Elevator Pitch Style Tips
 In a perfect world, substance would trump style. The problem is that we
don’t live in a perfect world. As a result, if you want to be
successful, you must take into account this. The style in
which a message is delivered has a tremendous influence over whether
people pay attention to — and believe — the substance of
a message. As a result, you should keep these style tips in mind.
Think Bullets, Not Paragraphs
While you are fascinated by your venture, your audience isn’t likely to
be (at least not at first). As a result, they are unlikely to pay close
attention to what you are saying. Instead, they will just listen for the key points
of your message; the things that really stand out. As a
result, when communicating your message (in either spoken or written
words), your key points must stand out from everything else you are
saying.
Memorize It & Rehearse It
There are two ways to make sure that people will not pay attention to
your Elevator Pitch. The first is to just read your Elevator Pitch off
of a piece of paper. The second is to stumble through your delivery of
it. Given that you will deliver your Elevator Pitch hundreds of times
during the process of getting your venture started, you should
memorize it from the start. In addition to improving the
odds people will actually listen to you, this will also ensure that different
people receive a consistent message.
Go Easy On The Hype
While it’s important to be enthusiastic about your venture, investors
tend to be experienced, skeptical, and analytical. As a result,
if you lay on the hype too thick and overstate your case, then you are more likely
than not just going to look naïve.
Don’t Try To Close Too Quickly
It’s true that no sales pitch is complete unless you ask for the
sale. However, getting someone to invest in or back your venture is a
process. As a result, it is not appropriate to ask for the sale
immediately after delivering your Elevator Pitch. Instead, the time to
close the sale is after you have delivered your Investor Presentation
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