MARKETING MATTERS: DEVELOPING YOUR 30-SECOND "ELEVATOR PITCH"

TIPS AND TRICKS FOR BUSINESS SUCCESS AND GROWTH

By Rama Beerfas

February 15, 2010 (San Diego’s East County) – Anyone who has participated in a business networking event of any kind has heard about the all-important 30-Second Commercial, sometimes known as the “Elevator Pitch.” The purpose of this commercial is to make people aware of what you do and what type of business you are looking for, usually in a thirty to sixty-second timeframe.

Of course, conveying all of that information in such a short period of time can be a daunting task. Most of us either can’t convey the message we are trying to get out effectively, or cannot contain ourselves to the allotted amount of time and ramble on and on and on….
 

The key to a successful 30-second commercial is to give people a basic understanding of what you do while giving them a reason to want to continue the conversation. Of course, piquing someone’s interest enough for them to want to hear more about you and what you do can be challenging, since most people want to talk about themselves and not you. Thus, it is critical that your commercial has certain components that make the listener believe you are talking about him or her, rather than about yourself!
 

Although the actual components are a bit more detailed, in a nutshell, you need to incorporate the following information:
 

• Who are you – name and company name.
• Who is your target market?
• What benefits do your products/services provide? What problems do you solve for your clients?
   

Make sure that you are stressing the benefits rather than the features of your products and services. That’s a subject for a future article.
 

All-in-all, if you can pique your listener’s attention enough to make him/her ask a follow-up question, then you’ve developed the perfect 30-second commercial.
 

Rama Beerfas is the Chief Solutions Specialist of San Diego-based Lev Promotions, offering marketing consulting, promotional product programs, and business holiday gifts. Rama also offers seminars and training in topics related to marketing and customer service. This article is based on a workshop offered by Rama. She can be reached at (619) 697-2045 or at rama@levpromotions.com. Please submit requests for column topics to the above e-mail address.