Developing Your Own Elevator Pitch

If you’ve been in the business world for more than five minutes, you know that sooner or later your marketing department will try and get you to memorize – or adapt your own version – of the corporate elevator pitch.  It’s a short, two to three sentences that you can explain your company and its value proposition quickly, even on a short elevator ride. Every great elevator pitch will let the audience know a) what your company does and b) what your company does to distinguish itself from others and c) the problems the company is solving.

The elevator pitch is a time-tested and proven way to help people understand how you can help them or someone they know.  Meanwhile, what’s your personal elevator pitch?  Do you find yourself at networking events saying – when someone asks – “I’m the payroll manager for ACME Corporation.”   And then, leave it at that?  While that is great, it doesn’t tell me who you are, what you are passionate about, how you can make a difference and why I or someone else would want you to be part of a team.

Let’s review again what a good elevator pitch should contain…

1. What you do
2. How you distinguish itself from others and
3. The challenges you can help with

For example, as you may know, I joined Willory as an HR Consultant because of a relationship I started with John at DisruptHR.  I had recently moved to the Northeast Ohio region and was intrigued by John and Willory.  When I spoke with him I delivered my elevator pitch. The resulting conversation led to my hiring at Willory.

Don’t memorize your elevator pitch or else it will appear as a speech or a pitch and not what it should be – a sincere explanation of who you are, what you’re passionate about, and how you can help others succeed.

Please connect with me on LinkedIn or at  christine@willory.com. I’d love to hear your pitch!