Personal Elevator Pitch
True eloquence consists in saying all that should be
said, and that only.
– Francois Duc de la Rochefoucauld
Breakfast clubs and similar business networking organizations
are becoming an increasingly popular tool for service providers
and other salespeople. In many cases, a key part of the
morning’s program is for each person to give a 1-minute
elevator pitch that explains who they are and why they are there.
When I attend such an event, the elevator pitch that I use goes
like this...
My name is Chris O’Leary and I teach entrepreneurs,
salespeople, project champions, and others how to communicate
their ideas to investors, customers, senior executives,
and co-workers.
For the past five years, I have been holding workshops at
Washington University, teaching entrepreneurs how to pitch ideas
for new products and services to venture capitalists and angel
investors. Over the past year I have turned that workshop into
a book that is applicable to anyone who wants to know how to
improve their ability to pitch an idea to someone.
My book and workshop draw upon lessons I learned while working
with a series of software startups in sales and marketing roles.
I would love to discuss my work with anyone who is interested
after we are done.
Let me explain the logic of my personal elevator pitch in the
context of The Nine C’s.
1. CONCISE
Since my personal elevator pitch contains just 126
words, I can easily deliver it in one minute or less without
sounding rushed.
2. CLEAR
In order to make sure that my personal elevator pitch
is clear, I start it off with a summary sentence that explains
what I do at a high level. The goal is to give people a general
sense of who I am and what I do so that they can better understand
what I say next. I am also trying to quickly catch the attention
of potential clients and ensure that they will listen to my
entire pitch.
3. COMPELLING
I am fairly subtle when it comes to making my
personal elevator pitch compelling, because I know that many
people understand the need to be a good communicator...
My name is Chris O’Leary and I teach entrepreneurs,
salespeople, project champions, and others how to communicate
their ideas to investors, customers, senior executives, and
co-workers.
My summary sentence lays out some of the common scenarios
that I help people handle.
4. CREDIBLE
The middle of my elevator pitch is where I establish
my credibility, and I do that in two ways. First, I explain my
association with Washington University, which is a highly respected
name in the field of education...
For the past five years, I have been holding workshops at
Washington University, teaching entrepreneurs how to pitch ideas
for new products and services to venture capitalists and
angel investors.
I then quickly discuss my personal experience with writing
and delivering elevator pitches...
My book and workshop draw upon lessons I learned while
working with a series of software startups in sales and
marketing roles.
The goal is to establish myself as a respected expert
in the subject.
5. CONCEPTUAL
In my personal elevator pitch, I don’t
get into the HOW of my approach and methodology. Instead, I
focus on establishing WHAT I do and why I am qualified to
advise people on that topic.
6. CONCRETE
I establish the concreteness of what I am doing
with the line below...
Over the past year I have turned that workshop into a book
that is applicable to anyone who wants to know how to improve
their ability to pitch an idea to someone.
The goal is to let people know that I have two specific products
that I sell: a book and a workshop.
7. CONSISTENT
My summary sentence lays out the different types
of clients that I work with...
My name is Chris O’Leary and I teach entrepreneurs,
salespeople, project champions, and others how to communicate their
ideas to investors, customers, senior executives, and co-workers.
As a result, I am able to deliver the same basic personal elevator
pitch to a variety of different audiences and know it will appeal to
a variety of different people.
8. CUSTOMIZED
If I am not sure who will be in the audience, or if
the audience is mixed, then I deliver the basic version of my personal
elevator pitch. However, if I am delivering my personal elevator pitch
to a specific group, such as salespeople, then I will modify it so that
it focuses on the needs of salespeople. I do that by modifying the last
line of my personal elevator pitch so that it more directly speaks to
the needs of salespeople...
I would love to discuss my work with you in detail afterwards and
explain how I can help you close more deals.
9. CONVERSATIONAL
In order to ensure that my personal elevator pitch
is conversational, I close with an invitation to discuss my
work afterwards...
I would love to discuss my work with anyone who is interested
after we are done.
I keep my close low pressure and soft sell because in my experience
I have found that people aren’t ready to buy immediately after
hearing my personal elevator pitch. Instead, they want to know more
about how I can help them with their specific situation.
Copyright Notice
This document is
copyright © 2009 Chris O'Leary and the LIMB Press LLC. It
is licensed for personal use only. Any organizational or
institutional use must be approved by Chris O'Leary.
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