The elevator pitch or elevator speech, as some call it, is probably the most famous of pitches. It’s usually 30-60 seconds long, but can be longer, and you need to cut to the chase with your message, because you don’t have much time. You’ll be amazed, by how much you can accomplish in half a minute though, and in this article I’ll take you through an example of an elevator pitch roughly 30 seconds long.
In our tool you set the goal and the audience, and in my example I need to convince my friends, that we should watch the Seattle Seahawks rather than the other games in the NFL. I’ll break it down right after the pitch. The pitch goes like this:
The most exciting team in the NFL is playing. Why would you want to miss that? With your game there’s virtually no chance of big plays or even a close finish to the game, because the Vikings are way better than the Bowns. We should watch the Seahawks, because they have the most exciting offense right now, and they have a great matchup this week. The ‘Hawks game is going to be a blast to watch for everyone who loves big plays because of Russell Wilson and the playmaking defence.
First – the hook:
The most exciting team in the NFL is playing. Why would you want to miss that?
I need to get my friends on the hook, so indirectly I say, they don’t like exciting football. I also say, their prefered game is not the most exciting game right now, so hopefully I have them interested in a more entertaining matchup.
Second – the problem:
With your game there’s virtually no chance of big plays or even a close finish to the game, because the Vikings are way better than the Bowns.
Remember context – we’re together to watch football and be entertained by that, ergo we want to see entertaining football. Because that is the reason we’re sitting together, I don’t need to say it. I also don’t need to say who this is a problem for, because of that context – it’s us. I only say, what the problem is and why – the defensively oriented Vikings against the perennially hapless Browns.
Third – the solution:
We should watch the Seahawks, because they have the most exciting offense right now, and they have a great matchup this week.
I need to sell my solution as the best. I know my friends preferences, and we enjoy offensive football with long and spectacular plays. Also a nail-biter finish always adds to the excitement and works as a second argument for my solution – the Seahawks game.
Fourth – the close:
The ‘Hawks game is going to be a blast to watch for everyone who loves big plays because of Russell Wilson and the playmaking defence.
This is where I hammer down the point, so I emphasize the potential for big plays, which I know they like, and I activate their mind by merely mentioning Wilson and the defence – that triggers their mind to think of Wilson and the defence, making them an active part of this pitch and process, and draws on their own memories of the highly entertaining quarterback and ferocious defensive players.
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