An elevator pitch in my perspective

After practicing an elevator pitch in our last class, I realized that selling a good product is not merely selling a good idea, but you need to also think about how to make the product sustainable in the market and how you “send the message” to the buyers. There are several aspects that should be prepared before you pitch your product, e.g. the estimated cost, how do you manufacture and market the product and the detail of how the product works. Furthermore, no matter whom you’re going to pitch your product to, you need to be concise, but also attractive, in your explanation. Less is better, as the valuable time of “catchers” means that you need to make your case in less time.

In contrast to how we build an argument academically, the framework of an elevator pitch should be reversed. Rather than building your argument at the beginning, it is better to start with “What is your product?” and proceed to answer the other 4W1H questions: Why do you think it is valuable? To whom are you going to sell it? Where are you going to sell it? When is the right timing to sell it? How are you going to manufacture it?

Furthermore, selling a product is more of building a connection with your buyers than selling an attractive idea itself. Thus, verbal and nonverbal communication is important when pitching an idea. I think trying to find a clue whether the catcher is interested in your idea during the first thirty seconds is a good way to tailor the way you communicate. As Kimberly D Elsbach (2003) explains, people use subjective judgments about you to gauge your product feasibility. Finally, the objective of an elevator pitch is to create an opportunity for further interests, not to sell a product, and it is an imperfect process, so I think effective communication is the important skill in this stage.