Developing a Targeted Elevator Pitch

Talking to people doesn’t intimidate me…that much. All of my jobs have been people facing roles. Networking though? I’ll need a copy of the questions that’ll be asked and a minimum of 24 hours to prepare. I’m someone who easily forgets everything about myself when asked, including but not limited to, my career history, my ambitions, where I’m from, my birthdate and my name. Yes, even my name. It doesn’t help that I’m slightly introverted with a low social battery. If I talk to people without being mentally prepared, I sometimes go into panic mode, combust, and in .0000005 seconds, my brain goes control + alt + delete. I’m hoping that this changes once my frontal lobe fully develops. In the meantime though, scripts of elevator pitches have worked for me. It has saved me numerous times when asked the infamous “tell me about yourself?” question during coffee chats, interviews, or at networking events. I don’t memorize everything that I write but I have a few pointers I keep tucked away in case I do get asked. That way, I don’t feel too awkward when my hippocampus attempts to sabotage me. If you’re also an introvert & want to write an elevator pitch, here are some things I include: 1️⃣ Name (haha) 2️⃣ Current field (professionally or academically) + specialities 3️⃣ My why (why I do the work that I do) 4️⃣ 1–2 skills + core value I bring to the field 5️⃣ How I’m contributing + the impact I want to have 6️⃣ Areas of interest 7️⃣ If I know the person, I try to connect how my work aligns with them 8️⃣ End with a question (so I don’t feel like I’m monologuing) 💡Extra tips I’ve learned along the way: ✅Have a go-to opener: Name + role + what you do + specialty. Simple and hard to forget. ✅ Keep 3 bullet points handy: Who you are, what you do, what you want next. ✅ Use “bookmarks”: Short phrases that guide you, instead of memorized scripts. ✅ Practice, but don’t memorize: Think of your pitch as Lego blocks you can rearrange. ✅ Anchor your “why” in a story: Stories stick more than titles. ✅ Highlight impact, not tasks ✅ End with curiosity: Flip the spotlight with a question, it makes conversations stickier and takes the pressure off you. Even with an elevator pitch, I still sometimes blank, forget everything, and say something awkward. But it’s still been super helpful!! Hope this helps all fellow introverts! 🛜 I’m always looking for new tips for networking as an introvert so I’d love to hear what tactics have worked for others!

I have told my elevator pitch at least 4,000 times. This is how I created the most engaging version… First, it’s only 3 sentences long. Many elevator pitches are an endless monologue where people lose interest quickly. Here’s how I structure it: Sentence 1: The hook. The hook is what cuts through the noise. It’s the answer to the classic icebreaker: “What do you do?” So, during my time with Amorana, I said: “I sell s*x toys.” It’s a short, memorable line and it surprises people. Surprises cut through the noise. Sentence 2: The Story Now that I had their attention, I wanted to keep it. How? By creating a “Yes” in their mind first. For example: “S*x toys were a niche market. For me, buying them felt awkward and indiscreet.” This is more likely to create a “Yes” in their head. They can relate to this problem. It’s better than making assumptions, like: “Everyone likes s*x toys!” Why do I want the person to agree with me? Because if the first word in their head is, “No”, they are no longer listening but discussing internally with themselves why I am wrong - I’ve lost them. Sentence 3: Context With my pitch, I want to spark interest and create a dialogue. So, I give some context and create an opportunity for the other person to ask questions. This is what I said for Amorana: “We wanted to move s*x toys from a niche market to a mass market. So we created an online store for it. But it wasn't our idea. We saw this trend appearing with the movie 50 Shades of Grey.” Again, I wanted to generate a “Yes” in the other person’s mind. So, I included the movie as a common reference. This established a connection to a subject they probably already heard of and built common ground. Because: To me, a good elevator pitch is not a monologue. Instead, it serves to spark a conversation. ☝🏼Here are a few things I avoid: - Trying to convince the other person of anything. - Generating a “No“ in their head by being too bold or making false claims. - Bragging And often people start with their “why”. But in my opinion, that is too personal. Whenever I try to explain my „why“ too early, it tends to sound lofty and vague. Once the other person starts asking questions, THEN I start giving them all this additional information and why I am working on it. And that’s it. If you enjoyed this break-down, you’ll love my newsletter. Subscribe to get more life and business hacks: https://lnkd.in/dy5wbxT #startup #founder #entrepreneurship #elevatorpitch #pitching

When raising our $780k pre-seed, I spent much time thinking about how to pitch and not enough time on what to pitch for different situations. Here are the three pitches founders need to have in their back pocket. 1️⃣ 1-Minute Elevator Pitch Perfect for networking sessions where you have little time to make an impression. Keep it concise and impactful by focusing on these key points - 1. Company - your company and mission statement. 2. Vision - what the world looks like if you’re successful. 3. Traction - revenue, # of users, etc. 4. The Ask - details of your raise Here’s my elevator pitch for Chezie: “Chezie is poised to help 57,000+ companies around the world create better products, build more inclusive workplaces, and ultimately drive business results by reimagining what’s possible with their most underutilized asset: employee resource groups.” 2️⃣ 5-Minute Vision Pitch Ideal for pitch competitions and accelerator interviews where you have a bit more time to elaborate but still need to be concise. Include these elements - 1. Company 2. Traction 3. Problem - explain the problem you solve and for whom you solve it. 4. Solution - explain your product/service. 5. Vision 6. Team - Highlight your team's strengths and expertise. 7. The Ask 3️⃣ 10-Minute Full Pitch To be used for traditional, one-on-one investor meetings where you can provide a detailed overview of your startup. Cover all bases with these points: 1. Company 2. Traction 3. Problem 4. Solution 5. Vision 6. Market Opportunity - detail the size of your market and how you calculated it. 7. Business Model - describe how your company makes money. 8. Competition - review your competitors and what makes you different. 9. Go to Market - explain how you get in front of customers. 10. Team 11. The Ask Knowing what to pitch for is as important as knowing how to pitch! Change these based on what works for you, but this should be a good starting point for underrepresented founders. #blackfounders #fundraising #pitches

