Write an Elevator Pitch and Practice with a Partner

In this extension, you will write an elevator pitch to highlight key talking points about your business.

Then, you will practice your elevator pitch as if you were talking to a potential investor or customer.

An elevator pitch is an overview of your business and product or service that you can deliver in one minute or less.

The idea is that you should be able to convey your message to someone in the time it takes to ride an elevator with them.

As you start and build your business, you will have many conversations with lenders, investors, partners, suppliers, customers, and employees.

You might also discuss your business in informal face-to-face networking settings.

The goal of your elevator pitch is to help people understand what your business does.

A strong elevator pitch leaves a positive, memorable impression.

First, you’ll outline the points your elevator pitch will contain.

Then you’ll add these points together in a paragraph and revise them to create your elevator pitch.

To begin, open your Google Drive.

Create a new document in Google Docs and rename it.

Add a title indicating that your document is an elevator pitch.

Indicate who your target audience is.

This might be a general audience or someone specific, like a lender or investor.

Then, write one sentence about who you are.

Next, describe what your business does in one or two sentences.

Use your mission statement and product or service description as a guide.

Then, describe your ideal clients or customers in one to two sentences.

Base this on your target market description.

Explain what’s unique about your business in one or two sentences.

This should come from your description of market need.

Then, state what you want your audience to do next.

This might be setting up a meeting, connecting over email, or scheduling a follow-up call.

This will depend on who you’re talking to.

You might want a customer to visit your location or another business owner to discuss how you can work together.

Next, go back to the beginning of your elevator pitch.

Above your sentences, write a catchy, one- or two-sentence line that will get your audience’s attention and pull them into what you’re about to say.

Finally, put it all together in a paragraph.

Edit and revise your paragraph until it flows naturally in conversation and presents the most important information about your business.

Check your word count and edit your elevator pitch to one-hundred-fifty to two-hundred-fifty words.

Once you’ve written your elevator pitch, practice it with a partner.

This might be a business partner, family member, friend, classmate, or SCORE mentor.

Practice your elevator pitch often until you’re comfortable saying it and you’ve memorized its elements.

Make it a part of who you are as a business owner and use it whenever you approach others in a business setting.

Like your business plan, you can use your elevator pitch to clarify your target audience and business goals -- and to become more confident in business settings.

Now, it’s your turn: Create a new document and rename it, Add a title and target market, Write each section of your elevator pitch, Edit the sections into a paragraph, And practice your elevator pitch with a partner until you’re comfortable using it with others.