Elevator Pitch

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Contents Perfect Your Pitch - 10 Key Principles 5 The Classic Elevator Pitch 8

Template 9 Investor Pitch Example 9 Banker Pitch Example 10 The Email Pitch 11 Template 12 Investor Email Pitch Example 12 Customer Email Pitch Example 13 The Dinner Party Pitch 14

Dinner Party Pitch Example 15 The Networking Event Pitch 15 Template 16 Questions Pitch Example 17 Storytelling Pitch Example 18 Elevator Pitch Resources 18 About ExecutivePlan 19

Introduction As the Founder of ExecutivePlan, a company that helps entrepreneurs write powerful business plan executive summaries in order to raise capital, I have felt pressured to master the elevator pitch topic for nearly two years. After all, I have often called an elevator pitch your “verbal executive summary.” I memorized elevator pitch after elevator pitch, but when the time came to pitch, it just didn’t feel right. I could not figure out why I was able to write powerful business plan executive summaries for clients, but I could not craft an effective pitch for my own company. Although an elevator pitch may be used predominately to raise capital, there are dozens of other  situations in which you might need an elevator pitch. Each situation may have a different end goal.  You might be given 20 seconds to pitch, or you might have 2 minutes to pitch. You might know your  audience, or maybe you just met. Your audience might have industry knowledge, or they might be completely ignorant when it comes to your type of business. You might pitch to one person, or you might pitch to a group of people. You might pitch in person, or you might need to pitch via email. I think you get the point. There are many different situations that may require an elevator pitch, but one size does not fit all—that is exactly what makes creating a perfect pitch so difficult. So is there any hope? Do we have to memorize 100 variations of our pitch for every possible scenario? No. If we simply understand basic principles about pitching, then it is much easier to craft a pitch template which will work for almost every situation. The purpose of this ebook is to help you prepare a pitch for many of the most common pitch scenarios. In the following pages you will find tips, templates, and sample elevator pitches to help you develop your pitch. Sincerely, Adam Hoeksema Founder – ExecutivePlan http://www.businessplanexecutivesummary.com

As a business person you have probably been told that you need to be prepared at any moment to recite your elevator pitch. You have probably looked at other elevator pitch examples and even templates to help you create your pitch, but when it comes time to recite your pitch, it just doesn’t feel right. I believe there are at least 4 different situations that require a slightly varied elevator pitch. 1. The Classic Elevator Pitch  – The elevator pitch concept is your 60 second pitch to Bill Gates if you happened to have him alone in an elevator. Bill asks you what you do, and you have 10 floors to explain to him why your business deserves a small $10 million dollar investment from him. 2. The Email Pitch - In this day and age we should all be able to pitch via email. Many times you won’t even have a chance to verbally pitch your business without first pitching in an email.   Your first challenge is simply to get your audience to open the email. Then you need to grab their interest immediately or you will just end up in the trash folder with everyone else. 3. The Dinner Party Pitch - Let’s say you are at a dinner party and everyone is taking turns explaining what they do for a living. This is clearly not the time or place to pitch your business as a potential investment. You simply need a couple of sentences to explain your business as simply as possible. 4. The Networking Event Pitch - Those who understand networking know that networking is about the other person. You should be asking questions and making connections, not pitching your products or services. But you will probably be asked what you do at some point so it is important to be ready with a brief explanation that may intrigue the other person to ask more questions. You might think you have an elevator pitch ready, but you really need to think about how your pitch should vary in different situations. You don’t want to waste an opportunity with a potential investor  or client, but you also don’t want to embarrass your spouse at your next Christmas party by announcing your company’s core competencies, market potential, and business model. So take half an hour to sit down and perfect your elevator speech for these four situations before it is too late.

