Episode 003: Create your elevator pitch
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Subscribe: RSS
In this episode, we listen to Alex complain about how much last week’s challenge sucked even though it was useful. Now that you know where your time is going, you can look for places to make changes so that you’ve got more time to devote to the tasks that move your business forward and that you find fulfilling. Then we dive into the next challenge – create your elevator pitch.
Note: We tried a new venue for podcasting for this episode and it came out very echo-y. Lesson learned. We won’t record there again.
This Week’s Challenge: Create your elevator pitch
You might think that an elevator pitch is just for Silicon Vally tech bros, but any business owner ought to be able to concisely and confidently explain who they are and what they do. We’ll review some tips and pointers for creating a good pitch and keeping it short.
Writing your pitch is one thing, but the really important thing here is actually delivering the pitch. So after you’ve got it nailed down, you need to practice, practice, practice. We recommend rehearsing to family and friends, to your pets, in front of a mirror, and most importantly, on video! Record yourself with your phone or computer delivering your pitch to look for body language, facial expressions, and any odd ticks you might not be aware of.
Now you’ll be all set the next time you meet someone who asks “What do you do?” or the next time you attend a small business meetup or chamber of commerce meeting and are asked to introduce yourself to the group.
Resources for finishing this task
- Crafting an Elevator Pitch from Mind Tools
- Perfect Pitch: How to Nail Your Elevator Speech by Laura Katen
- How to Create a Successful Elevator Pitch for Small Business Owners from Factor Finders
- 12 Elevator Pitches from Small Businesses by Amy Saunders
- The Best Elevator Pitch Examples, Templates, and Tactics by Kurian M. Tharakan (though we thought these tended to be way too long and heavy on jargon)
After you’ve done the task
Write and tell us about it! Tweet us @doweeklypodcast, use our contact page, or email us at TalkToUs@doweeklypodcast.com. Send us a link to a video or audio of you doing your pitch, or just write it out for us.