What is an elevator pitch?

Imagine you are in the same elevator with a senior leader, you want to leave a great impression to them. So that when they sit at their office, they could say to themselves “that was a very impressive person! “

What you say to them in that short elevator ride is critical.

I met a person during a network event.

I asked them what they do.

They said “just fixing a bug here and there…” and they were looking for a job.

I didn’t know this person, but I felt the urge to add value to their life, because I don’t know whether I would ever see them again.

I said “are you open to some constructive feedback?”

With their permission, I said “you are underselling your expertise. Why would anyone hire someone who ‘just fix a bug here and there’? What impact are you creating? What customers’ problems did you solve? What happens if you are not there?…”

They immediately agreed that they would rethink how they talk about their work.

Yesterday, they told me (through LinkedIn) that they found a job. And they thanked me for making them think about how to create that elevator pitch.

How good are you with your elevator pitch?

What impact are you creating?