Perfect Your Pitch - 10 Key Principles Before we jump into each of the 4 pitch scenarios, I wanted to provide some basic tips and principles to keep in mind as you develop your pitch. 1. Keep it Short  - Most elevator pitch experts will land between 30 seconds and 2 minutes for  their pitch. Again this depends entirely on your audience. If you are at a round table discussion and the facilitator asks you to go around the table and quickly introduce yourself, you need to be  prepared with a 20 or 30 second pitch. If you are presenting to a group of investors, however, a 30 second pitch would simply demonstrate lack of preparation. 2. Name Drop for Credibility - Above all else your pitch should demonstrate credibility. If you are pitching yourself, your product, or your business, your audience naturally knows very little about you, otherwise you would not be pitching. How do you establish credibility? Name drop.  If you are pitching to a potential investor, you might mention your connection with a respected lawyer or CPA. Better yet, note that you were roommates in college with another entrepreneur  in the investor’s portfolio and that he or she suggested that you connect. In a sales situation you might name drop one of your customers that your audience would know and respect. This  provides instant credibility. 3. Customize the Details - Whether it is through email or in person, a cookie cutter elevator   pitch that you use on everyone you meet shows your lack of interest in your audience. You must  personalize your pitch. Your pitch should be emotional in nature. You should attempt to understand the problem that your audience has and make them feel that your solution is exactly what they need. 4. Use Layman’s Terms - Keep your pitch simple. Using big words doesn’t impress your  audience; if anything, it is probably a turn off. Which of the following is the best way to explain the Google Search Engine? #1 - Google utilizes web crawlers and complex algorithms to analyze hundreds of variables including meta data, keyword density, and backlinks on billions of web pages to display the most relevant results for any given user query. #2 - When a user enters a search on Google, the Google Search Engine displays the results  based on a number of important variables in order to provide you with exactly what you are looking for.

Both options might be an accurate way to explain the Google Search Engine, but which option is your mom most likely to understand? If your mom won’t understand terms like web crawlers, algorithms, meta data, and backlinks, then simplify.

5. Sound Natural - Yes you should rehearse and practice your pitch, but it shouldn’t sound that way. You need to practice to the point that your pitch sounds natural and conversational. If there is one thing that is going to keep you from pitching, it is the fact that you are afraid that your pitch won’t naturally fit into conversation. The best way to get over this fear is to practice and to look  for natural ways to pitch. For example, when someone asks, “So, what do you do?” your pitch should be able to answer that question naturally. 6. Intrigue the Audience  - The best way to intrigue your audience is to demonstrate traction. I you want to intrigue an investor, show them growth. Investors are looking for hockey stick  growth. Increasing users, customers, revenue, and profits are all ways to demonstrate traction.  Similarly, you can intrigue a potential customer by demonstrating traction with other customers like them. If their competitor uses your product or service, then use that to your advantage to intrigue them and compel them to learn more.

7. What Problem Do You Solve ? - Whether you are pitching for a job, investment, or a sale, you must solve a problem. The most effective pitch will draw the audience in and make them feel the pain, make them feel the problem. You absolutely must include the problem in your pitch, otherwise your audience just won’t understand the value in your solution.

8. How is Your Solution Special? - Anyone can solve a problem, but what makes your solution special? Your company might be able to help me market my business, but if it is twice as expensive, takes twice as long, and only brings in half as many new customers as your  competition, then why would I care about your solution? Clearly identify your unique selling  proposition in your pitch.

9. Use Case - A use case or a user example is often one of the best ways to ensure that your  audience understands your pitch. A use case is an example of how a customer might use your   product or service. For example, a use case for eBay might be, “Do you have toys, books, movies, and other stuff just sitting around collecting dust? Wouldn’t it be nice to sell that stuf  for a fair price, and use the money to buy something new? eBay allows you to list items for sale, and sell to the highest bidder, which ensures that you receive the most cash possible for your  stuff.”

This is a great use case because almost everyone has “stuff” sitting around collecting dust, and the idea of turning old stuff into cash is intriguing. You want to build a use case in such a way that your audience can imagine themselves or someone they know using your product or service.

