Give The Perfect 60 Second Pitch for Your Firm-Text & Video

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Give The Perfect 60 Second Pitch for Your Firm






Whether you have been asked while attending a speed networking event or during a quick meeting with a prospective client, chances are you have had to give an “elevator pitch” at some stage in your career. Irrespective of the size of your business, it is important to have the ability to give a credible 60 second pitch for your business.



Rule No. 1: Know your audience

In order to get the message right you need to know who you are trying to communicate your message to. Are you targeting large corporations or SME firms? The language you use can vary considerably depending on whether your audience / target client is a corporate type or a sole trader with a more “hands on” approach to business.



Rule No. 2: Dress the part

If you are interviewing for a new job you will dress appropriately. You must dress your elevator pitch appropriately too. Do not go straight in and say “we want your business”. Instead, talk about your firm, what you do for clients, illustrate your experience and demonstrate what you could do for your target clients.



Rule No. 3: Deliver the goods

Now that you have the attention of your audience be prepared to deliver. Illustrate the benefits of your products and services, explain what you can do for them and why this would be better for their firm than the same offering from one of your competitors.



Rule No. 4: Do not over sell

Once you have illustrated your firm’s capability and the benefits of your products and services to your audience, it is time to stop selling. Simply wrap up with a (preferably memorable) strap line, reiterate your firm’s name and give your contact details.

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Perfecting Your Pitch – 7 Questions in 60 Seconds


06. Jul, 2010
by Matthew Toren in Business, Entrepreneurship



“What do you do?” It’s a simple enough question, and for many, the answer is simple and easy. If you work at a job, for example, it’s easy enough to say, “I’m an HR manager for Sears,” or “I’m a cashier at the Piggly Wiggly.” Even for some entrepreneurs the answer can be short and sweet. But if you’re interested in truly communicating what your company does in order to gain interest from a potential customer – or more importantly, a potential investor – some thought needs to go into your answer. In fact, whether you encounter a potential investor in an elevator and need to give your “elevator pitch” or you’re planning on attending a networking event, having your pitch prepared and memorized is a must.

When formulating your pitch, it’s important that it be clear and concise and that you’re able to communicate it in a likeable, passionate, compelling, credible manner. Oh, and you need to do it all in a minute or less. A tall order? Maybe, but it can be done – no matter how complicated your business is. Remember, you’re not presenting your whole business plan. You’re simply answering some basic questions. If you generate enough interest with your 60-second pitch, you’ll have plenty of opportunity to go into more detail later. To help formulate the perfect pitch, here are the seven questions your pitch must answer:

1. What is your business idea?

In the most basic terms possible, simply state your business concept.

2. What’s the status of the idea or business?

Tell how long you’ve been in business – five years, startup, etc.

3. What market does the business target?

State who your customers are, and how your concept serves them.

4. What advantage do you have in the marketplace?

How are you different from whatever else is available? Tell why people will pick your company over others.

5. What’s the competition in the marketplace?

Demonstrate that you know who the competition is and where you stand in the market. Do this without being too negative about the competition.

6. What revenue model will you follow?

Explain whether your business is strictly e-commerce, retail, wholesale, etc.

7. Who have you assembled as the team that’s going to make the business succeed?

Whether you’re a one-man-show or a team, briefly describe the experience of your management team.

Note: If you are looking for financing, you’ll add information about what you need the money for, how much you’re looking for, and the projected return on investment.


You can change the order of these points to suit your strengths and make your presentation flow properly. While it looks like a ton of information, two or three questions can sometimes be answered in a well crafted sentence, so it’s not that hard to get it into a one-minute pitch if you work on it.

Once you’ve formed your pitch, it’s time to practice, practice, practice. The trick is to memorize it so well that when you say it the words come out naturally – not like they’re memorized. You’ll only get one chance to present this mini-speech to any one person, so it pays to polish it and have it down pat. In fact, your confidence in delivering the pitch is at least as important as the words you’re saying.

How will you know if your pitch is working? People will start asking you for more. When you hear, “How can I get more information,” you’ll know for sure your time has been well spent!

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Making It Count; Your 60 Second Pitch



It seems easy - until you have to do it - making a business pitch in 60 seconds. Most often, you need to do this at a formal networking event, and there will be a moderator sitting there with a stopwatch. You'll get 60 seconds, and no more, then you will be cut dead with a sleight of hand, and that look. Chances are, if you dreamt up your pitch in the car on the way to the event, you won't make the point you wanted, (did you even know what you wanted?), and you'll sit down afterwards, feeling a little dissatisfied.

I recently gave a 60 second pitch to fellow members of Wexford Chamber of Commerce at a breakfast meeting. For the next breakfast meeting, I was asked to deliver a 10 minute presentation on the 60 second pitch. That request inspired me to write this blog post. If you have 30 seconds to spare, you can also check out the accompanying YouTube video at the end of this post.

Plan Your Strategy

You want something. That's the purpose of making the pitch. In a nutshell, here's the content you need to put into that 60 seconds:
•Who you are
•What you do
•How your business can serve your audience to solve their problems.

The last point is really about what you want, but you must remember it's not all about you. You have to address what's-in-it for- them as well, them being your audience.

How many words?

The average rate of speech is 150 words per minute. People differ. It's a good idea to type out your pitch, with a word count of about 150 words initially, and time yourself reading it with a stopwatch. Then edit the content until you can deliver it within time, every time.

Content
•Simple - don't try to put too much content into your pitch, keep it really, really, simple.
•Specific - give an example of what you do which is related to the "how" (i.e. what you want). This should take the form of telling your audience how you can solve their business problems. For example, if you are an accountant, you might say, "This week I focused on asking my personal tax clients to collect their medical receipts together for last year, so that we can claim a tax refund for them." That's 29 words, which you have used to remind your audience that tax refunds are possible, and that you know how to do it.
•Short - remember 60 seconds, and no more.
•Round off your pitch with a call to action. Give your audience an idea of what to do next. In the previous example, this might be: "If you or your contacts would like to find out more about our tax refund review and tax planning service, please call or e-mail me, Joe White, at XYZ accountants or speak to me afterwards to arrange a meeting." (39 words).

Edit your pitch until you're happy with it, and you know that you can consistently deliver it in 60 seconds.

Variety

Don't make the same pitch every time. People will stop listening. On location, use whatever presentation tricks feel comfortable to you. You might make up a rhyme, or bring a prop. The accountant might bring an ornament in the shape of a large € symbol, to emphasise the monetary savings that he or she could make for you.

Delivery of the pitch

There are only three things that you need to do to ensure perfect deliver of your 60 second pitch. They are, in no particular order;
1.Practice
2.Practice
3.Practice

You wouldn't dream of running a race without doing some training first. This is no different. Practice will also help you to combat nerves. It gives you something to fall back on. The 60 second pitch requires a skill that comes naturally to very few people. You can learn this skill - with practice. The more often you deliver one of these pitches, the easier it becomes.