How To Sell Yourself In 1 Minute || The Creative Boss Guide to Crafting a Perfect Elevator Pitch

Today’s post is a bit different from the norm. Asides from sharing my style and every other thing I find interesting, I also like to feature people with knowledge I know will be beneficial to both myself and my readers (Like this post by PR girl Cynthia on how to network at events).

If you’re an OG reader, you might remember my blogger rant post where I basically talked about the struggle of being a blogger in Nigeria and how the word “blogger” is looked down on by everyone. One of the things I took out of that experience was the need to have a perfect elevator pitch and be able to introduce what we do as bloggers and creatives in a more solid way to people.

Who better to educate us on how to craft a perfect elevator pitch than Founder of Stylvo and Creatives Connect, Laiza?

Laiza is a bundle of wisdom and is best known for her drive to instill young creatives and entrepreneurs with the resources they need to thrive.

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Hey Creative!

I need you right now, to remove your creative hat, and put on your entrepreneurial mindset. I need your mind to remove every single limitation right now and embrace all possibilities. Imagine you somehow by heaven’s divine chance, find yourself in an elevator with any of these people – Oprah Winfrey, Tara Fela Durotoye, Chiara Ferragni, Tyra Banks, Rihanna, International Rep for Mac Cosmetics, a potential investor with so much money to give out, or an influencer, creative, or entrepreneur that you truly admire.

Well, I believe I’ve given you several options to trigger your imagination, and hopefully make you start thinking of the many opportunities that could come your way and several people that could be strategically positioned to help push you to your next level.

However, the thing about opportunities is that you need to be ready. Are you ready for the elevator ride?  What will be the first thing you think of WHEN you meet with an opportunity in an elevator? Will you think of taking a selfie for the gram first (and stay broke afterward), keep quiet in shock (and regret it later) or will you allow your inner Igbo business sense wake up (and grab the purpose of every second you have)?

In order to stand out, you need to be prepared! A perfect elevator pitch can help set you apart from the next person. In those few seconds, you need to prove that you’re worth it. Remember, every single person you meet could be the key to your next breakthrough, whether you think they are well known or not.

Now, let’s get right into it,

Your Elevator Pitch Can Make Or Mar You. Check Out How To Make Your Elevator Pitch Work For You! Click To Tweet

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What is an elevator pitch?

“An elevator pitch is an overview of an idea for a product, service or project. The name reflects the fact that an elevator pitch can be delivered in the time span of an elevator ride (for example, thirty seconds or 100-150 words).” Wikipedia

The idea is to be ready with a short and sharp brief statement that you can say about yourself, business or project when the opportunity arises. With this in mind, it’s also crucial to be articulate in your communication and confident in what you’re selling.

An elevator pitch could apply to different situations, for job seekers, in business, brand partnerships, collaborations, projects, or even your personal needs. So whether you’re a blogger, startup, creative, or someone looking for new opportunities, you need to always be ready with the right pitch at the right time.

Tips to Crafting A Perfect Elevator Pitch

1. Have an Introduction:

Start with a captivating introduction that gets your audience hooked from the start. Let him/her know who you are, what you do and the product or service you’re selling. Your introduction will set the pace for the rest of your pitch. Whether you choose to start with your name, a compliment or a question, you’ll need to get the next persons attention fast.

2. Solve a Problem

I firmly believe that greatness is tied to being a solution to a problem(s). What solution are you offering? What need is your business meeting in the lives of your target audience? Whose problem do you have an answer to?

Using a blog as an example, what need is your blog solving? Consciously think about how your blog can help someone out there. If you have a style blog, your solution could be helping curvy people to be confident through their style. As a beauty blogger, yours might be providing natural/organic ways to take care of the skin. As a travel blogger, you might offer your audience cost effective ways to travel the world and live their best life in the process.

By having a solution focused mindset, you will be able to craft an excellent elevator pitch and also constantly think of better ways to deliver value driven products and services to your audience.’

Here's How To Put Together A Killer Elevator Pitch! (A Step By Step Guide) Click To Tweet

Let’s get practical.

