Your Elevator Pitch: Present yourself perfectly in 60 seconds
What do you do for a living? What is your idea? Why should we hire you? - Questions that come up again and again: in job interviews, at trade fairs, during customer meetings or in the lift. Many people then go on and on, telling and telling... Mistake! The Elevator Pitch uses the question and the opportunity to make an inspiring statement, a short speech or presentation in around 60 seconds that arouses curiosity and stays in the memory. How does it work? Find out here: With proven tips and examples for the structure of an elevator pitch...
What is an Elevator Pitch?
The term Elevator Pitch (also called Elevator Speech) refers to a method with which you can present an idea convincingly within a very short time. The background of the name comes from the fact that you should be able to win over a person you meet in the lift to your idea during the journey together. You package relevant information in a condensed and argumentative way in order to inspire your interlocutor.
How do you inspire in 60 seconds?
No matter who you want to convince: Under no circumstances should you bore your counterpart. Too many people get bogged down in details when presenting their ideas and thus sabotage themselves. A bad speaker can even involuntarily turn a highly exciting topic into a bedtime story.
What is the goal of an Elevator Pitch?
The Elevator Pitch is not about presenting all aspects of your offer. That would not be possible in such a short presentation. The right choice of arguments is therefore extremely important in order not to bore. Limit yourself to the highlights.
But if you only have one minute available, you are forced to condense your message enormously in terms of content. However, it is not only the strict time constraints that give a successful elevator pitch its dynamism - you should also align the structure accordingly.
Structure of the Elevator Pitch: How do you convince in just a few sentences?
Through thorough preparation: If you only have a few seconds, you have to make good use of every moment.
By concentrating on the essentials. What do I want my counterpart to remember? Don't cram all your arguments into your elevator pitch. Why should you? After all, you still need a few jokers if there are follow-up questions.
Through authenticity: Many people prepare an elevator pitch and then never use it. Why not? It seems unnatural to them, they feel uncomfortable. Therefore, the rule is: don't act.
Through empathy: It doesn't matter what YOU think is fantastic about your offer. Think about your counterpart: What interests him? What excites them? Professionals therefore have different pitches ready for different target groups.
Through emotions: If possible, include a short story, an emotional image, a surprising comparison. That way you will be remembered.
When is the elevator pitch used? The following occasions are suitable:
Trade fairs: Trade fairs and congresses are ideal for job seekers and the self-employed. Whenever you step up to the stand of an interesting company or someone approaches you, you need to be able to get to the heart of what you have to offer.
Interviews: Why don't you tell us something about yourself? - This is what many personnel managers ask you to do. This is the prelude to the so-called self-presentation. It can be a little longer than 60 seconds, but it should be just as convincing and must also get to the point.
Network meetings: Meetings of professional associations, business networks or alumni groups are excellent opportunities to get into conversation with important people and to inspire them with a successful self-presentation.
Chance contacts: You are having dinner with a friend. A man greets you from the next table - she introduces him as the managing director of a company you would like to work for... You immediately seize this opportunity and present your talents with a blazing plea.
Of course, there are many other situations in which an elevator pitch can be extremely useful to you. After all, you can meet people everywhere who can help you advance professionally. At that moment, you need to deliver.
5 Steps to structure your elevator pitch
Step 1: Introduce yourself
Every good pitch starts with a brief introduction. This can mean simply stating your name and the name of your company, if applicable. The more personal your elevator pitch content, the more natural it will appear. Body language and eye contact are also part of a good presentation. Greet your audience in a way that is appropriate for the situation. For example, you could start with a light-hearted joke to create a relaxed atmosphere.
Greet your audience in a way that is appropriate for the situation. Formal for a business pitch, more casual at a more relaxed event. As more and more business meetings and networking events are held online, be creative. For example, you could start with a light-hearted joke to create a relaxed atmosphere. Whatever you decide to do: It should awake the interest of your audience.
Step 2: Describe the problem
First, you need to describe the problem before you can present a solution. No matter what problem you or your company is trying to solve, in your elevator pitch you should describe early on how you can provide an advantage to your audience and maintain that tenor for your entire presentation. An example of a problem: Coordinating work across teams is difficult.If possible, you can create an even stronger connection to the problem at hand among your audience with real-life examples. This makes the relevance of the problem clear and increases the attention of your audience.
