The elevator pitch, the one-liner, the answer to the “what do you do?” question at social events.
It’s a short and impactful piece to your brand (personal or business). However, many people struggle to articulate their elevator pitches effectively. You actively leave sales on the table as you muddle your value proposition without a clear answer.
In this article, I want to share a framework you can use to create your elevator pitch. If you want more info on creating your elevator pitch, check out the work at StoryBrand. I’ve adapted the framework below from their “one-liner” model.
The Components of an Elevator Pitch
Your elevator pitch should be simple, relevant, and memorable. If you don’t provide enough information, it won’t be relevant. If you give too much information, you’ll confuse your audience.
Here are the three components of the elevator pitch.
- First – The customer’s problem. This is where you state the problem that your customer is facing. You want this to be specific, addressing both who your customer is and what the pain point is.
- Second – Your solution. Next, you explain your solution in an easy-to-understand way. This is the unique way you help those customers address their problems.
- Third- The impact. Finally, you highlight the desired outcome that your customer wants. What is their happy ending? This helps them visualize the impact your solution will have.
Simplified, it is:
State the problem.
Explain the solution.
Describe the impact.
Here’s the template – X is a problem that Y people face. We provide Z solutions, so that Y can achieve A.
Examples of Elevator Pitches
Let’s look at a few examples of elevator pitches that use this framework. After we walk through a few examples, you should start to see how simple and effective this framework is.
Roloff Consulting (My Business)
Problem: Businesses are struggling to adapt to the world of digital sales.
Solution: I help sales and marketing leaders implement digital selling strategies.
Impact: So that you can take advantage of new opportunities to grow your business.
Insurance Agency
Problem: Getting the right insurance can be an intimidating process for individuals.
Solution: We have local agents that focus on educating our customers.
Impact: So that they can feel confident that they are properly insuring their assets.
Pest Control Company
Problem: Do-it-yourself pest control is often ineffective and unpleasant.
Solution: We provide a proactive pest control service program.
Impact: So that you can stop worrying about pest damage and avoid doing the dirty work yourself.
Accounting Firm
Problem: Most households are overpaying in their yearly taxes.
Solution: We’ve developed a 3-step tax planning framework.
Impact: So that you can keep more of your hard-earned money each year.
When you combine the problem, solution, and impact, you get the template noted above: X is a problem that Y people face. We provide Z solutions, so that Y can achieve A.
Hopefully, the examples above provide some context to help you get started with your pitch!
Using Your Pitch
Once your pitch is developed, it’s time to implement it. This is your quick and effective value proposition that you can utilize across your sales and marketing content (and in real life).
My first suggestion for “using” your pitch is to practice it wherever possible. As you meet new people and talk to friends/family, start using your pitch to describe what you do. It will seem a little awkward at first, but over time you should be able to state it more clearly.
Then consider all the places on your sales and marketing content where you can better state your value proposition. Here are some examples:
- About Sections on LinkedIn/Social Media
- Website Homepage
- Print Collateral
- Cold Email Outreach
- In-Person Networking Introductions
Over time, you’ll find you may need to adapt your pitch. That’s okay! Your customer personas evolve, your offering evolves, or you just find a better way to position what you do.
The key here is to make it simple and effective for prospective customers to understand how you can help.
