This post is going to start a little different from normal, firstly I would like to share with you an epic song that I heard today and im listing to now. Its great. Its called Deadmau5 Arguru (Original Mix) – check it out. You will love it if your into dirty, sexy trance.

So back to what I was originally going to write about. I attended a “Pitch Fest” event tonight, it is called something else which I can’t remember (this might have something to do with only finding out about the event 2 hours before, thanks Bart Jellema for thinking of me so last minute.)

What is an elevator pitch you may ask?

This is the 30-60 second business description of what you do and why someone should work with you. It’s called an “Elevator Pitch” because it describes the challenge: “How would you explain your business and make a sale if fate placed you in an elevator with your dream prospect and you only had the time it takes to get from the top of the building to the bottom?”

Taken From: http://www.dumblittleman.com/2007/08/how-to-craft-killer-elevator-pitch-that.html

It was a cool event and the basis of it is this;

You come up with a 30 second pitch, the whole point of the pitch is that you spend 30 seconds (from the lobby of the building) talking to the VC (Venture Capitalist/Investor/Business Angel) about your idea, why now is the right time, what makes you unique and how you will make money from it. The reason they only last 30 seconds and they call it an elevator pitch is you have the time that it takes from the lobby to the top floor to where the potential investor gets out of the lift to make an impression, demonstrate your value and hook the potential investor enough to want to hear more. Its like that age old saying goes “first impressions count” and in this case, your first impression is your best info with no “ums” or “ahhs” .

I went tonight with no real ideas to pitch (I am an entrepreneur, what that means is im so damn cool, I can create a pitch on the spot – which is what I did, it wasn’t the best but the point of the night was to give it a go.) so the idea i did pitch was something I thought of when speaking to another Entrepreneur about 20mins before hand about online marketing for offline business.

The basis of the event is the whole room of people do a pitch on video, then the three judges watch and vote on 5 to move onto the next round. Those 5 successful pitchmen/women then do a 3min pitch which to the camera again and then there is two picked from them which then have to do a 5min pitch. With the winner of the final pitch being the winner of the event.

It was lots of fun, I met lots of cool new people and learnt how to do a 30 second pitch. It was a great night and a big thanks goes out to Bart Jellema and Gy for making the night happen.

Below is some snippets of info and a video which I found on the web about crafting solid 30 second elevator pitches. Entrepreneurs are a dime a dozen, ideas are a dime a dozen but intelligent, switch on, shape Entrepreneurs with solid, fool proof ideas are diamonds in the rough.

Below is some info from – http://www.dumblittleman.com/2007/08/how-to-craft-killer-elevator-pitch-that.html - about Why Having An Elevator Pitch Is Important & Crafting A Killer Elevator Pitch!

Why Is Having an Elevator Pitch So Important?

You only have 30-60 seconds to make a powerful first impression. The attention span of the average person is just 30 seconds before their mind starts wandering. The other reason is people have less time today. You need to grab them quickly or lose them forever.

Essential Elements of a Powerful Elevator Pitch

1. Concise. Your pitch should take no longer than 30-60 seconds.
2. Clear. Use language that everyone understands. Don’t use fancy words thinking it will make you sound smarter. Your listener won’t understand you and you’ll have lost your opportunity to hook them.
3. Powerful. Use words that are powerful and strong. Deliver the “Sis-Boom-Bang” to grab their attention!
4. Visual. Use words that create a visual image in your listeners mind. This will make your message memorable.
5. Tell a Story. A short story, that is. A good story is essentially this: someone with a problem either finds a solution or faces tragedy. Either type of story can be used to illuminate what you do.
6. Targeted. A great elevator pitch is aimed for a specific audience. If you have target audiences that are vastly different, you might want to have a unique pitch for each.
7. Goal Oriented. A kick-ass elevator pitch is designed with a specific outcome in mind. What is your desired outcome? You may have different pitches depending on different objectives. For instance do you want to: make a sale, gain a prospect, enlist support for an idea, or earn a referral.
8. Has a Hook. This is the element that literally snags your listener’s interest and makes them want to know more. This is the phrase or words that strike a chord in your listener.

How to Craft Your Killer Elevator Pitch

• Write down what you do. Write it several different ways. Try writing it at least 10-20 different ways. Don’t edit yourself at all. You will edit later. This first step is for generating ideas. Don’t hold back. Ideas can be goofy, serious, wild, funny, or conservative. It doesn’t matter. The goal is to get at many ideas as possible down on paper.
• Write a very short story that illustrates what you do for people. If necessary, the story can be long. You will boil it down later. Paint a picture with words.
• Write down your objective or goal. Do you want to make a sale, gain a prospect, enlist support for an idea, earn a referral, or something else?
• Write 10-20 action statements. This is a statement or question designed to spur the action associated with your goal.
• Record yourself. You can use Jott if you don’t have a recording device. Jott is a free phone based service that translates your messages into text as well as providing an online link to the original audio.
• Let it sit. Come back to what you’ve written with fresh eyes and ears the next day or later on in the same day.
• Highlight the good stuff. Listen and read through what you’ve recorded and written. Then either highlight or circle the phrases that hook you with clear, powerful, and visual words. Obviously not all the words will fall into these categories. You still need connector words, but you want them to be as few as possible.
• Put the best pieces together. Again you’ll want to write down several versions of this much tighter pitch. Tell us what you do and why people should want to do business with you. Include elements from your story if you can fit it in.
• Record these new ones.
• Do a final edit cutting as many unnecessary words as possible. Rearrange words and phrases until it sounds just right. Again, the goal is 30-60 seconds maximum.
• Dress Rehearsal. Run it by as many people as you can get to listen to you. Get feedback from colleagues, clients you trust, friends and family.
• Done for now. Take your final elevator pitch and write it down. Memorize and practice it until it just slides off your tongue naturally.
• Continue to improve. Over time, always be on the listen for phrases that you think could make your elevator pitch more clear and impactful. And then test it out. Every once in a while you will probably benefit by starting from scratch because things always change: you, your business, your goals, and your clients’ needs.

Some cool sites to checkout if you want to start up your first company or learn more about venture capital and company start ups:

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