The Elevator Pitch – Why you need it, and how it works.

A better elevator pitch.

I was reading a post on imgr today where the person gave the advice that people should develop an elevator pitch when looking for a job.

A few comments made me laugh

So, Go to random companies and ride the elevator all day in hopes you catch a ride with a big-wig and strike up a conversation? - clutchthepearls

Of the 6 companies I have worked for, only 1 had an elevator. - jackofshadows51

Sounds like your career has had some ups and downs. - BrecaAndTheSeaBeasts

While it has, the elevator wasn't the cause. Mostly not being valuable enough to the company to survive some of the downturns :-) - jackofshadows51

I don't think that's what elevator pitch means? Granted, I've not actually looked it up - justhereforvoting

View the post: http://imgur.com/gallery/xlXDc

Los, what is an Elevator pitch? Definition

• An Elevator pitch is a short and persuasive sales pitch.
  • Why not just an explanation of what you do? SELL!
  • Its called an elevator pitch because it has to be so succinct and clear that you can deliver it in the time it takes to have an elevator ride.

Imagine

• Imagine you are walking through the airport, or office, or restaurant. It’s not a perfect place for a long personal conversation. Maybe its a bit noisy, maybe you are in a rush.
  • You run into an old client, or friend, or professional contact of some sort. He asks you what you are doing now or what your company does. You open your mouth, and then pause. Where on earth do you start?

Anatomy of an elevator pitch

• There are a lot of ways to construct a compelling story, Keep in mind that this is what we are doing. All selling is story telling.
• The model I’ll present tonight is one used by Simon Sinek. Speaker, author. “Power of why.”
  • 1.What, 2.How, 3.Why.
  • I’ll add a last one: “And so”, or “Therefore” - this is a call to action, this is the “Pitch” of the message. This is the sell.

What

Let’s build your perfect elevator pitch Los. What are you doing?

“I’m working on a podcast for creatives. It’s called Late Night’s with Trav and Los.”

How

How are you doing this? Is there anything unique or special about how you do your thing?

“My cohost and I switch weeks hosting the show and have complete autonomy over the content and edit. We record outdoors and at night. Our podcast has a very familiar vibe, in that people often comment saying it feels like just hanging out with old friends, we talk about being healthy and productive professionals in todays creative economy.

Why

Why do you do what you do? What is the emotional connection that you can convey that the audience can relate too?

“We have so much fun, it’s not often you get to have purposeful, in-depth, conversations with someone you respect. And maybe even more than that, a lot of people write to us and share how these conversations are helping them. It’s a pretty great feeling.”

Therefore, or the “Goal Statement”

• Your pitch must have a goal statement at the end. This is the “Pitch” of the message. e.g. “At the moment I’m hoping to transition into (blank), ideally in the (blank) industry.”

“For the past 60 episodes we have been mostly presenting topics on our own, just the two of us, and growing nicely. But recently we decided to start developing richer stories, and also inviting more influencers and gatekeepers on the show, to hopefully reach a bit of a wider audience.”