Quick definition for those of you who have never heard of an elevator pitch; this is a 10-30sec or 100-150 word overview of a product, idea, project or service that is primarily used to entice investment. Entrepreneurs will need to master this if they wish to receive capital investment for their ventures but these wonderful tools have become a way for anyone to quickly describe what they do or offer. Sales people, project managers, job seekers and even speed daters have taken up the elevator pitch to help them succeed. The basic principle is to say enough about your offering to make the person you are pitching want, no desire more information.

An example for a personal trainer maybe;
"Hi my name is Barry Duncan, I am in the business of transforming lives by giving the people I work with the tools and skills they need to succeed in health and fitness, this easily transfers to the rest of their life and ensures success in whatever they do. My ‘Quick Fit' workouts allow people to achieve phenomenal results in short periods and they use my simple tools to maintain a healthier and active life style. "

You get the idea you want a "Wow that is fantastic!" or "Can you tell me more?" type response.

Why do trainers and fitness instructors need an elevator pitch? You are the ambassadors of the industry, everywhere you go and every person you talk to look at you as the example of what to do to be healthy. If someone asks you what you do you need something that inspires that person to become healthier or even better to use your advice and service to do so. A fitness professional is always selling at every function, party restaurant and especially in the grocery store.

The key to a great pitch is to be able to summarize the product or service you offer in a way that it elicits emotion from the person you are talking to.

A person that does Mommy Boot Camps may want to say "I motivate and inspire mothers to achieve greatness so they in turn can motivate their children to achieve greatness. My Mommy Boot Camps make mothers fit, healthy and confident to tackle the never ending expectations that are thrust upon them on a daily basis." or "I have transformed the mommy image from slippers and bath robes to running shoes and athletic gear from holding an iron fry pan to wielding iron dumbbells. This makes every mommy I know a force to reckon with and an inspiration to their children, friend and family."

Your pitches will need:

• A message for your target demographic
• A message that make people talk about you to others
•  Needs to be positive
• Needs to inspire people
• Elicits questions about what you do
• Motivates people to take action

My final tip is that once you have the pitch you will need to create a series of answers to potential responses from people. My next posting will be covering how to create a Q & A list that will wow your customers this should help you with these. Now all you need is a pen a piece of paper and some people to bounce the pitch off of.