How I craft memorable elevator pitches —  I call the magic pitch potion. Here's my recipe. I used to wonder what I would say when someone asked me to introduce myself. How far back should I go? How personal should I make it? Is there anything I have to say? Is there anything I shouldn't say? Years ago, I was curious about MBAs. I wasn't sure if it was something I wanted to pursue or not. But I learned about a website: PersonalMBA dot com. A collection of books meant to cover MBA-related topics. I bought 5-10 of the books on that list. I read each one cover to cover. One of the books I read was "Getting Started In Consulting" by Alan Weiss. In his book, Weiss described things like writing proposals and networking. It had a few interesting tidbits I still use today. But the big idea was to be memorable. Simple enough. But how do I do that exactly? Early on, I learned that I can remember stories without even trying. I can remember stories better than lists of facts. I noticed when I tell people stories they remembered them. I found out our brains are wired for stories. That's when I realized I had to get good at telling a story: my story. That's when my framework for elevator pitches was born. I'm calling it The Magic Pitch Potion (because I'm a geek that loves fantasy role playing games): 1. Who or what inspired you to be you? 2. Why do you do the things you do? 3. How do you make an impact? 4. What are three examples? 5. Why this company? 6. Why this role? 7. Why now? I rarely got rejected during phone screens. I made it to final rounds more often than I could count because I had a memorable pitch. Lesson If you want to make a good first impression, don't win your intro. Prepare it. Rehearse it. It makes a big difference. Application Shoot for a 3-minute pitch — a little under or a little over is fine. Rehearse it in front of a mirror or record yourself. Rehearse with a friend. Ask them if it was easy to follow. -- #techjobs #jobseekers #newgrads #students #interviewpreparation

🧠 Here’s how I transformed the Choice Hacking pitch process from a 4am panic to a confident, methodical, and WINNING practice 👇 We’ve all heard that pitching is about persuasive storytelling. And that ideas win pitches. But that’s only half true. 👉 The challenge of pitching is really the challenge of being REMEMBERED. Once in the room during the pitch. And again when your client is pitching the idea internally. The client needs to leave the room being REALLY CLEAR on what you pitched and why. It needs to be so MEMORABLE they can easily repeat it to their boss (without digging up your PowerPoint or consulting their notes.) // Winston’s Star The late MIT professor Patrick Winston gave an annual lecture where he explained how to package complex topics so that they were easy to remember and share. As the director of MIT’s Artificial Intelligence Lab he spent decades distilling this approach into a model called “Winston’s Star.” I use this model myself, as well as when I coach Choice Hacking clients on how to use behavioral science & predictive AI to win more pitches. 🧠 Winston's Star says you need 5 elements to be memorable: Slogan + Symbol  +  Salient Idea +  Surprise + Story ---- To illustrate this model, I’m going to use one of the most memorable and persuasive TED Talks of all time, Simon Sinek’s The Power of Why. The idea itself might be debatable, but the packaging is *chefs kiss.* Here's the link if you need a refresher: https://lnkd.in/eRydhK73 🧠 Slogan:  This is a simple, easy-to-remember phrase that summarizes the main idea. It should be repeated over and over and over. ✅ Sinek says, “Start with why” about 100 different ways in 18 minutes. 🧠 Symbol:  This is a visual that people can associate with the message and makes it more memorable (Picture Superiority). ✅ Sinek uses a simple, target-like image with why at the center, and he calls it the Golden Circle. 🧠 Salient Idea:  This is the one idea that pops to mind when someone asks “what was the pitch about?” Slogans and Salient Ideas can overlap or act interchangeably. ✅ Sinek's example: “Why” is more powerful than “what.” 🧠 Surprise:  If you can arouse people’s emotions with a surprise, it makes your pitch more memorable (Affect Heuristic). ✅ Sinek's example: Leaders think their biggest challenge is the “what” and the “how” but actually it’s the “why.” 🧠 Story: We learn and retain knowledge more easily when it’s in a narrative format (Narrative Bias). ✅ Sinek’s example (summarized): "Why is Apple more innovative than any other company? Why is it that Martin Luther King Jr. led the Civil Rights movement? Why did the Wright brothers get credit for manned flight? Turns out that all of these people think, act and communicate the same way - and it's the exact opposite of everyone else… and here’s how I codified it." -- ❤️❤️ Found this post interesting? Give it a like or a share so others can find it too 😀

I noticed a pattern among the most stand-out 30 second introductions I hear from founders. Think about all those offline meet-ups, when you introduce yourself on a webinar, bump into someone at an event, etc. Those moments where you get just a quick few seconds to make an impression. And hopefully stand out from the other folks doing the same. I've done a ton of events last year and the intros that stood out to meet all had the same 3 parts to them: 1. What's the hook? The unique insight you have about the problem or what's changing 'now' that can make a big difference to the consumer. 2. What's the 'grandma test' version? If you were to explain your solution to her in 10 seconds would she get it. Of course, this will not be in depth and will not capture the depth of what you're building. But is that version exciting to get you a follow up meeting? 3. Where's the business? Many early founders focus so much on building their product, they don't talk about what the business will be. Talk about what customers will pay for. Why will they come back. How will you get customers as you grow. Once you have these, practice! Some of those chance encounters won't come back. Practice and perfect what you want to say. Good luck with all your 'elevator pitches' in 2025! #d2cindia #founderlife #enterpreneurship