Marketing Edge - Turning Your Vision into Reality

SMALL BUSINESS SURVIVAL TIPS NEWSLETTER: July 2009

Thank you for subscribing to Marketing Edge's SmallBusiness Survival Tips monthly newsletter. In this month's issue I discuss the challenge of putting all the pieces together to launch or grow your business.

Beth Goldstein

Make Your Elevator Pitch Soar Out of the Park
Ever find yourself in a room with a key prospect and you couldn't succinctly explain your business to him or her...in less than a minute? Perhaps you rambled on, never getting to the point, or worse---you froze up. Then you need a little practice creating a strong, knock their socks off "elevator pitch."

Think of your elevator pitch as a brief introduction of your company to somebody with whom you want to conduct business. It is designed to get the person to develop an interest in learning more about you and your company. Therefore, your challenge is to entice them to want to continue the dialogue. Don't make the mistake of trying to tell them everything about your company. You need to tell them just enough to persuade them to set up a future meeting. Your pitch should last less than a minute (approximately the time it takes to ride a typical elevator----note: not the Sears Tower in Chicago).

6 Steps to a Winning Pitch

Your Pitch shoud include:

1. Your name, company name and your role in the organization
2. A brief but compelling statement about your product/service's value or benefit as it relates to the other person's company
3. A concise description of your product/service
4. A statement that reinforces your credibility or demonstrates what sets you apart
5. Your personal energy and passion for making this business succeed
6. A closing statement that leads to a 'next step' (i.e., an in person meeting)

Start at the End
Before you create your pitch, consider what final impression you want to leave with this individual. Then use the six criteria above to develop your pitch. Remember, you will need a unique elevator pitch for different types of business relationships (i.e., a prospect doesn't care about the same benefits that a potential investor does).

Customize the Tempalte Below

Hello, thank you for asking about my company. I'm _________________________ (your name), and I'm the _______________________________________________________ (title) for__________________________________________________ (company). We offer ________________________________ (value, competitive advantage or benefit) to _______________________________________________________ (target customer), like you, to meet or satisfy the ____________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ (target customers' major want or need...this is a benefits statement).

We do this by _________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________ (product or service brief description). We are respected in the industry because ____________________________________________________________________ (key client experience or your unique expertise that provides credibility).

We feel passionately about this because ___________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________ (your passion, skills, beliefs and/or experience).

If this is of interest to you, I'd love to provide you with a little more detail when we have more time (i.e., aren't stuck in an elevator or on the soccer field). Can I get your business card so I can call you to set up a time to speak further?

Practice this in front of the mirror and you'll be amazed at the response you get the next time you try to connect with a prospect....in the elevator, a networking event or the soccer field.

Click here to Download Our
FREE Elevator Pitch Template

Good luck with your business venture. If I can help you turn your vision into reality, please don't hesitate to contact me at beth@m-edge.com or by phone: 508.893.0976.

Questions?

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