5 tips for considering the ideal elevator pitch

There are several uses for an elevator pitch, but the most common pitches are pitches to sell your company/product or to indicate why you are the perfect candidate for the job you are applying for.

An elevator pitch is a short summary of who you are, a sales pitch of yourself, as it were. An elevator pitch is usually a maximum of three minutes long. In this article I give you five tips with which you give the best elevator pitch.

Who are you?

Start by introducing yourself. Be open and include the other party in your conversation by saying you’re happy to be here, or saying you’re happy to have this opportunity (if you’re not physically having a conversation). “Hello, my name is Irene Schots and I want to thank you for inviting me to be here.”

This is a simple introduction, but it is friendly and gives a positive impression.

What makes you who you are?

What did you do before, what education and jobs? What talents do you have that make you unique and suitable for this position? You’re trying to sell yourself, so make it an interesting story. Do you have a nice anecdote that is relevant to this story? Tell this one! Tell a little about what you enjoy doing in your daily life and how that applies to your story.

“As a child I always loved to read when I was on vacation, but at a certain point my books no longer fit in my bag. That ended up being such a big problem that I started developing a bag specifically made to store up to 10 books in addition to your wallet, phone and charger!”

This is an example of a good pitch. You tell something about yourself and why you are now promoting this product and what the intended use is. It builds a connection with the audience and that is exactly what you want to go for with your pitch.

What do you want to achieve with this pitch?

Ultimately, your pitch needs a clear message like “hire me!” or “buy my product!”. If you have a clear picture of what you want to achieve, it is important to convey this as clearly as possible to the listener. “Because of my five years of experience in the field of coding with Java and CSS, I am ideally suited to build a beautiful and interactive website for your company.”

You indicate what you can do, how much experience you have with it and that it is something that is important for the position you are applying for.

Closing

At the end of your pitch, you want someone to take action. Make sure that this also happens through the pitch. Instead of a call to action, you can also ask a question that makes the listeners think. For example, if you are giving a pitch about a sustainable product that your company supplies, you can easily close with “So, will you help save nature?”. It is a very relevant topic and indicates that your company focuses on preserving nature / the environment. If they answer no to this, they indicate that they do not want to commit themselves to nature and if they answer yes, then there is a very good chance that they will join you.

How do you deliver your pitch?

It is of course very important to memorize a pitch and know what you are talking about, but how you deliver this pitch is also very important. It’s like a little play. If you go to a theater performance and the actors talk very monotonously, without emotion and a lot of movement, you will find the performance less interesting than when it is performed with a lot of feeling. The same applies to a pitch, if you convey it with a lot of feeling, you will quickly come across as more convincing than if you stay in place without emotion.

Therefore, practice a lot in front of the mirror or in front of some friends. They can also give you tips if necessary.

With these five tips you can deliver the ultimate pitch for yourself and your company. The most important thing is always to be yourself. A cheat sheet is okay, but try to tell from the heart. People will notice that and it will give you even more chances for that great job!