10. Clear Next Step - You must end your pitch with a clear next step. With a potential investor  this might be a question like “Would you mind if I follow up with you next week?” If you are in a networking situation, you might just ask the other person a question. In a networking situation your next step is to determine whether or not you can help the other person. No matter the situation, you want to end your pitch clearly and drive the conversation back to the other person, or to some sort of future action.

The Classic Elevator Pitch You step into an elevator to head up to your office one morning, and to your surprise a well-known venture capitalist follows you onto the elevator and presses the button for the 34th floor. You casually say good morning and comment about the weather. As you reach the 5th floor, the venture capitalist says, “So, what do you do?” It is the moment you have dreamt about. The startup you have been working on every night and eekend for the last 18 months is starting to gain some traction. You are considering leaving your day ob soon to focus on your business full-time, but you will need at least $1 million in investment in order to take your business to the next level. You have 90 seconds before you reach the 34th floor, hat do you say? What is your pitch? It does not matter whether you are an entrepreneur looking for investment, a business owner pitching a  potential major customer, or even a recent college grad pitching a potential employer. There are a few things to keep in mind when you are in this classic elevator pitch situation. 1. Value Proposition - Whether you have a service, product, company or a cause that you are  pitching, you must add value. Above all, your value must shine through in your pitch. You must answer two questions in order to demonstrate value. What problem do you solve? How is your  solution unique? If at all possible, make your value proposition unique to your audience so that they understand the pain, and then the value in your solution. 2. Leave Time for a Response - Remember the elevator does not stop. When you reach the 34th floor your audience is leaving whether you are done or not. It isn’t enough to just finish your pitch with seconds to spare; you need to leave time for a response. What if your pitch worked? What if the potential investor or customer wants to learn more? This demonstrates the fact that one version of your pitch is not right for all situations. Sometimes you will have 34 floors to pitch, sometimes you will only have 3 floors to answer that question, “So, what do you do?” If you don’t leave time for a response from your audience, then you completely lost your  opportunity. 3. Next Step - Not only should you leave time for a response, you need to be ready to suggest a next step. Maybe your next step is simply to ask for a business card so you can follow up. Or  maybe you can schedule time for coffee next week. If the audience response is “sounds interesting” and you leave it at that, you have failed. Even if they are truly interested, you must take full advantage of the opportunity to pitch by asking for a next step.

Template There are two situations that you should be prepared with a classic elevator pitch – an investor pitch and a banker pitch. nvestor Pitch -The traditional “elevator pitch” idea is based around the question, “What would you say if you found yourself alone on an elevator with a wealthy investor?” Use this template as a starting point.

1. Grab - Venture capitalists and angel investors are pitched to every day. Your grab must be unique and compelling enough to capture their attention and imagination. 2. Problem - As with any pitch, your audience needs to feel the problem, feel the pain. 3. Unique Solution - Investors look to invest in businesses that can be protected. If your  solution can easily be copied, that is a risk many investors are unwilling to take, so explain what makes your company special. 4. Traction - Traction trumps all else when it comes to investors. You will have VCs jumping in line to invest in businesses with great traction. Take Groupon for example, investors poured several million dollars into the company despite the fact that there are literally hundreds o copycat companies. 5. Stage - What stage are you at? Do you need funding? How much? Or have you already received investment? 6. Next Step  - Ask for a business card, or ask for a chance to meet with the investor  individually.

Investor Pitch Example Do you purchase many of the same products at the grocery store each week or each month? [This leads the investor to say yes since we all do this at some level] Don’t you hate the crowds at the grocery store, the lines to checkout, and unhappy workers? [Again ou can lead them to say yes] What if those groceries you buy on a regular schedule just showed up at your doorstep? Each week  you will receive an email with a list of the products that you typically purchase on that week of the month. You simply uncheck any items that you don’t need that week and we find the store with the  best deals and have the products delivered to your doorstep. We currently provide this service in 2 of the top 20 largest US cities and have grown to over 7,000 customers since launching 14 months ago. Revenues are increasing 20% month to month. [Shows legitimacy, growth, and traction] We have raised 3.2 million in our Series A Round, and we currently need 15 million to expand our  service to new markets. May I have your business card so I can follow up with a phone call? anker Pitch - Pitching to a banker is all about credit and credibility. Since your credit score won’t improve overnight, your pitch should focus on building credibility in other areas. Here is an outline for pitching to a banker for a loan.

