GFTG Blog

Pitch Perfect:  Is Your Marketing Pitch Perfect?

You’ve heard the statement:  Luck is when preparation meets opportunity—do you believe that??  I do!  I’ve been around enough incredibly successful women business owners to know that they are always prepared for opportunities that might come their way.  One of the first things you need to do to be prepared for opportunities is to have an outstanding marketing pitch, aka an elevator speech.

The Go for the Greens Conference offers access to decision-makers at major corporations and government agencies who buy products and services from companies like yours.  The conference also provides lots of networking opportunities as well as educational programming.  Open seating at meal events and cocktail events ensures maxim exposure for your business and the boutique (limit 250 participants) setting means you will be rubbing elbows and breaking bread with people who can help you take your business to the next level.

So, how should you prepare and/or make sure your pitch is perfect?  Here are a few tips:

Experts say that it has to be less than 45 seconds long.

It has to be memorable.

It has to be instructive.

It has to be solution oriented.

45 seconds long sounds like a short amount of time, but you can get a lot said in 45 seconds if you organize your thoughts.  Remember the old who, what, where, how and why of your elementary school years?  That’s a great place to start: your name; what you do; where your business is located; how you can provide a solution and finally why should they care?  The answer to the why should they care question has to be the same answer as what’s in it for them…

Memorable pitches can be humorous, or they can be memorable because you said the right thing at the right time. Be flexible—you don’t always have to have the same exact pitch all the time.  It should have the same basic elements, but it can highlight one service over another depending on your audience.

Instructive pitches are always the goal—tell them what you do and how you do it. Don’t forget to brag a bit:  don’t be afraid to let them know that you have a contract with a corporation similar to theirs and that you can provide solutions to challenges they are facing.

Things to consider include:

  • Your direct experience in their industry
  • Success stories
  • Trends they might not know about

Be careful of pitfalls (!):

  1. Don’t try to include all of your business history and statistics
  2. Don’t talk so fast that people don’t understand publisert her
  3. Don’t close with a hard sell and
  4. Don’t sound desperate

So, be creative.  Be original. Be concise. And don’t forget to practice, practice, practice so the pitch doesn’t sound rehearsed.

Need help perfecting your pitch?  Contact nancyallen@womensbusiness.info.  I’ll be glad to refer you to some incredibly talented women business owners who can help you.