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 ELEVATOR PITCH
CHEAT SHEET

5 STEPS TO AN EFFECTIVE
ELEVATOR PITCH
 Introduction
Thanks for downloading this Elevator Pitch
Cheat Sheet.

Kolarele Sonaike Before we get going, I've made a few

Founder, assumptions that I hope you're fine with:
Elevator Pitch School

1) You've got a great business or idea that

you are totally committed to.

2) You know that it's not enough to have a

great business or a great idea, you have to
be able to convince people about it.

3) In the modern world, where people have

endless distractions and short attention
spans, you know how important it is to have
an Elevator Pitch that tells people what
you do in summary.

Whether you're speaking at a networking

breakfast, meeting a prospective client,
writing the content for your website,
recording a promo video, or pitching to
potential investors, you need a
convincing Elevator Pitch that presents
your business in a compelling light.

Your Elevator Pitch is the first line of your

marketing strategy. Create a good one,
practise it, perfect it, so that you can use it
whenever you need to, and at a moment's
notice.

And so, without further ado, here are 5

Steps to An Effective Elevator Pitch for
entrepreneurs and small businesses that
want to convince.
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1. BRAND THE PROBLEM SO THEY FEEL THE PAIN

The single biggest mistake that people make when pitching their business is to just launch straight
into telling their audience what they do:

"Hi, I'm John from Company A, and we sell product B that does X, Y and Z. We're the number 1 company in
the UK in the industry blah blah blah..."

Question: Who cares? Unless you give your audience a reason to care, they wont.

The quickest method to get them to care is to set the context for your business, and most
importantly, highlight the 'evil' (the problem or pain) that your business exists to solve.

It is only when your audience understands the problem and feels the pain it causes (especially if this
is a pain that they themselves have experienced), that they will then care that you have a product or
service to cure that pain.

So, before you say anything about what you do, remember to first get them to feel the pain.

Try this simple formula: "You know how (big problem), which means (pain caused by that problem)
well my business (how you solve it)."

e.g. "You know how some entrepreneurs are scared public speaking, which means they often miss
out on great opportunities to promote their business, well I am public speaking consultant helping
people speak confidently in public....'

2. DEFINE YOUR BUSINESS AS THE HERO

If you don't define your business as the hero, no one else will. You need to have a go-to definition of
your business that you can trot out whenever you need.

This should be a short description that sums up your business in 20 words or less. But it must be
more than just functional.

A good business description should satisfy 4 fundamental requirements. It should be:

• clear - your audience should easily understand what your business is about
• concise - keep it short and sweet so don't exceed those 20 words
• broad - a description that's wide enough to cover everything you do without going into detail
• precise - it should be specific to your business, not generalised

e.g. We are Accountants spcecialising in tax and accountant management for creative businesses to
help them take charge of their finances.
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3. PRESENT YOUR BUSINESS VILLAIN

No good being a business hero, if you don't have a business villain to defeat.

Who are your competitors? What are they doing wrong? Why don't they have the true cure for your
customer's pain.

You need to give your audience a reason to root for you as opposed to your competition. The great
thing is that since it's your Elevator Pitch, you get to define your competition however you want. Use
the opportunity to paint your competition as the villain with the wrong solution. Point out the big flaw
in how they go about solving the problem and why it doesn't truly address the customer's pain.

It's a simple, but highly effective technique. Take a look on YouTube at how Steve Jobs does it during
his unveiling of the iPhone in 2007 (where he mocks Blackberry smartphones, which were hugely
dominant at the time).

4. HIGHLIGHT YOUR FEATURES & BENEFITS

Now that you've set up that villain, it's time to defeat him.

Here is where you go to town, highlighting the benefits of your business and how what you do is far
superior to your competition. Bring out the distinct features of your product or service, its
uniqueness and excellence, the strength of your team, your customer service etc.
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Don't be bland or ordinary with this part. The passion you show for what you do, is just as important
as the product or service itself.

But remember also that people don't care about what you do, they only care about how it helps
them, and the value it brings to their lives, so be sure to focus more on your benefits than your
features.

Simple formula: We do (features you do) so that (benefits they bring) which means (value to them)
e.g. "Our authentic Moroccan Afghan oil is rich in anti-oxidants and Omega 6 fatty acids, so that it
really moisturises and boosts healthy skin cell production, which means you look and feel great in
the morning."

5. FINISH WITH A COMPELLING CALL TO ACTION

An Elevator Pitch isn't a conversation-filler. It's not the thing you say before you really start
talking to people about what you do. Used effectively, your Elevator Pitch is a highly effective tool
designed to take your relationship with your audience to the next stage.

So before you give your pitch, work out what you want people to do next. What is the smallest,
simplest, most logical next step you can invite people to do that will help you take things further
with them e.g. have a one to one lunch; introduce you to a contact; try a sample; give you their
email address; download a free Ebook etc.

Be sure to end with you Call to Action so that people know what you want from them, and they can
decide whether they want to do it or not. After everything you've said, the Call to Action should
almost be a no brainer. To quote legendary marketeer, Seth Godin:

"The purpose of an elevator pitch is to describe a situation or solution so compelling that the person
you're with wants to hear more even after the elevator ride is over." - Seth Godin

There you go.

5 Steps to An Effective Elevator Pitch (and you don't even need an elevator to use it).

Best of luck!

Kolarele Sonaike