The Elevator Pitch

Let’s pretend you just parked your car in a downtown garage in San Francisco. You step inside the elevator that will bring you to the ground floor when a legendary VC steps into the elevator with you. You have until the elevator reaches the lobby to pitch them your idea. It has to be quick, concise, and memorable.

To make a compelling elevator pitch in such a short period of time, you’ll need to communicate all of the basics: Who is your target audience? What problem do you solve? What is your solution? And what makes it different from everything else on the market?

Now, imagine the elevator doors are closing and it’s your time to shine?what will you say?

How to use or facilitate

1. Download the Elevator Pitch worksheet and hand out to each participant along with a sharpie, pen, or pencil. (you can also use a blank sheet of paper and write out the words:?“For_____ Who Need_____, _____ is a____, That_______, Unlike ______.)
2. Start a timer for 15 minutes.
3. Explain to the group that they will have 15 minutes to fill in the blanks as directly and concisely as possible. In each blank, they must fill in: ? “For ___(target audience)___ Who Need ___(main need/s)___, ___(your product or brand name)__ is a ____(explanation)____ That____ (benefit to customer)___, Unlike ___ (competitors and differentiating factors)___.”
4. Once the 15 minutes are up, have everyone read their pitch one at a time.
5. Discuss the results. What did they get right? What was missing? What could have been phrased differently?

The takeaway

This exercise will help simplify complex ideas into a meaningful, singular statement. By boiling down concepts and prioritizing different pieces of information, participants will be able to craft straightforward value propositions in a few sentences. It can help align team members product vision or find areas that need improvement or direction.