1. One-liner  - In one sentence simply state what your business does. Don’t worry too much about starting with a compelling, attention-grabbing first line. Bankers typically prefer boring,  predictable businesses. 2. Credibility - A banker’s worst fear is that you take his money and run so you have to establish yourself as a credible, trustworthy person. In order to establish credibility you might talk about number of years in business, your former employer before you started your business, your   business growth rate over the past 3 years or your customers or partners if they are credible and well-known. Use judgment in this section. If you are a startup, then you don’t want to focus on number of years in business. If your former employer went bankrupt, then find something else to  build trust. 3. Backup Plan - Bankers want to know how they will get their money back if the business fails.  Don’t come out and say, “If we fail...”, but you should be able to demonstrate that you will have the means to meet your obligations if the business failed. If the loan will be used for an asset that can be utilized as collateral, mention that. If you own your house, office building, vehicles, or other assets you might even consider mentioning that in your pitch. 4. Use of Funds - Bankers will want to know how much you need, what you will use the funds

for, and why you need it. You may have heard that the best time to get a loan is when you don’t need one, and that is certainly true. If the reason you need a loan is because your business is in trouble without it, then you might as well give up. If you can demonstrate that the loan will be used to grow your business, make it more efficient, or more profitable, then you have a chance. 5. Request - Simply ask, “Would your bank be interested in looking at a loan application from me?”

Banker Pitch Example Our accounting firm provides bookkeeping, payroll, and tax preparation services to small businesses. [If your business is not a common business, then you need to explain as simply as possible the roduct or service you provide and who you provide it to] I worked for [Insert well-known company]   for 13 years. Two years ago I left and started ABC Accounting Services. We were able to pick up a lot of work immediately because I am well connected with [Insert credible company like a law firm or government organization]. I have received a number of great job offers from [Well-respected company], but my business has seen solid growth each month for the last year. [Shows you could always go back to a job if you need  to.] We need a loan of $35,000 to help hire 2 more accountants in order to handle 3 new clients that we have signed contracts with for the next fiscal year. [You should have a good reason for needing the loan; growth is always a good reason] Is this the type of loan your bank would be interested in? If so, where can I submit an application?

The Email Pitch In April 2010, the Radicati Group, a technology market research firm, issued a report that estimated that in 2010 there were approximately 294 billion emails sent per day. This means that more than 2.8 million emails are sent every second and about 90 trillion emails are sent per year. They also estimate that anywhere between 70% and 90% of this email is spam. Right from the very beginning the odds are against you that the recipient of your email will even open your message, let alone read it and take action. Since everyone will pitch via email at one time or another, this section is dedicated to mastering the email pitch. Here are a few basic tips on how to structure your email pitch: 1. Send custom emails. Don’t send the same email to everyone. We all want to feel important, and we don’t feel important when we are sent the same spam email along with 1,000 other   people. 2. Show that you know something about your audience. Do you know something about their  company, their job, and their hobbies? Have you been following their blog or Twitter account? 3. Don’t write in paragraphs  - Nothing scares a reader more than opening an email and seeing 4 large blocks of small text. 4. Break up your text with: • Bold • Underline •  Italics • And Bullet Points

Template The two most commonly sought after email pitch templates are potential investor templates and  potential customer pitch templates. An email pitch is very similar to a traditional elevator pitch, but there are a couple of major differences. 1. You can conduct research on the email recipient before you pitch 2. You might have a referral from someone the recipient trusts 3. You can always delete and rewrite nvestor Email Pitch  - The first thing to understand when you are emailing a pitch to a potential investor is that most well-respected venture capitalists and angel investors won’t even meet with you unless you are referred by someone they know and trust like another investor, CPA, or attorney. A referral from a trusted source helps investors narrow down the hundreds of pitches that they hear each year. The following template assumes you have a referral.

