#83 [Podcast & Blog] After that embarrassing intro, I need a great 30 second elevator pitch!

So at the weekend I was badly introduced by a colleague to someone I was very interested to meet.  It caught me completely off guard and it didn't leave a great first impression.  I realised then that I need to work on my own 30 second elevator pitch.  So when moments like that happen again I can take control back.  Weirdly enough I had helped in the creation of one for my husband recently and so when he is in a business situation.  I think he's got a great one. Here's what he says!  

---

''I'm an Aviation Technologies professional with a knack for marrying business and technologies to help businesses achieve their goals and strategies. I'm passionate about the aviation and technology.  I read and learn as much as I can about the industry. I have been credited many times by my colleagues for my wealth of knowledge and understanding.  I want to help companies really see the value in the technologies out there that can help them build greater customer experiences.' 

I like it because it has all the skills, confidence and goals of a quick, clear and understood pitch. Control is firmly in his hands and I think he leaves room for the person he is expressing it too to ask more questions.  ​What do you think of it? Do you like it? Do you think it can be improved? Do you get what he does and how can help. Do let me know!

So, Why an Elevator Pitch?

So anyway.... after last weekend I really think its important to have one for myself.  It also reminded me of how important it is when you are introducing someone else too. So my first question in the future before I introduce someone to someone else is to ask if they have an 30 second elevator pitch or kind of create one based on a few key principles.

​​There are some great benefits to having a good elevator pitch like:-

a) Helps you be more clear and confident about who you are and what you do.  How often do we get derailed with thoughts when we meet people for the first time or feel less confident when we meet someone we are super excited to meet yet nervous too!!!  A clear, confident pitch just eases all of that!

b) It take the, 'uh..er....' moment out of the equation and you don't have to worry about sentencing a collection of exciting nouns, verbs and adjectives because you have already done it and its ready to go.

c) As you practice it, you become more and more connected with your pitch and you become more passionate about it. The way you say it becomes more embedded in you and you become more authentic.

d) If you are of a nervous disposition when you meet people for the first time and feel awkward setting the pace of the conversation then having a pitch could relieve some of the anxiety that's created in these first few moments.

---

What Makes a Good Elevator Pitch?

​Through my research I've discovered that a good pitch has some clear elements

a) A goal. What are you trying to achieve with your pitch. So personally I reckon you should have may be 2 or 3 'go to' pitches based on your audience you are talking too. Clients or potential suppliers will have different themes so it makes sense to me to vary your pitch slightly.

​b) Describe the problem your business aims to solve and then share how your business solves that problem.  Keep it simple too. Too many problems you are trying to solve can be overwhelming for the person you are pitching to. We want them to remember what you did, not leave them saying....'uh...he does a number of things but can't remember what'..

c) Identify your unique selling points.  It is important identify your strengths, your products or companies key attributes and wrapping them up into the rest of your pitch so you sound clear, understandable and actionable.

d) Simplicity is also a key point.  How often do you read a company's 'about us' page and you get dizzy reading the words because they've tried to be clever by weaving fancy words together?  I know I have and I land up reading the sentences two or three times just to 'get' what it is that they do.  So work your magic on being simple and using language that is conversational as best you can. 

---

My Pitches (Always Work In Progress)

So reading up examples and keeping in my the key elements I created two pitches because I do two key activities. Here they are: - 

My Podcasting Pitch.....

'I’m a podcaster and I interview and share the stories of the entrepreneurial women of the Middle East.  From across the region, I get to speak to women who are trail blazing, creating changing, building businesses and thriving.  My platform is an audio blog which you can listen to anywhere at anytime via ITunes, Stitchers, Soundcloud, my website or via social networks.  I have been credited many times for helping my guests feel very proud of their accomplishments and helping them summarize their efforts.  For the listeners, these ladies offer shared experiences, opportunity, success and the real story of how it really is to have a business in the Middle East'.

---

My Social Media Pitch.....
​
​I love social networks and their ability to create, connect and share with family, friends, colleagues, clients, and suppliers.  Because of its power I’ve created Facebook groups as large as 40,000 members and created fan pages with a total of over 30000 fans.  I have helped numerous people over the last 6 years find the right platform for them and then helping them generate their own leads.  I want to help small businesses brainstorm the right strategy for their businesses. 

---

So what do you think?  Did I get it? With all these types of things they can be refined and improved as we use them, so I'm going to start with these and then go from there!  See how my audience responds.

Great Resources To Help Create Your Pitch.

Like I said earlier though I didn't do this without some help and inspiration from articles and examples out there. So if you want to check them out, these are the links to the articles that I looked at to help create my pitches. I hope you will find them useful too.

​a) Crafting an Elevator Pitch
b) The 7 Key Components of a Perfect Elevator Pitch [with Video]
​c) A quick guide to writing your elevator pitch (with examples!)
​

And Finally, Practice, Practice, Practice

Make those sentences an extension of yourself so they naturally roll of your tongue and put you in the right light and send the right impression. I won't be making this mistake again.  Authenticity is important these days and builds trust and relationships. 

Do let me know what your elevator pitch is. If you have comments about mine, then please do share. I don't want what happened at the weekend to happen again.  Its just embarrassing.....