The types of clients that make what you do more fulfilling.
Let’s take the physiotherapist as an example.
On face value most of us think of a physio is someone you go and visit when something is wrong with your body, your neck might be out or you might have a sore ankle. However, as a physio, you might not get excited about only working with people who are already broken. Your speciality might be more in working with runners or cyclists or swimmers or, even, triathletes to prevent injury and achieve personal best performance.
Accountant? Endless tax returns not your favourite thing but investment and tax minimisation is….you might be a gun at working with double income professional couples with families to optimise their tax exposure and make sound investments to secure their financial future.
Real Estate Agent? You might be an agency that specialises in helping couples downsize to a premium location by achieving the best sale price possible for their family home. You use an in-house home styling service to meet market expectations.
As for Hardwood Digital…having an elevator pitch is really important. What we are doing, and the services we provide, are still quite intangible for the average person on the street.
At Hardwood Digital we work with motivated local businesses to both nurture and grow their client base and business through development and implementation of solid social media strategy and online marketing solutions.
So…how do you put one together?
Start by thinking about who your audience is?
This might be the types of customers and clients that you are working with now but you might be looking to branch outside of the ‘typical’ client base that you have right now to up level your business. Think about who the clients are that you most enjoy working with. Can you describe them in a few words?
Motivated local businesses.
What is the benefit that clients will get from working with you?
In any conversation like this you will engage people more by talking about them before talking about yourself. Think about how you can describe succinctly exactly what tangible benefit an individual or business will get by becoming your client.
Nurture and grow both their client base and their business.
What is it that you provide to customers and clients?
Lastly spell this out in simple terms, aiming to describe the products and services are that you feel excited about delivering in preference to the stuff that you don’t love.
Develop and implement solid social media strategy and online marketing solutions
Your elevator pitch is going to serve you (and your business) well whenever you meet people for the first time. Be it at a networking event, social gathering or a chance meeting. It enables you to be consistent and confident about what it is that you do and that, in itself, is a great way to sell yourself without feeling like an ass.
Do you have an elevator pitch for your business? If so what is it and if you don’t where are you getting stuck?
The best way to get started is to sit down and brainstorm some ideas around each of the three points then see how you go crafting them together until you have a quick pitch that you are happy with.
We are joining ProBlogger for a 31DBBB challenge, perfect timing for us as we start adding content to our new site. You can read more about what makes a perfect Elevator Pitch on ProBlogger here. We will be putting the challenges into context both for our business and how you can use them in yours.