1. Compelling Email Subject Line 2. Start by acknowledging and thanking the person who referred you 3. One-liner to explain your company from a high level 4. What problem do you solve? 5. How large is the market? 6. Outline the traction your company has experienced to date 7. Who has already invested, and how much more do you need? 8. Request the opportunity to meet or call the investor 

Investor Email Pitch Example Subject Line: Referred by [Insert name of reference] Thank you [Insert name of reference] for connecting us today. [Insert Name of investor] ,

Our company helps make coal cleaner. With governments around the world breathing down the neck of coal-based power plant operators to reduce the level of pollutants produced, our filter technology reduces toxic emissions by over 15%. The average power plant would replace our filter once a week at a cost of just over $1,000 per filter.  There are # # # coal-based power plants in the United States alone. We have signed 2 year contracts with 12 power plants including 3 pilot projects with major coal  power plant operators who may increase up to 20 plants each if the pilot project goes well. [Demonstrates current traction and potential for growth] We have secured $2.3 million in investment   from [Insert name of investor] to ramp up the manufacturing of our filters, and we are now seeking another 1.5 million to increase sales and marketing efforts. I would love to have the opportunity to meet with you. When would be a good time to grab coffee? Customer Email Pitch - Every business has a different demographic of customer, the products and services you sell are priced at varying levels, and the sales cycle might vary by months, so it is impossible to develop a one-size-fits-all email template for potential customers. The following email template assumes that the email is a cold email to a potential customer that you have never met.

1. Intriguing title. Numbered lists typically have high click through rates. 2. Guess the customer’s problem right from the start. If they don’t have the problem that your   product or service solves than they won’t respond to the email anyway. 3. Who else uses your solution? 4. Call them to action. Whether you want them to click a link to purchase, email you, call you, or  take some other action you need to spell it out for them.

Customer Email Pitch Example Subject Line: 3 Ways to Retain Your Top Employees this Year [Use of numbered list] Have you lost an employee to another company in the past year? Was it a painful and expensive transition like it is for most employers? We are an outsourced Human Resources firm that provides HR solutions for small to mid-sized companies so that you can focus on building your business instead of dealing with employee issues. We are headquartered in [Insert your city if it is nearby the potential customer], and we provide HR solutions for: [List a few of your customers that you think the potential customer knows] I just wanted to send you a link to download our free report on “3 Ways to Retain Your Top Employees the Year” [Insert call to action ‘Download Here’] Please let me know if there is any way we can help you as you continue to grow your business.

The Dinner Party Pitch I included this section because you will probably have opportunity to pitch at family events, church gatherings, Christmas parties, and neighborhood barbecues more than all the other pitch scenarios combined. What do you say when your aunt or your pastor asks you what you do? You probably don’t think your pitch matters in these situations. Who cares if your Grandma can explain your   business to her friends, right? Wrong. There are a number of reasons to work on your dinner party pitch. 1. You Never Know Who You Are Pitching To  - Surprise! Your uncle’s best friend owns an authoritative blog in your industry and would be happy to feature your new service to his hundreds of thousands of followers. 2. No Pressure Practice   - Pitching to your friends and family is a great, no-pressure way to  perfect your pitch. If your pitch is clear and resonates with your mother-in-law, then you can feel confident that potential investors and customers will be able to understand your value  proposition. 3. Pitch Casually - The opportunity to pitch to friends and family in a no-pressure situation gives you the chance to learn how to pitch casually. Your pitch should not sound memorized; it should not sound canned. Remember in high school when that one person would get in front o the class and present their project by reading their entire speech from index cards? Yeah. Don’t do that. By pitching in a casual, low pressure environment, you will be able to perfect your   pitch before you find yourself speechless on an elevator with Bill Gates. The point is, don’t take these situations for granted. You don’t need to try to sell your Grandma your  new product or service, but you should be able to answer the question “What do you do?” If your   pitch comes off too pushy to your friends and family, then you will come off too pushy to a potential customer as well. If your next door neighbor is uninterested after hearing your pitch, then it is safe to say a potential investor would also leave uninterested.

