How to Perfect Your Elevator Pitch: Celebrating Talk in an Elevator Day

Did you know today is National Talk In An Elevator Day? Here at OpenSesame, we’re celebrating the best way we know how: by perfecting our elevator pitches!

Imagine you step into an elevator only to see the executive of your dream company, a prominent investor in your field, or even a new client you’re trying to land. You’ve got 30 seconds (maybe even a minute if you’re lucky), to sell yourself and make an impression. That’s the theory behind an elevator pitch.

An elevator pitch is a brief speech you give to someone to sell yourself (which will be the focus of this post), your product, or your business. Usually lasting around 30 seconds, your pitch should be a summary of yourself and why you are the best candidate for the job. While you may never be lucky enough to share an elevator ride with the CEO, your elevator pitch can be used for a variety of other situations, such as networking at a conference or summarizing yourself at the beginning of a job interview. Ultimately, the goal is for the pitch to make such a good impression that it secures you another chance to continue the conversation. There’s a few things to keep in mind to maximize these opportunities when crafting your elevator speech.

For job seekers, there are two key qualities you should include in your speech: who you are and what your goal is. Your spiel should start with properly introducing yourself - giving a great speech and connecting with the other person is meaningless if they don’t even know your name to reach out to you later. Say what you do, including your experience, accomplishments, skills, and what makes you valuable. Additionally, you need to talk about what you’re striving for - the job or field you’re networking for.

Knowing what you need to include is a start, but how you deliver your elevator pitch is just as important, if not more. Although the speech is brief, it is crucial to remain interesting. If you’re at a cocktail party or networking event, you never know just how many other pitches the other person has already heard. Include the most important aspects about yourself, but also mention a unique quality or experience that sets you apart.

Next, prioritize your pitch. It may seem like there’s a lot to include, so be sure to only state what is the most important, which will vary from person to person. Include what you think is the most noteworthy and organize the order of your pitch based on that.

Finally - practice, practice, practice! You’ve only got a few moments to make an impression. Don’t ruin it by rambling on for too long or forgetting something important. It’s helpful to time your speech and prepare different variations depending on the situation.

Celebrate today by spending some time perfecting your elevator pitch. Explore OpenSesame’s course catalog and learn more with courses such as Lead Development: Elevator Speech Value Proposition or Selling You: Incorporating Your Brand in Your Elevator Pitch for a more sales-oriented guide. You never know when you may luck into the opportunity of your lifetime.