The Dos and Don'ts of an Effective Elevator Pitch

Whether you're a first timer or a seasoned pro - public speaking is a daunting exercise!

However, if you can master the art of an effective elevator pitch you'll find its an incredibly simple way to build a positive reputation for both yourself and your business. Keep reading for our DO's and DONT's of an effective 60 Seconds.

An elevator pitch is a brief, persuasive speech that you use to spark interest in what your organization does. They should be interesting, memorable, and succinct. They also need to explain what makes you – or your organisation, product, or idea – unique.

 
DO - Focus on one key aspect of your business. DON'T - List every service you offer.

An elevator pitch should pique the listeners interest and encourage them to engage with you further on a one on one basis. Try referencing a particular problem your business offers a solution for and be specific, by doing so you're more likely to capture and retain your audiences attention.

On the contrary, taking the stand and listing in bullet point form each and every service your business can possibly offer, does not make for an engaging or memorable pitch. You're looking to make a human connection here, and lists are anything but conversational.

 
DO - Make eye contact. DON'T - Aim for perfect.

Likeability is not just a buzzword, but an incredible influence on who someone chooses to do business with.

Making a conscious effort to smile and make eye contact with your audience presents a friendly and open demeanor and your body language can often have more impact than your words alone.  

Aiming for perfect is one way to place unnecessary stress on yourself and throw your confidence out the window. No one in the room is going to know if you haven't followed a carefully prepared script, but they are going to notice if you spend your crucial 60 seconds staring down at notes instead of relaxing, trusting yourself and engaging with your audience.

DO - Share Anecdotes. DON'T - Rubbish your competition.

Nobody has ever made themselves look better or more trustworthy, by talking negatively about their competition. The last thing you want when you have just 60 seconds to build rapport is to leave a bad taste in your audiences mouth. By speaking negatively of others, not only will it make your audience feel uncomfortable, but you'll likely be memorable for all the wrong reasons.

Instead, focus on positive anecdotes of real life wins for your business and clients that present you in a positive light and creates triggers of "yes i need this" for your audience.

DO - Wrap it. DON'T - Talk too long.

An effective elevator pitch opens strong, and finishes strong, by introducing yourself and your brand with passion. Many speakers tend to trail off and become inaudible by the end of their pitch, but with a small tweak of wrapping your pitch with the who and what you're representing, will ensure you finish on a high note.

In the same breath, stick to your time limit!

If you hear the buzzer signalling your time is up, make sure you finish your sentence, quickly wrap with your who and what and take a seat. Talking too long and ignoring the time limit can not only be annoying for the majority who do stick to their 60 second limit, but means your audience becomes disengaged - the exact opposite of an effective pitch!

Lastly DO - have plenty of business cards & DON'T recite phone numbers.

while your details may be memorable to you, it is futile to expect your audience to remember your number, among the array of information they're set to absorb throughout the event. Instead, ensure you have ample business cards to distribute and exchange.

Attending a BNI Chapter meeting provides you with a snapshot of a variety of elevator pitches. In these meetings a cross section of business owners from non competing industries meet weekly to grow their business through referral marketing. The bonus being you're able to hone your public speaking through a 60 second pitch, each and every week.

You can register here to visit our chapter - we meet weekly at 7am at The Green Man on Willeston Street.