Get More Clients, PART 3: How to Create a Client-Attracting Elevator Pitch
Today we’ll explore one of the most important elements of marketing your coaching business: your elevator pitch.
Here’s what we’ll cover in this “tutorial”:
1. Your elevator pitch – the basics
2. Why & HOW to create a “one-liner” elevator pitch (the 3-Step Formula)
3. The 6-Step Formula to Creating your Elevator Pitch (your longer, 30-second to 1-minute elevator pitch)
How often are you asked “What do you do?” or “What do you do for a living?”
What is your answer? I’m a life coach…? …relationship coach? Yes, that could be a conversation starter or it could lead to an “A’ha, that’s interesting” – and it could mean the end of the conversation.
Answering with your elevator pitch would be a stronger answer, as that often helps you identify if the person you are talking to is a potential prospect or not. The elevator pitch also often generates a conversation around the topic of your elevator pitch…
Your Elevator Pitch: The Basics
An elevator pitch is a statement that can be delivered in the time it takes to chat with someone during an elevator ride; or 30-seconds to two minutes. At least, that’s the most accepted definition of an Elevator Pitch; and we won’t argue with that – the important thing is to have one, and have one that attracts leads and paying clients.
The 1st elevator pitch that you should create would be a much shorter one – about 3 to 5 seconds, which would give a short answer to the question “What do you do…?” And then, or course, you’d have your 30-second to 2-minutes elevator pitch that you can use when someone wants more info about your services.
We’ll chat about each below…
Your elevator pitch is the powerful tool that will either help you generate more clients or it’s a jumble of words that will confuse people, or at best create some interest, but not enough to engage your ideal clients…
My first elevator pitch was something along the lines of “I work with individuals who want to transform their dreams into reality” – which basically is not a bad elevator pitch; I even got some free sessions with it, after all, who doesn’t wish to transform their dreams into reality… But did not get enough business out of those free sessions (now I know that my free sessions were not structured properly either; and that’s a crucial piece of the client-attraction puzzle – we’ll talk more about how to structure your free coaching sessions in one of the upcoming parts).
I often find that many coaches – and other professionals, such as consultants, speakers, etc. – either have a weak elevator pitch or some don’t have one at all…
How about you? Do you have one? Is it a general one or is it “niche”-specific? (Does it help you identify your ideal client?)
Let’s start with your 3 to 5 minutes Elevator Pitch..
Create a “One-Line” Elevator Pitch (3 to 5-Seconds)
When asked the question “What do you do?” be ready with a powerful answer that’ll immediately generate interest in your ideal client. Make sure that you are specific:
– your “one-line” elevator pitch should mention your ideal client’s potential pain, challenge, or strong desire, for example:
“I help small business owners increase their profits while helping them create more balance and fulfillment in their life.”
Or…
“I help small business owners eliminate overwhelm and become more productive…”
Or…
“I work with professionals who hate their jobs and are ready to transition into the career of their dream…”
Or…
“I help realtors generate more leads and close more deals. I guarantee you sell your property in 30-days, or I don’t get paid”
*** This is the actual elevator pitch of a realtor I know and she sells more homes than most realtors in the area. Yes, she does end up working for free once in a while, but she has so many clients, that she can afford those “once in while” pro-bono work
What did you notice in common in the above elevator pitches?
- Each elevator pitch highlights a pain that they propose to solve: increase profits; reduce overwhelm; hate job; not enough leads
- Each of the elevator pitches are niched (they mention the ideal client): (struggling) small business owners; professionals who are unhappy with their jobs; realtors.
Some of these niches are broader – small business owners and unhappy professionals – and some are extremely narrow, such as the one who caters to realtors.
As a rule, the narrower the niche and the greater the pain that we propose to solve, the more powerful our elevator pitch can be, as well as it’ll be more effective in helping you attract clients.
- Each of the elevator pitches are short and to the point
You’ll be able to create a most powerful elevator pitch ONLY WHEN you have chosen a specific target market (know who your ideal client is); and ideally know exactly WHAT specific solutions you provide (What pain do you help alleviate; or What major desire or goal do you help your clients accomplish).
With that said, I did hear some well-crafted general-coaching elevator pitches as well, but they’ll rarely be as effective as an elevator pitch that’s targeted to a specific target market and focuses on a specific solution.
And “niche” does not have to necessarily mean a real narrow segment of the population, though that would help. The word “niche” means different things for different people…
For example you can help managers deal with overwhelm and become more organized and more productive. This is a pretty broad niche, but one that solves a major pain that’s out there and you can coach managers of small-businesses as well as CEOs. And.., equally important, these people can usually afford to pay for your services – a very important factor to consider.
