The Perfect Elevator Pitch – Best Examples and Templates

Selling is all about communicating value. And if you can’t communicate your product’s value, your potential buyers sure as hell aren’t going to be itching to work with you. Mastering an elevator pitch is one of the most effective ways to quickly and effectively pique your prospect’s interest and set the foundation for a successful sale. And crafting your elevator pitch is exactly what we’re talking about today. The Pitch More than most professions, sales reps know that time is precious. And everyone—whether it’s a secretary, executive, career buyer, or even coffee deliverer—everyone takes how they spend their time seriously. If you’ve ever cold-called, you know what I’m talking about. Have you ever been through a morning of cold calling where you haven’t been hung up on? Someone who doesn’t see the value of your pitch won’t even waste their time letting you finish. Now for sales, that presents a bit of a conundrum. How the heck do you communicate your product or service’s value with such a small sliver of your prospect’s time? That’s where the elevator pitch comes in. The elevator pitch is meant to quickly and effectively tell your prospects what it is you do and how you solve their problems. But a well-crafted elevator pitch isn’t just helpful when you’re stuck in a room with someone for 20 or 30 seconds. It can also boost your cold-calling success rates, refine your messaging for follow-up emails and meetings, or even inform your final pitch strategy when it comes time to close. So, what does a great elevator pitch look like? Well, let’s jump in and see. 1: The Clean Open  Now, the very first step of an elevator pitch is to map out your opening. This step is all about being clear and straight to the point. So be sure to cut the crap, nix the industry jargon, and toss aside any and all buzzwords here. Essentially, you want to create a single sentence that tells your prospect what you do, who you can help, and how you can help. To accomplish that, all you have to do is follow a simple yet incredibly effective formula… “I Help X Do Y By Z.”  For me and the Selling Made Simple Academy, mine would look something like – “I help sales professionals find and win more outbound sales using simple selling frameworks and one-on-one mentorship. We’re trusted by 2,000+ students.” That’s it. And anyone can use this formula. “I help small businesses stay compliant and reduce their liability by providing accredited and experienced tax consultation.” “I help dog owners’ pets look their best by offering boutique grooming services.” See how easy that is? When you start with a clear, value-driven statement using this formula, you’re setting the stage for prospects to better understand and internalize the next step… 2: The Story Stories aren’t just for passing the time during your off-hours or putting the little ones to sleep. They’re actually powerful selling tools. See, humans are hard-wired for stories. The earliest evidence that we’re storytellers goes back tens of thousands of years. And studies have shown that messages wrapped in a well-constructed story are more likely to be understood, recalled, and internalized. That’s why the next step in your pitch is to tell your prospect a story about a past customer you helped. Nothing too long-winded, of course. Just enough to get your prospect thinking about how you can accomplish the same results for them too. Now, a few guiding principles here. A) Cater the Story to Your Prospect Cater the story to your prospect. The more relevant the story is, ideally in the same industry, the more it’s going to resonate with your prospect. B) Explain Their Reality Explain the reality that the hero of your story currently lives in. Tie it into the world of the person who is receiving your elevator pitch.