Step 1- Answer these questions first:

–What solution can you offer using your gifts, skills, and experiences?

-What’s that thing people always compliment you on?

-What can you teach very well?

-What message has God deposited in you to feed your generation?

Make a list of some of these things and pick one that you’ll like to focus on that can also yield results in the lives of your audience.

Step 2- Combining Your Intro + Solution. Follow this Basic Template:

Hi, my name is Laiza, I am the Founder of Creatives Connect, a conference and online platform that offers solutions for creatives to build thriving businesses, build their online brand and make more money.

Depending on your current need, your audience or niche, you might need to quickly expand more on what makes you stand out.

Note: Usage of this pitch depends on who I’m pitching to and my current environment. When pitching to sponsors for the conference, this is definitely perfect. I might also add our current achievements so far and the kind of speakers we are expecting for our next event.

Now, let’s stop here and move on.

3. Know your Audience

No matter how hard you try, you’re not called to serve everyone. You need to understand who your blog, business, voice, brand, is designed to help.

Who is your business for? What kind of people do you want to attract? What is their current pain point? How can you best serve them?

If you’re a beauty blogger, who exactly are you speaking to? Is it Makeup artists? Are you teaching people who might need help with their makeup? Are you teaching beauty entrepreneurs how to grow their business? Is your focus on skincare? Hair? Nails?

It’s very important that you know exactly who your solution and value is designed to help.

4. Keep it Concise, Clear and Compelling

Remember you have just about 15 to 30 seconds to pitch. You need to keep it short, clear and compelling enough for them to hopefully spark further conversation.

I understand that you’ve always loved telling stories, but this isn’t the time for long talk. Think of the other person as a busy business person who is probably thinking of how to feed 1 million people with their popcorn business or meet their current target. They don’t have time to listen to your history.

Rather, be concise by giving all the right information in a clear manner and also very compelling. These three C’s will help you prevent the other person from getting lost in your pitch.

These days, people have limited attention spans, so get straight to the point and deliver your pitch in a way that gets the other person wanting more.

For Creatives, Bloggers, And Entrepreneurs - Here's How To Sell Yourself In 1 Minute! Click To Tweet

5. Be Yourself and Embrace Your Uniqueness

One of the best ways to show your worth is by being yourself. People connect with your personality and can see right through when you’re faking. Are you funny, naturally energetic or have a calm but convincing nature? Well, this is the time to use your selling point – in a moderate manner off course. Don’t try to imitate anyone or copy another person’s line or joke.

You are the best person that can talk about your brand and your story, so do it while being your authentic self.

In addition, this might be the best time to talk about the Unique Selling Point (USP) of yourself, your business, or idea.

6. Have a Call to Action

Depending on who your audience is and the situation, you’ll need to end your pitch with a strong compelling call to action that drives them to ask more questions or and perform some kind of action.

Next steps could be:

• Handing them your business card in case they want to learn more about you/your business
• Handing them a sample of your product or showing them some online (if the situation allows for that)
• Ask them if they would like you to send them more information concerning a specific topic, your business, etc.
• Be strategic: As a question that would get them thinking about the service you offer.

For example, if you own a skincare company, you could ask – So, what ways do you take care of your skin?

7. Be Prepared to Talk More

While you may have this pitch all perfect and ready to deliver, you also need to be prepared to expand more on the value products and services you offer, know specifically how much you want to raise (if that’s your aim), and also have an in-depth knowledge about the industry you’re serving. In addition, it’s wise to talk about how many people you’ve been able to reach through your platform or how much you’ve made in your first year of business. This shows them that you’ve already started something really significant.

8. Practice Practice Practice

This is the point when talking to yourself is totally allowed. Practice your pitch over and over again until it becomes natural. It’s important that your pitch sounds very smooth and not like a rigid sales man. Practicing ahead of time will help you avoid talking too fast, rambling or keeping a straight face. Consider practicing in front of the mirror and also in front of your friends, while timing yourself and watching your non-verbal communication moves.

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