Step 3: Offer a solution
First, you need to present the problem before you can present a solution. No matter what problem you or your company is trying to solve, in your elevator pitch you should describe early on how you can provide an advantage to your audience and maintain that tenor for your entire presentation. If possible, you can create an even stronger connection to the problem at hand among your audience with real-life examples. This makes the relevance of the problem clear and increases the attention of your audience.
The problem should pique your audience's interest, your solution should captivate them. Now is your chance to show your audience why they need your help. An example of a solution: Asana provides teams with a system to organize and manage work. This way everyone knows what needs to be done, why it is important and how to get it done.
The solution is arguably the most important part of your elevator pitch and should be nothing less than perfect. When you create your Elevator Pitch and present a company in it, potential solutions to problems are already included. However, as mentioned above, you should still include a personal touch. Don't be afraid to adapt your elevator pitch content to your target audience. When introducing and marketing yourself, as in job interviews, you should talk about your qualifications and why they add value to your potential client/employer.
Step 4: Explain your value proposition.
Now that you have won your audience's attention, it is time to fully convince your audience. You can do this by explaining how your solution is better than your competitors'.
The value proposition differentiates itself from the solution by being more specific about why your solution is better than your competitors'. If you don't have a definitive answer to this yet, you can present an analysis that compares your offerings to those of competitors. Alternatively, you can do this in a summary at the end of your presentation.
Step 5: Involve your audience
You have the hardest part behind you. Now it is important to involve your audience. Give a compliment or ask a question before the conversation is over. This is more natural and authentic than a simple goodbye. There is no right or wrong when involving your audience. Ending your presentation with a question can create a dialogue, but a sincere compliment can also have a lasting effect. Ask yourself why you wanted to create your elevator pitch and present to that exact audience, and use the answer to that question to successfully close your presentation. Remember to exchange important contact information, such as email addresses, if you haven't already done so.
Create an Elevator Pitch: Using my elevator pitch template.
Now that you know the basics of a pitch, it's your turn: create your very own elevator pitch content. With this elevator pitch template, your elevator pitch structure will stand up and cover almost any situation, from a job interview to a pitch for a small business or startup. I developed a practical elevator pitch template with elevator pitch tips for all scenarios.
Paste your data into our elevator pitch template to create a draft for your presentation. You don't have to reproduce this verbatim, of course, but it's worth keeping in mind in case you ever find yourself in a situation where you don't have a personalized pitch to hand.
Whether you need an elevator pitch template for a job interview or to introduce your business: This handy template is suitable for almost any scenario you will encounter during your professional life.
A general elevator pitch template.
Use our elevator pitch template to prepare your individual presentation. Include appropriate statistics and personalized greetings. This elevator pitch structure is already broken down into all four previously mentioned components that will make your presentation an effective elevator pitch.
Introduction: "Hi. My name is [name], [job title] at [name of your company]. Nice to meet you!"
Problem: "Since you work at [name of company/industry], I'm sure [problem + interesting statistic] might interest you."
Solution: "The best thing about [name of your company] is that we were able to solve this exact problem using [solution]."
Value proposition: "By the way, we are the only company that offers [value proposition]."
Call to action: "I'm sure our solution could give you a great advantage. Do you have time to talk this week?"
Conclusion
You should tailor your elevator pitch template to suit you and your professional experience. I want to help you achieve that goal. I want you to:
courageously show what drives you, what you stand for and what sets you apart.
receive interesting project or job offers - without having to schmooze.
make others listen to you and value your contributions.
do all this in an environment that is characterized by VUCA, transformation and virtual collaboration.
Does that sound good? Unfortunately, no one tells you how to do it! If you want to develop your perfect pitch, sign up for SHOW UP! To support you in this whole process I have created the program SHOW UP! In 8 weeks you develop your positioning and show it in your organization and your network without feeling inauthentic or pushy. If you want to know more about it here is the link to the waiting list. Here is the link to book a discovery call.
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Katharina Engelhardt talks about Your Elevator Pitch: Present yourself perfectly in 60 seconds
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