“So, what do you do?”

The inevitable question. It always comes, right? And seemingly everything hinges on how you respond, because…

You want clients. You want new business. You want referrals. You want… You want… To MAKE IT RAIN!
So how do you do make it rain?
You need to craft THE PERFECT ELEVATOR PITCH.

What is an elevator pitch?

The technical answer… A concise statement (usually three sentences or less) that defines your business and can be delivered in the span of an elevator ride.
The REAL answer… It’s the ideal mix of ingredients that produces the AWESOME SAUCE that is YOUR BUSINESS, distilled a short blurb you can reel off to anyone, anywhere as unconsciously as breathing.
So what goes into this tasty dish?

THE PERFECT ELEVATOR RECIPE INCLUDES…

Three crucial ingredients.
1. In the simplest terms – what do you do?
Keep boiling down your description until it’s the perfect reduction. Complicated isn’t three sentence or less concise. Complicated doesn’t stick with someone in the span of an elevator ride (or any other split second interaction).
Just keep thinking – simplest terms.
2. Why does it matter to your deal client?
What’s the benefit your product or service provides? Maybe you’ve got the widget to end all widget to end all widgets. Maybe you’ve got the most super-duper service in the history of super-duper services.
Whoopty doo. “What’s in it for me?” Your prospective client asks.
3. What’s different about your business that sets you apart for your competitors?
Likely, lots of other businesses do what you do. But no other business does it exactly the same.
So what’s different about you? What’s that unique kernel, no matter how small or seemingly in consequential, that distinguishes you from your competition.
Keep this in mind. It’s not necessarily what you do. It’s how it makes your clients feel.

Three Strong Elevator Pitch Examples

CBM
One of my client’s, a successful commercial real estate company exclusively dedicated to retail shopping center property management and leasing, sums it up in one line:

Your Southern California Shopping Center Property Management & Leasing Partner

How does their pitch measure up to the “Perfect Pitch Criteria?”
1. It’s concise and says exactly what CBM does.
2. If you’re a shopping center landlord, a “partner” in managing and leasing your property (which is no small affair) is HUGE benefit.
3. When CBM created this pitch in 1987, they were the ONLY company exclusively dedicated to retail shopping center property management and leasing. A very strong differentiator at the time.
Grade: B+. I take points off because 1987 is nearly 30 years ago and they are no longer the only exclusive shopping center management and leasing vendor. And they haven’t been for quite some time. Probably time for an update.
Laurie Ruettimann
Former self-proclaimed “HR Lady” turned HR blogger and independent HR consultant, Laurie sums her business up in four brief sentences:

I write. I speak. I consult. I advise executive leaders on HR, marketing and technology trends.

How does Laurie’s pitch measure up?
1. She breaks the three sentence or less rule. But the first three sentences are two words a pieces, so I give her pass there. Moreover, be couldn’t be more clear or succinct.
2. HR is widely regarded as one of the most problematic and difficult realms to navigate in corporate management. “HR snafus” are an endless source of employee lawsuits. So if you’re a CEO, expert advice on HR, particularly how it dovetails with marketing and technology, is a Godsend.
3. There aren’t a lot of “independent” HR consultants. And even fewer that write (she literally wrote the book… “I Am HR – 5 Strategic Ways to Break the Stereotypes and Reclaim HR) or speak (she gives a dozen or so keynote speeches and panel presentations annually).
Grade: B+. The differentiation piece or her pitch is a little lacking. But I do give her props because it’s clear from her testimonials that a big part of how she stands out is the way she makes people feel. And that’s often difficult to quantify.
Amanda Augustine
Career Management Expert (her title) Amanda has two pitches, a short form:

Helping you find the right job, sooner.

And a long(er) form:

Amanda Augustine helps recent college graduates and accomplished professionals reach their full career potential. Her goal is to get professionals into the right job, sooner, through personalized job-search and career guidance. Amanda offers consulting, speaking engagements, and training sessions to all professionals ready to advance their careers.”

How does Amanda’s pitch measure up?
1. Both the short and long forms are clear and succinct. She easily communicates exactly what she does.
2. If you’re a recent college grad looking for work, you know how tough it is to find a job. Amanda’s services are exactly what you need!
3. Not only is Amanda a career coach, she’s a frequent keynote speaker at career events and also teaches training programs.
Grade: B. I love how elegantly Amanda communicates her services and the clear to benefit she provides to her ideal clientele. But I see two problems with her pitch…
1. While she seems perfect to career counsel recent college grads (she looks young and vivacious and could pass for a recent college grad herself), I don’t buy her as a counselor for seasoned professionals. And she’s not giving anything in her pitch that helps convinces me. Perhaps she should just focus on college grads? It’s a huge market, so why not?
2. There’s little to differentiate her from the rest of the crowded career counseling field. Digging further into her bio, I discovered she’s a weekly columnist with The Ladders, a huge national online job board. She’s also been published in variety of other publications. Where’s the reference to her as a “career counseling writer?”

How’s Your Elevator Pitch?

Do you have one? Does it include the three critical criteria – (1) a clear and succinct statement defining exactly what you do, (2) an explanation of the benefit you offer your ideal client, and (3) the factor(s) that differentiates you from your competition?
Is your pitch weak in one (or more) of these areas? What about “differentiation?” As the analysis above shows, it’s often the toughest pieces of your pitch to perfect. Everyone copies everyone else and they all wind up sounding the same.
Swing by my Google+ page and share some of your challenges in crafting your PERFECT ELEVATOR PITCH.