Elevator Pitch Definition

I just checked out Wikipedia to investigate what it had to say about the almighty Elevator Pitch. And here’s the scoop…

An elevator pitch (or elevator speech) is an overview of an idea for a product, service, or project. The name reflects the fact that an elevator pitch can be delivered in the time span of an elevator ride (for example, thirty seconds or 100-150 words).

The term is typically used in the context of an entrepreneur pitching an idea to a venture capitalist to receive funding. Venture capitalists often judge the quality of an idea and team on the basis of the quality of its elevator pitch, and will ask entrepreneurs for the elevator pitch to quickly weed out bad ideas.

It is said that many of the most important decisions made on the floor of the United States’s House or Senate are made “within the span of an elevator ride” as a staff aide whispers into a Congressman or Senator’s ear while they head down to the floor to cast their vote.[citation needed]

A variety of other people, including entrepreneurs, project managers, salespeople, evangelists, job seekers, and speed daters commonly use elevator pitches to get their point across quickly.

Welcome to Elevator Pitch School

Greetings, my name is Michelle Anton and this is the spot for up to the minute elevator pitch information and training.

A couple of weeks ago a very popular magazine invited me to be a judge for their Elevator Pitch Competition and I graciously accepted. It was the perfect venue for me because I’ve heard thousands of elevator pitches. Now that may sound like a slight exaggeration but it’s not. As a TV Producer of nationally syndicated talk shows I’ve been pitched to on the phone, in the supermarket, at the PTA, while sitting in the ER with my friend and in places you just wouldn’t believe. But it wasn’t until I set sail in a new direction did I begin to amass the bulk of my Elevator Pitch frequent flyer miles.

When I was hired to produce the Dr. Laura Radio Program I had no idea that so many people would be calling the radio program non-stop every minute. Each hour up to twenty thousand people were calling and I even asked the technical support department to confirm the amount of calls flooding the phone lines. From the second each caller began speaking I instinctively knew if they had “IT” or the X factor. I’m talking about that special something, and it is not easily defined with words. However, it makes you interested and tuned in to what an individual is saying. What it came down to was that every caller’s elevator pitch either put them on to speak to Dr. Laura or not. To quickly find a great call is no easy task mainly because most people don’t like to “bottom-line” their situation to a succinct question. Yet others called and had no idea what question they wanted to ask and would say, “I didn’t think anyone was going to answer the phone.”

It was during those five years while producing the Dr.Laura program that my most valuable Elevator Pitch skills were honed and perfected. Up until now my training has been available to a select few in my inner circle. However, it is with great pleasure that I am fulfilling a longtime goal and launching the Elevator Pitch School. I want to personally invite you to learn how to quickly and easily create an Elevator Pitch for your success. And it doesn’t matter what line of work you are in. Although one of the benefits of a great Elevator Pitch is it can give you access and power to get people to listen to what you have to say.

Stay tuned to learn the seven steps to your invincible Elevator Pitch. I’ll be inviting my producer friends, editors, authors, venture capitalist, and angel investors to share their insider tips with you. Just the other day I used my Elevator Pitch and secured a booking for The Small Business Summit in Orlando, Florida on Friday, September 26, 2008.

Highest regards,

Michelle Anton