Template

Since you will likely have more opportunity to practice this style of pitch than any other, you should develop a basic pitch structure that can expand or contract based on your audience. Use this pitch to test different variations and determine which language tends to resonate best with your audience. See a suggested structure below: 1. One-liner  - Just answer, “What does your business do? Sometimes the simplest way to describe your business is to compare and contrast with a business that is a household name. For  example, “Our company is the [Insert well-known company or product] of [Insert your  industry].” Our company is the eBay of the pet industry. 2. Use Case - Share a customer story that shows the pain that the customer feels and how your 

 product or service eliminates that pain. When you share a customer story, your audience will naturally think of someone in their world who could make use of your product or service. If you do a great job pitching they may even refer new customers to you. 3. Leave Opportunity for Questions - When you are dealing with friends and family it is acceptable to just end your pitch with an opportunity for questions. You don’t have to ask for a  business card, or a follow up meeting, just let them ask questions if they are interested.

Dinner Party Pitch Example We are like the Google of resumes. [Relating yourself to a well-known product or service is often the easiest way to explain what your business does.] Let’s say you are looking for a job in the restaurant management industry. You would upload your  resume to our website, and then employers would come to our website and search for resumes. Your  resume will appear in search results for free, but you can also pay to advertise your resume similar to Google Adwords. You might want to show up when someone in Chicago searches for “Restaurant Manager 10 Year Experience.” You will only pay if the searcher clicks to view your resume. It is a fun business, and we have been able to help thousands of people land interviews. [Leaves the conversation open for follow up, but also lets you transition to a new topic if needed]

The Networking Event Pitch I want to start this section with Networking 101. What is the purpose of networking? How do the  best networkers communicate at conferences, expos, and industry gatherings? Simple. They make it all about the other person. They ask questions, and they listen. That mindset should help frame the ay you develop your elevator pitch in this situation When in a networking situation your elevator pitch should: • Be Short - Many people come to networking events with the intention of meeting as many  people as possible. I am not convinced this is the most effective way to network; however, you don’t want to monopolize their time by reciting a 10 minute pitch. • Use Case / What Problem Do You Solve? - Unless you are at an industry specific conference you cannot assume that your audience will understand anything about what you do. So you must demonstrate the problem you solve through a simple use case. For example, if your company offers a service that will back up the files on your computer, you might ask, “Do you know anyone who has lost important files, pictures, or family videos when their computer crashed?”  A use case that the average Joe can identify with is a great way to start a pitch at a networking event. • Traction / Credibility - When you and I meet someone new at a networking event, one of the most pressing questions is “Is he or she credible?” We want to know who they are and what they have done. So your goal is to show credibility through your pitch without coming off as a  braggart. Back to the computer file backup example: a great way to show credibility is simply to show that your company has traction. You might say, “We backup over 100,000 computers for   businesses and individuals around the world.” Another great way to demonstrate credibility is to name one of your customers. For example, if your company provides a file backup service for  a Fortune 500 company, now is the time to name drop. Work that into your pitch and gain instant credibility. • Ask a Question - End your pitch with a question. Remember that the purpose of networking is to find out if there is a way to help the other person. You are not trying to sell your product or  service at the networking event; you are looking for a way to follow up with your connection after the event.

Template There are many opinions and many experts when it comes to networking. Some might say that you should never pitch at a networking event. Experts might suggest that you simply ask questions when you meet new people at a networking event then ask for a business card and follow up with a pitch via email or a phone call. If you do that, great. At some point though, you will undoubtedly be asked about your business, and you should be prepared.

