How can I improve my elevator pitch?
Meeting allot of business leaders and managers through friends and acquaintances but my elevator pitch is weak. I’m not making the right impression.... need help please!! thank you.
I shared these in the Chicago Jobfair group and thought they would help. Avoid these common mistakes!
-Speaking too fast. Yes, you only have about 30-60 seconds, but try to avoid cramming 15 minutes of information into one minute.
-Using highly technical terms, acronyms or slang. You want your pitch to be easily understood by any audience and that means try to avoid using words that will confuse the average person. The last thing you want is for whoever is listening to you to feel dumb.
-Not being focused. This isn’t a general conversation and you’re not discussing the weather (unless that’s your job, in which case, never mind). Keep your pitch clear and focused.
-Not practicing what you’re going to say. First, write down your pitch. Read it over. Have your friends and family read it like Laila said! Does it make sense? Make sure it flows well and that there aren’t any spots that feel rough or awkward. Then practice it. Practice it again. Keep practicing it until it becomes so easy for you to pitch that you can do it at the drop of a hat.
-Being robotic. This is all about a face to face interaction with someone you want to impress. Having an easy, approachable, conversational style to your pitch will get you much further than an overly rehearsed monologue approach.
-Not having a business card or other things someone can “take-away” with you. Okay, you’ve sold them on you…now how are they going to get a hold of you when they decide it’s time to bring you in? Make sure you always have something on you to pass on that will allow people to not only remember you, but contact you later on (resumes and business cards are perfect).
-Not saying anything. It does absolutely nothing for you to have a killer elevator pitch if you never use it, so make sure you are prepared and work your carefully thought out pitch into the conversation.
Practice, practice, practice! As someone who tends to talk a lot and sometimes ramble, I found it very helpful to write out my elevator pitch and practice giving it to friends. I also recorded myself (#selfie) and replayed it to see how I came across while giving it
A suggestion: try writing down 2 to 3 things you want the person interviewing you to walk away knowing about you. Focus on conveying those things in a couple sentences, and hopefully those facts/experiences help paint a picture of your own unique experiences.
p.s. If you are meeting a lot of managers and leaders, I also recommend asking a lot of questions. Feel free to post if you do because I'd love to learn about what they think has made them or makes someone successful!
Focus on value, and money. The elevator pitch works better when you know more about the other people, so if you ask value driven questions you will be successful. Affordability normally comes in further down the conversation line, but if they know you are cost conscious it will help. Make it a fact finding mission, with a value driven touch, and it should make that elevator travel much smoother. Good Luck...