Forget The Elevator Pitch. This works much better.
The startup industry, including the corporate startup ecosystem from the ‘must grow’ industry, has people, especially startup founders, fixated on the idea of The Elevator Pitch. To be honest, since 1997 since working in corporate venturing at ABN Amro and from 2011 as an independent assessor of startups, including as ‘Dragon’, I have never heard of anyone closing a deal in an elevator, nor of a serious banker or investor who gives you money based on such an elevator pitch. Let alone a lot.
That’s just a myth that brings a lot of money into the drawer of the so-called ‘pitch-gurus’.
What works much better than the Elevator Pitch?
If you look closely, it’s about engaging the right people as quickly as possible and making contact with them. Not just investors, shareholders and/or bankers, but all important people from different niches. Whether that is customers, prospects, journalists, event organisers, new staff, potential partners or possible external financiers if necessary.
Watch: What is the on-demand economy?, What are short videos? & The Future Of Work In The Online Gig Economy
In that sense, The Elevator Pitch is nothing more and nothing less than one small not very effective activity in your startup sales and marketing plan. It is one of your ‘ touchpoints’ as it is called.
Use short sales videos & marketing videos, pitch videos
Instead of practicing elevator pitches in front of the mirror, it’s much better to use sales videos and marketing videos, different types of pitch videos, short videos, as part of your social video sales & social video marketing plans. Using the Pitch Video Canvas© (watch the short video) for instance to script your short videos.
On TikTok, Instagram, with YouTube shorts and also on LinkedIn. Preferably automated: business automation is key.
Want to see more blogs and offers about ‘social video for startups’? Then bookmark these posts .
Tony de Bree
ps
Let’s connect on LinkedIn and follow me on Instagram and on Twitter in English here and in Dutch: @2urigewerkdag , @ikstartonline , @wordpresszzpers and @dagboekbankier .
