5 don’ts when to comes to crafting the perfect elevator pitch
The infamous ‘elevator pitch’ might sound like a movie term, but it’s so much more. An elevator pitch is essentially a fancy term for a sales pitch where a person typically has not more than 60 seconds to leave an impact about an idea they are trying to sell to a potential buyer or investor. The basic purpose is to familiarise the person with you and your company well enough to hopefully interest them in more detailed conversations later on the services you offer.
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Those 60 seconds are awfully crucial, and messing them up can ruin your first impression. Here are five things to avoid in your elevator speech.
Don’t oversell
In a bid to get the point across, people generally make the mistake of overselling the product that they offer. Overusing adjectives and phony terms like, ‘life-changing’ or ‘amazing’ might make you appear facetious and fake. However, a little enthusiasm goes a long way, so do not shy away from showing the same.
Don’t fill your speech with data
While data is a good way to substantiate your speech and make it more credible, too much data can ruin the excitement and make it boring and scientific. No one likes it when a person only talks on the basis of data and numbers. To make your speech interesting, link the data with concrete and real examples to add value.
Don’t generalise
Try to be as specific as possible with your value proposition. Talk about how exactly your company or your skills can help the customer base you intend to serve.
Don’t overcomplicate matters
Remember, it’s just 60 seconds on the clock, so keep it as simple as possible. Too much information can make the person think of you to be a little too salesy and practised. While it is a given that a sales pitch should be a little rehearsed, your speech shouldn’t make it seem obvious.
Don’t be too casual
Yes, we get it. It is a conversation inside an elevator. But being too casual with your tone and body language can tell a person a lot about how serious you are with your services. Ensure you are firm with what you convey. It is, after all, a matter of business.
Most importantly, be natural and be yourself because being fake is never a good thing. Also, while you are busy perfecting your elevator speech, remember to include the call to action because without that, your whole endeavor falls flat on its face!
