Crafting a Killer Elevator Pitch: The Four C’s

Perfect Your Elevator Pitch to Boost Your Brand Strategy

A critical component of a solid brand strategy is your elevator pitch. Whether you are a solopreneur, a startup or a big brand, having a succinct elevator pitch allows you and/or your team to provide a cohesive introduction of who you are and what you do. The key to a killer elevator pitch is to peak the curiosity of your audience so that three magic words are their immediate response. So, what are those three magic words?
The response you are trying to elicit with your elevator pitch is “Tell me more…” When you get that response, it means that your elevator pitch was so interesting that your audience wants to know more about you. Take the time to create a killer elevator pitch and practice it often so that you are always putting your best foot forward for you and/or your brand. Below are the four C’s of a great elevator pitch:

CLEAR

Ensure that your pitch includes who you are, what you do (either the products or services you offer), who you serve (who is your target customer or audience) and something unique about you or your brand. It should be high-level, but not so general that your audience doesn’t have a good sense of who you are. The key is adding something unique about you, your products or services or your company that is relative to the audience you are talking to. Keeping the bulk of your pitch consistent and catering the unique portion directly to your captive audience allows you to personalize your pitch and connect better with those you are talking to.

CONCISE

Brevity is key! Keep your elevator pitch short and sweet and to the point. Remember, your end-goal is to have your audience ask for more, so give them just enough to spark their curiosity. A good pitch is usually between 30 and 60 seconds. Any longer than that and you begin to lose the attention of your audience.

CONVERSATIONAL

Let your personality (or your brand personality) shine through! If you aren’t excited talking about yourself or your brand, then your audience isn’t going to be excited to hear what you have to say. Make sure that your tone and words match your brand personality, but also that you present your pitch in a conversational tone. It shouldn’t necessarily sound practiced, but rather polished. Your pitch is essentially your positioning statement in conversational form. Be engaging to elicit the response you desire from your audience.

CONSISTENT

Your pitch should generally follow the same format every time you say it, with the exception of catering your unique differentiator to the audience you are talking to. This is especially crucial for small businesses and startups who are trying to generate awareness for their brand. It is imperative that everyone on your team is on the same page with regard to your elevator pitch when talking about your brand. Share your pitch internally and get into the habit of it being your go-to introduction when meeting anyone new. With consistency (which will come with practice) comes confidence. Confidence is a really important element of your elevator pitch that cannot be ignored. If you speak with clarity and confidence, your audience will have more confidence and trust in you.  

SUMMARY

Be clear, concise, conversational and consistent in your elevator pitch delivery and you will see a huge difference in how your audience reacts to you. If your pitch isn’t eliciting the response of “tell me more” from your audience, then revisit it to make it more compelling and test it out. It may be someone’s first, and quite possibly last, impression of you… so be sure to put your best self forward with a killer elevator pitch!

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