Does your business have a strong elevator pitch? Tip – it’s not just for when you’re looking for investment!

There are times when a business needs investment, we see this regularly.

Whether this is in a pitching environment, or when we’re advising a business who might then want to explore investment. But the range and effectiveness of these sales pitches vary wildly.

The most powerful ones are those that people have clearly thought long and hard about before delivering them.

But often what you get, especially from opportunistic ‘pitchers’, is an off the cuff ‘stream of consciousness’ or ‘kitchen sink’ approach that attempts to cover everything, usually at high speed, but which ultimately fails to engage or deliver impact.

There is truth in the adage ‘less is more’ and investing time identifying what will really matter to your audience will pay dividends.

Perhaps more importantly, an elevator pitch that really delivers should be part of your everyday business armoury, whether you’re looking for investment or not.

You never know when an opportunity will occur, so having a well-honed elevator pitch up your sleeve is an essential business skill.

So, here’s our tips on how to get it right:

Distil your messages – identify what really matters

Sounds obvious right? but put yourself in the shoes of those who don’t know your business.

Why will it be of interest to them? Whether they are a potential customer, supplier, funder or perhaps joint venture partner, what can you offer what others can’t?

Not just what you do, but what differentiates you from competitors?

Be clear on the problems you solve for customers

People are generally less interested in what you want to tell them than they are in what you can do for them.

So, think about your service or product and the problem it solves for them.

What’s important to them? Is it quality? Price? service delivery? business values? Or the personal touch? – identify what makes your business ‘special’ for them and focus on that.

Follow these links for more information on developing an effective business strategy orachieving growth.

We will share more tips on how to create a powerful elevator pitch next time.

If you want to learn more about how we can help you further develop your sales capacity and effectiveness or creating your ‘compelling sell’ please get in touch via Consulting@bhp.co.uk or call Jemma Houseman on 0113 274 3496.