3 Examples of Elevator Pitches
Elevator pitches can come in different styles and formats, from generic examples to pitches featuring jokes, stories, questions, or stats. Consider your audience and choose a style that you think will resonate with them.
Here are three types of elevator speeches to use as inspiration:
1. Question-Based Elevator Pitches
A question-based elevator pitch opens by addressing a common pain point or challenge. This approach immediately engages the listener and shows that you understand their needs. The key is to ask questions that resonate with your target audience's specific challenges.
Effective questions might address:
- Time management: "How much time do you spend organising your daily schedule?"
- Cost concerns: “What if you could reduce your marketing expenses without sacrificing results?"
- Growth challenges: "Is social media engagement holding back your brand's growth?"
- Industry-specific problems: "How do you manage staffing during peak seasons in your industry?”
Here’s a good example of an elevator pitch that opens with a question, moves on to the problem and target audience, and finishes with a direct call-to-action:
Hi, I’m [name, position] from QuickBooks.
Do you find it challenging to navigate all the intricacies of the Goods and Service Tax? Our company founders hated dealing with all the complicated forms, too. That’s why they created a tool to guide business owners through the process step-by-step.
Do you have 15 minutes this week to discuss how our solution can help your business?
2. Stats-Based Elevator Pitches
By mentioning statistics, you can add credibility and impact to your pitch. Stats provide concrete evidence of the problem you're solving or the value you're offering. Here are some things to keep in mind when using stats in elevator pitches:
- Keep numbers round and memorable
- Use relevant, recent data
- Connect statistics directly to business value
- Compare "before and after" scenarios
- Include industry-specific benchmarks
This example of an elevator speech includes relevant and surprising statistics, and finishes with a soft call-to-action:
Hi, I'm [name] from Quickbooks.
Did you know that small business owners spend an average of 40–80 hours each year preparing taxes? That’s up to two full work weeks lost to paperwork. Our automated system streamlines tax preparation, cutting the time spent on manual tasks by up to 50%.
Last year, we helped hundreds of Australian businesses save thousands of hours, giving them more time to focus on growth, customers, and revenue-generating activities.
Would you like to see how much time we could save your business?
3. Story-Based Elevator Pitches
By retelling stories with relatable examples, you can create emotional connections with your audience. A story for an effective elevator speech should:
- Feature a character similar to your target audience
- Present a clear problem-solution narrative
- Include specific, memorable details
- Demonstrate measurable results
Adding customer examples to your elevator pitches can demonstrate credibility. This example portrays a clear ‘before and after’ scenario showing how the product helps the consumer:
Hi, I’m [name, position] from QuickBooks.
At QuickBooks, we’re all about removing the stress of tax season. Laura, a business owner in Sydney, used to dread tax season, spending hours amid mountains of paperwork. Now that she uses QuickBooks, tax season is painless and she loves that the software automatically tracks her GST obligations.
Can we organise a chat to share how we can help with your taxes?