Develop an emotion-evoking answer to the age-old question, ‘What do you do?’ Then affirm it.
The bottom-line secret to a personal brand good elevator pitch is that it must evoke emotion.
When someone asks another person in an elevator what they do, the person answering has an opportunity to capture hearts and minds with the transformation that their work makes possible.
But delivering a good elevator pitch requires preparation. A good elevator pitch depends on a good formula and often a good bit of practice.
A Great Elevator Pitch in Three Steps
At Revealing Genius, we use the following formula to help clients develop incredibly compelling personal brand elevator pitches:
I <action word> <my beloved avatar>
how to <do what they want to accomplish>
so that they can <have the result/transformation>.
The first step in developing a great elevator pitch using this formula is to identify what you do <action word> and for whom <my beloved avatar>.
For one person I work with, this has become: “I <partner with> <people who are alive with purpose and vision>.”
The second step is to identify what you do that helps a person reach a goal. For our example, this becomes <to give voice to their message>.
The third step is critical, as this is where the emotion gets added to a great personal brand elevator pitch. In this third step, identify the transformation or result that you help to bring about. In our example, this is: <so they can confidently share with the world what matters to them most>.
Taking the pieces together, our example personal branding elevator pitch becomes: “I partner with people who are alive with purpose and vision to give voice to their message so they can confidently share with the world what matters to them most.”
Compared with previously popular formulas for developing an elevator pitch, the Revealing Genius approach focuses on bringing out the emotion of the transformation. In keeping with this, at Revealing Genius, we also call a great elevator pitch a “transformation” statement.
Updating a Previous Personal Brand Elevator Pitch
To illustrate more fully how the new formula for a great personal brand elevator pitch works, consider the original version of the elevator pitch in the example above: “making words work for you.”
The new formula helped this person use a stronger action verb. Consider the difference between “making words work” in the early version to the use of “partner with” and “to give voice to” in the revised version. Which phrases are more active and compelling?
The Revealing Genius elevator pitch also clarified the beloved avatar in this transformation statement. Instead of simply “you,” the person served in the new version of the elevator pitch becomes “people who are alive with purpose and vision.” Is the ideal client for this person clearer now? (And are you more inspired to be one of those clients?)
Finally, the original elevator pitch says nothing about a transformation. “Making words work for you” doesn’t inspire someone to find out how the world might change by working with this person. But the phrase “so they can confidently share with the world what they care about most” in the revised elevator pitch is ripe with possibility.
Creating Your Personal Brand Elevator Pitch With a Cohort Has Value
So far, it might seem like developing a great elevator pitch using the Revealing Genius formula is easy. And it’s not difficult. Still, a great elevator pitch will usually require several or many revisions before you arrive at a wording that really resonates with you—and your target audience.
How will you know if the elevator pitch you have written makes sense not only to you but to a person who might be a good client, your “beloved avatar”? An excellent way to do early testing of your pitch is by involving other people in your process.
Keep in mind that what you think sounds brilliant might be unclear to your audience. Thus, “round table” discussions, including those that are part of our 7-Day Brand Genius Summit, can be very valuable. Continue to test the market to ensure you are delivering the utmost value for your beloved avatar.
You can also check your work by asking yourself and the members of your cohort these survey questions:
- Does the action word make sense?
- Can I form a clear picture in my mind’s eye of the beloved avatar?
- Is “what they want to accomplish” crystal clear?
- Is the transformation specific?
- Overall, does the statement create an emotive response?
In a recent elevator pitch co-creation round table that I led, participants helped each other write and rewrite their transformation statements until they were telling each other, “I got tingles when you read that version.” Remember, a great elevator pitch evokes an emotional response.
Affirming Your Elevator Pitch
Revealing Genius believes so deeply in the power of affirmations that we make it the third step of our Excavate-Tell-Affirm (ETA™) personal brand development process. When it comes to developing a great elevator pitch, affirmations might look like repeating your pitch out loud until it rolls easily off your tongue—even when you’re nervous. After all, you might be a little nervous the first time you answer the question, “So what do you do?” in an elevator!
Another way that my clients affirm their transformation statements is by putting them up in their offices.
A Great Elevator Pitch for a Product
Interestingly, a great elevator pitch can also be used to explain a book, a speech or a product. The goal is always the same—to create an emotional response. Consider this:
Would you prefer to taste “a glass of red wine” … or “a Bordeaux with well-balanced, rich, savory notes; a vintage that has a seemingly endless finish that suggests it will become even better with more age”? The statement that evokes the stronger emotive response will win the day.
So, what do you do? Learn to answer with conviction and purpose. Subscribe to our newsletter by adding your email at the bottom of this webpage. And sign up for our 7-Day Brand Genius Summit.
An executive advisor, educator, speaker and author, Mary E. Maloney is the founder of Revealing Genius and the expert that accomplished leaders trust for positioning, messaging and brand strategy. A former CEO and CMO, Maloney guides CEOs, SVPs, business owners and consultants to purposefully identify and articulate their brand genius so they become recognized experts and rapidly achieve the next milestone in their careers.