QUESTION: Can You Deliver Your "Elevator Pitch"...in Just 8 Seconds?

EmilyCowan · ‎July 27, 2018

In honor of National Talk in an Elevator Day (yes, it's a thing!), I'd like to reboot a past discussion that never gets old: What's your elevator pitch?

An elevator pitch, as QB Community Manager @ShanaNiederman defines it, "is the way you quickly and concisely describe your business or services in the few seconds it takes to ride an elevator with a prospective client, investor or other interested party." Got it! Now exactly how many seconds are we talking about here?

You might be surprised to hear this (I was), but the "elevator pitch" as originally conceived is based on the average length of an elevator ride in New York City - a whopping 118 seconds. (For all you non-New Yorkers, Wikipedia pegs the typical elevator ride at between 30 seconds and two minutes.) Most people would agree that you do not have anywhere close to two minutes to make your case. You probably don't even have 30 seconds. In fact, research indicates that in this age of shrinking attention spans you really have just 8 seconds before your captive audience starts to make a mental run for it.

So.

Can you deliver your elevator pitch - or at least enough of it to capture and keep the attention of your audience - in just 8 seconds? Let's hear it!

EmilyCowan · ‎July 27, 2018

@ParkwayInc, @jessbru99568 - I guess it doesn't really matter how tall the building is!

PyramidPointAcc · ‎July 31, 2018

I would rather say 8 second tagline that should be Catchy to remember!

WillowOlder · ‎July 31, 2018

My pitch: I make words work! @EmilyCowan @PyramidPointAcc @jessbru99568 @ParkwayInc

PyramidPointAcc · ‎August 01, 2018

My Pitch: Accountant for Disorganised Entrepreneurs

jfpconsultancy · ‎August 01, 2018

Workplace mental health wellbeing is the building blocks of any business.

I work with organisations who want to invest in their staff's wellbeing to become effectual colleagues.

EmilyCowan · ‎August 01, 2018

Hey @jfpconsultancy - love that elevator pitch, and love the focus of your business! Mental health in the workplace is no longer considered a "nice to have"; it's a massive driver of growth and productivity, not to mention a big cost savings. I'm all ears :smileyhappy:

Would love your take on this article!

Study: Kindness in the Workplace Makes for Better, Happier Employees

Anonymous · ‎August 01, 2018

Yes! an elevator pitch should be 8 seconds. Whoever coined the 30-second elevator speech must have bored a lot of people.

I think something as short as "I'm a web designer and digital marketer who loves helping clients grow their business online" is all that's needed. That's really less than 6 seconds so maybe even 8 seconds is too long.

EmilyCowan · ‎August 01, 2018

Hey @Anonymous - it's so great to see you on Community :smileyhappy:

Your elevator pitch clocks in at under six seconds by my stopwatch and it manages to convey a client-first approach to a much-needed service. If you were pitching me in that elevator I'd probably use those two extra seconds to jump in and ask what kinds of businesses you typically work with, and...we'd be off and running!

You sound like an old hand at this, Nick, so I'll ask you another: Have you ever given (or received!) a particularly not-so-good pitch, in an elevator or elsewhere? If so, what do you think made it fall flat?

(QB Community members, if you haven't yet I highly recommend reading @WillowOlder's profile, "Nick Leffler Gives Away Valuable Information for Free. Learn Why It's a Strategy He Swears By." Really smart tips on wooing potential customers.)

Anonymous · ‎August 01, 2018

Hasn't everybody at one point given a not so great elevator pitch?

With that said, yes, I absolutely have given many bad ones! In fact, I started off almost exclusively with bad ones that didn't speak a common language but was rather too grounded in jargon. That is the most common mistake though because we're so comfortable with our subject matter expertise. Not so for everyone else though.

Speaking the language of the person we're talking to is one of the greatest challenge to overcome. Once you can overcome that then there's less stuttering, sputtering, and rambling. It just flows and it should flow in less than 8 seconds.

Anonymous · ‎August 02, 2018

My pitch:

"I help women entrepreneurs grow to a million so they can someday sell for a million (or more!)"

Did I make it @EmilyCowan?!?!

lflo · ‎September 04, 2018

Type 26 is a digital agency helping small to medium-sized businesses grow through scalable, digital channels. Type 26 helps establish foundations of Marketing for those just starting out; Refines processes to scale for the more robust marketing teams; and evaluates partners and vendors to maximize budgets and return on investment.

Anonymous · ‎September 04, 2018

BOOM!! Well done @Iflo!

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QUESTION: Can You Deliver Your "Elevator Pitch"...in Just 8 Seconds?