Your Small Business Elevator Pitch.

• So, what is an Elevator Pitch?
  A brief introduction of the value you or your company provides, delivered in conversation, that will potentially lead to a deeper dialogue about what you can offer. It communicates who you are, what you’re looking for and how you can benefit them – the other person, your audience, your target customer or client. It answers the question “What do you do…” and may lead to “Interesting, tell me more…”.
• The objective is to get someone’s interest to continue the conversation (by giving you more time, scheduling a meeting, etc.) You want to build a sense of intrigue, so people want to know more about you and your business.
• It’s all starts with clearly understanding your target market or audience. Your avatar.
  • Refer to episode 368 – Marketing Plan Overview
    
• When do you use an Elevator Pitch for your small business?
  • To answer the question: What do you do? Or Tell me what you company does?
  • To generate interest in your products or services.
  • It’s your go-to 30-seconds at a networking event.
  • It’s how you begin your conversation with a potential investor.
• Steps to Create Your Elevator Pitch:
  1. Clearly define your target audience.
  2. Construct your Pitch.
  3. Memorize and practice.
  4. Make it your own.
  • Use it and adjust.
  • Your team should know it as well!
• Guidelines for your Elevator Pitch (see handout)
  
• Example Elevator Pitch:
  “My name is Henry Lopez, and I am a Serial Entrepreneur, Small Business Coach, and host of The How of Business podcast.
  I am passionate about helping people start, run and grow their small business.
  I provide free resources, including The How of Business podcast, and 1-on-1 Coaching programs to help people launch and scale their small business. I love helping people realize their dreams of business ownership!
  If you are interested in learning more about how to start, run or grow a small business, I invite you to visit my website at TheHowOfBusiness.com.”

• So What? – Benefits (from the prospective client’s perspective, not yours), not Features. An effective small business elevator pitch focuses on the potential benefits for your clients or customers, not the features and functions of your product or service.
• An effective elevator pitch clearly and simply explains what you do, but also why and how you do it. Briefly, succinctly, and with the goal of enticing the listener to say or think, “Hmm, that’s interesting, tell me more…”
• In the business world, an elevator pitch refers to an entrepreneur’s attempt to convince an investor or partner that a small business idea is worth considering for investment. A successful elevator pitch will be enough to get an investor’s curiosity, get them to say or think “that’s interesting, tell me more”, and sets the stage for a follow-up meeting. An effective pitch gets the small business owner an opportunity to present the investor with a more formal presentation in the hopes of raising capital to launch or grow the small business.