While many believe that one can coach anyone for any purpose, I learned early on that the most successful coaches coach primarily individuals whose pain they understand. If you never worked for a corporation, for example, you might not really understand a CEO’s challenges, nor will you understand many of the jargon he’d use in his language.
Your elevator pitch is almost like a magical key to new clients.
When you have the right “key,” you’ll open the wallet – I mean – the hearts of your prospects to the possibility of hiring you as their coach. So take 30-minutes to an hour to think about who do you want to serve… and create an elevator pitch that is in sync with that niche (or target market).
*** If you need help with picking your niche, let me know and I’ll send you a detailed Niche-Discovery Worksheet (!)
The 6-Step Formula for Creating Your Elevator Pitch
Once you know who you want to serve, here’s a simple 6-Step formula for creating your elevator pitch:
* See examples under the 6-Steps
(1) I + action verb (help, guide, teach, provide, present, aid, assist, support, work with)
+ (2) negative emotions being experienced (frustrated, overwhelmed, clueless, demanding, frightened, desperate, struggling, angry, concerned, worried)
+ (3) ideal client description (dog lovers, young adults, chronic pain sufferers, overweight women/men, homeowners, business owners, brides-to-be, new mothers)
+ (4) who are (tired of, ready to, etc) / or who want to (increase their profits, find the relief they need, become fit and healthy)
+ (5) solution to the potential client’s problem/pain/strong desire/etc. (discover a process, learn a fast and easy way, create the perfect solution, uncover the best method, determine the number one reason, realize the best course of action, find the dramatic solution, position themselves, place themselves first, find out everything they need to know)
+ (6) expected benefits after working with you – “so that they can…” (list 3 benefits – live a pain free life, build the business of your dreams, feel they’re getting the most value for the money they pay, receive the highest value, obtain the best guarantee, receive award-winning service, receive the highest level of expertise at the lowest possible price).
Example Elevator Pitches:
“(1)I help (2)frustrated (3)dog owners (4)who are tired of their dogs ruling their lives (5)discover a simple process that will put the dog owner in charge so that they can (6)finally enjoy greater times with both their pets and with friends and family”
“I help frustrated small business owners who want to develop a marketing program that is affordable and easy to execute and help them implement the exact strategies and tactics they need so that they can instantly generate more leads, attract more clients and generate healthy profits.”
…
Your Action Steps:
Once you have your elevator pitch, post it in the comments box below, with a link to your website – let us know what you do.
1. Or… you can send it to me, if you want some feedback. And if you post it below, who knows, you might even get some leads or business out of it in the future…
2. Schedule to attend networking events – get out there and knock ‘em out! Oops! I mean, use your elevator pitch whenever you have a chance– test it out!
* If you have not attended networking events in the past, do a web search for upcoming networking events in your community and plan to attend (put them on your planner)
3. Brainstorm ways to use your Elevator Pitch elements in your website copy, in your email signature, in your irresistible offer, and other marketing materials.
*** Your elevator pitch holds the core message of your business – use that message in every area of your business (!)
…
That’s it for today!
I hope you found this useful and hope you got some ideas on how to create – or improve your existing – elevator pitch…
I know it seems like a lot of information, but this is one of those elements of your business that you need to implement the best way possible – don’t slack off on it 🙂
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Do You Need MORE Inspiration…?
OR… Do You Coach Other Business Owners?
If You are a Member of myClientAttractionAcademy,
You Have Access to 100s of Sample Elevator Pitches
Get inspired and create your client-attracting elevator pitch and/or use these samples to help your business clients create their elevator pitch. Just click on the tabs below to access this wealth of goodies:
Do You Need Even MORE Inspiration…?
OR… Do You Coach Other Business Owners?
Here are Sample USPs (Unique Selling Propositions) for 60 Various Businesses
*** Definition:
The USP has many similarities with the Elevator Pitch, and when hearing some USPs, some might believe that they hear an Elevator Pitch. However, the USP’s purpose is to show the potential client why s/he should invest in your product or service (vs. someone else’s product)…
A good USP contains 2 main elements (just like a great Elevator Pitch):
- It should include a powerful benefit that would spur a potential client’s desire to invest – or at least explore – your product or service
- The USP should show HOW you are Different – or Unique – compared to other competitors
The Business Dictionary (www.businessdictionary.com) defines the USP as statement that expresses “Real or perceived benefit of a good or service that differentiates it from the competing brands and gives its buyer a logical reason to prefer it over other brands. USP is often a critical component of a promotional theme around which an advertising campaign is built.”
Explore 100s of Sample USPs for the following businesses:
(You’ll find several USPs for each business type!)
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