Creating an elevator pitch is one of the best ways to get consistent referrals and leads for your fitness, coaching or wellness business.
Why?
Because talking about your business in a strategic, effective way makes a lasting impact on whomever you’re talking to.
It doesn’t matter if that person is a potential client or not. If you are a coach, trainer, wellness specialist or fitness professional, just about everyone knows someone who could benefit from your services! That means every person you meet and chat with has the power to send business your way.
An elevator pitch is simply a concise, deliberate way of clearly talking about what you do. The point of crafting an elevator pitch is to avoid the verbal waffling that so many of us fall into when asked that age-old question….”So, what do you do?”
Does your typical answer look something like this?
“Well, I’m a personal trainer, but I sort of have this online business going on the side. It’s not really making much money yet, though, um, so….I don’t know, what do you do?”
Yikes! Let’s clean up that elevator pitch by focusing on the 3 ingredients every successful pitch needs.
3 Ingredients of an Elevator Pitch
- Target Market
In the above example, our nervous entrepreneur talks about being a personal trainer and an online business owner without ever discussing their target market.
Focus on who you serve so the person you’re speaking to instantly starts thinking of potential clients for you!
For example, “I help Millennials stay in shape and avoid the ‘Freshman 15’ their first semester in college.”
Now the person you’re speaking to is thinking about their niece, their neighbor, and all sorts of people they know that fall into your target market. They are much more likely to send someone your way if they know who to send.
- How you help
Be specific about how you help you target market, i.e. what services you provide. Telling someone you’re a “personal trainer” is vague; that could encompass anything and everything from weight loss to strength training to nutritional counseling.
The second component of an elevator pitch, then, is the strategic, specific way you talk about your services, or your “how.”
Let’s look at an example.
“I help career-transitioning mid-lifers through online coaching calls and web-based group courses.”
This example clearly states who is being helped (career-transitioning mid-lifers) and how they’re being helped (online coaching calls and web-based group courses).
A prospect can’t make a decision about you’re services if they can’t imagine what it would be like to work with you. The whole point of creating an elevator pitch is to paint that picture for them by sharing the specifics of how you do what you do.
But we’re still missing a key ingredient in our elevator pitch….
- Outcome/benefits
Once you’ve clearly stated who you help and how you help them, it’s crucial to talk about the benefits of working with you.
First, a quick distinction between features and benefits:
A feature is a tangible aspect of your service or business that is uniform for all of your customers.
For example, the features of your time management group coaching program might be…
- one-on-one attention
- a 20% discount for early bird purchases
- networking with like-minded individuals
- access to a private Facebook group
But as great as these features are, they aren’t benefits. Benefits are why we really buy.
In thinking about the benefits of working with you, look at each feature of your business then take it one step further.
What is the result (benefit) of each feature?
- one-on-one attention > faster results > more time with family
- a 20% discount for early bird purchases > save money > more money and more time to do what you love
- networking with like-minded individuals > get exposed to new ideas > live the life you’re meant to lead
- access to a private Facebook group > get questions answered 24/7 > maintain your new productive lifestyle à enjoy a better quality of life
People don’t want a 20% discount. They want what the 20% discount can give them.
Let’s look at how the benefits listed above might play out in an elevator pitch.
“So, Sally, what do you do?”
“Oh! Well, I help overwhelmed moms (target market) increase their time management skills through one-on-one and group coaching programs (how she helps), so they can spend more time with their families and live their best lives (benefits).”
This elevator pitch contains all 3 ingredients: target market, ‘the how,’ and the benefits of working with Sally.
There is one more element of crafting an elevator pitch that deserves mention here.
It’s being able to talk about what you do in a natural, conversational way. If Sally recites the above speech verbatim every time she talks to someone, she’ll appear rehearsed and robotic.
Instead, it’s a great idea to practice communicating all 3 elements using slightly different language.
Practice at home, and practice out loud! Get used to talking about what you do, and get comfortable placing your focus on benefits, not features.
When your elevator pitch is infused with warmth and a genuine passion for what you do, people can’t help but be drawn to you, become interested in your business, and either a) consider becoming your next client, or b) refer your next client to you!
Are you ready to jump start your business and learn the most effective marketing methods available today? Download your FREE Entrepreneur Jump Start Kit at the bottom of this page!
Jennifer McNally says
I am hoping we can connect sometime next week to discuss some mutually beneficial opportunities between Polar and John Spencer Ellis/NESTA.
Please check out the links below for info on our newest exciting totally free product for coaches and fitness trainers.
http://www.polar.com/en/about_polar/press_room/polar_releases_powerful_tool_for_coaches_and_personal_trainers
https://flow.polar.com/coach
Thanks.
Jennifer McNally says
I am hoping we can connect sometime next week to discuss some mutually beneficial opportunities between Polar and John Spencer Ellis/NESTA.
Please check out the links below for info on our newest exciting totally free product for coaches and fitness trainers.
http://www.polar.com/en/about_polar/press_room/polar_releases_powerful_tool_for_coaches_and_personal_trainers
https://flow.polar.com/coach
You can reach me via email or call me at 516-582-8341.
Thanks.
Herman JohnsonA says
I love NESTA!