Successful Networking

9

The elevator pitch

Talking and eloquence are not the same thing. To speak and to speak well are two things.

Ben Jonson (1572–1637)

This chapter is about the elevator (or lift) pitch: what it is, how you develop one and how to use it effectively. It is a single sentence that describes your work and which you can deliver in 30 seconds or less – the time it takes an elevator to travel from one floor to another. One memorable lift pitch was overheard at a networking event, and delivered by a smartly dressed guy. On being asked what his job was, he replied: ‘I’m in the removals business.’ He was actually a surgeon.

If you want to create a compelling elevator pitch, it needs to be short and accurate. Mark Twain said it best: ‘I didn’t have time ...