Below you will find two different ways to structure your pitch for a networking event. Questions - This first option I want to look at is simply answering four questions that your audience is wondering.

1. What is your business, job, product, or service? 2. What problem or pain do you solve and how? 3. Are you credible? 4. How can you help me? Answering these 4 questions clearly and concisely will put you light-years ahead of most pitches that you hear at networking events.

Questions Pitch Example Our company provides child care at large retail venues such as shopping malls. [Answers what   service do you provide] Can you picture the mom pushing a stroller, holding two bags from Macy’s in one arm and a screaming toddler in the other arm? [Your audience can picture this scenario, and feels the mom’s ain] We provide childcare for that poor mother so that she can shop in peace and rest assured that her kids are having a great time under our care. [Explains your solution] We currently have a facility at three major shopping malls in the Midwest, and just signed a lease to open a facility in The Mall of America. [Shows traction that you have 3 locations up and running  and a major mall like The Mall of America provides credibility.] I would be happy to introduce you to my contact at The Mall of America when your new product is ready to hit retail stores. [Offer to help your new connection]

 Storytelling  - Another great way to structure your pitch for a networking event is through storytelling.  Develop a use case or a story that shows how your typical customer uses your product or service.  The key elements you should include are:

1. A one-liner about your product, service, or company 2. Describe a customer with a problem 3. How did you solve that problem 4. A sentence or two that demonstrates traction and/or credibility 5. Ask them “Who is your perfect customer?”

Storytelling Pitch Example We specialize in helping the elderly convert their pictures into a digital format. [One-liner] My Grandma had thousands and thousands of pictures that she had taken and collected over the past 65 years. When her house flooded two years ago she lost over half the pictures. [Customer   Problem] The first thing I did after the flood was convert the surviving pictures into a digital format for her. [Our Solution] Grandma told a few of her friends and now 2 years later we have 15 employees, partnerships with retirement communities in 27 states around the country, and have helped over 10,000 elderly individuals convert their photos into a digital format. [Traction demonstrated by the number o customers and credibility demonstrated through partnerships] Of course, if you have any need for converting your old photos to a digital format I would be honored to help. So what are you doing these days?

Elevator Pitch Resources I hesitate to provide too many links to elevator pitch resources online because it is a terrible experience for you, the reader, when the links don’t work. Unfortunately, the best resources on the eb today might not even exist in 6 months, or maybe they closed the website or discontinued the service. Nevertheless, I want to provide the top 5 resources the web currently (January 2012) has to offer on the subject of elevator pitches. 1. Elevator Pitch Builder – This neat tool from Harvard Business School actually walks you through the process of creating an elevator pitch. http://www.alumni.hbs.edu/careers/pitch/ 2. Elevator Pitch Template and Example  – An excellent elevator pitch template and example article published on the Harvard Business Review blog by Babak Nivi, founder of AngelList. http://blogs.hbr.org/nivi/2009/04/how-to-write-an-elevator-pitch.html 3. Pitching Hacks  – You can actually read the first 30+ pages of “Pitching Hacks.” This is a great resource for entrepreneurs who are pitching angel investors and venture capitalists. If you are not looking for investment, then this ebook might not be for you. http://venturehacks.com/pitching 4. Potential Customer Elevator Pitch –  The Elevator Pitch by Phil Libin, CEO of Evernote, is one of the most popular elevator pitch videos on YouTube. It is a good example of a pitch you might make to a potential customer. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wmNks09GZ3s 5. Free Elevator Pitch Review –   As a thank you for purchasing this eBook if you send me the email receipt confirming your purchase, I will review your elevator pitch for free and make suggestions for improvement. Just email me at [email protected]

About ExecutivePlan ExecutivePlan helps entrepreneurs write more powerful business plan executive summaries in order  to raise capital. We do this by providing executive summary templates, examples, eBooks and consulting. I wish you much success in your business endeavors and make sure to shoot me an email at [email protected] with any comments, questions, or remarks. I would love to hear from you.