4 Steps to a Perfect Elevator Pitch

Start-ups and inventors are very familiar with the phrase “elevator pitch.” Even as a REALTOR®, you should be too. After all, an “elevator pitch” is really as simple as the answer to this question: “What do you do?” It’s a 30 second summary – not just of your profession, but what sets you apart in it. Perfect this, and you’ll be gaining a valuable tool in growing your business.

So, how do you begin crafting your elevator pitch? Here are a few simple steps that can help you get there.

1. Identify your target audience.
2. Pinpoint the needs/desires of your target audience.
3. Explain how you can help your audience achieve their goals.
4. Provide an example of your success.

Lets go over each of these in depth.

1. Identify your target audience.
The best way to get started is to ask yourself: “Whom will I be talking to?” It’s the golden rule of any marketing message – write or speak to the people you want to gain as customers.

This could be an easy answer: people looking to sell or buy a home. Or, it could be more specific: people looking to sell or buy a home in [name of your city goes here]. You’ll need to adjust your marketing message (a) for those selling a home and (b) for those looking to buy.

2. Pinpoint the needs/desires of your target audience.
If the person you’re speaking to wants to sell their home, they’ll have different concerns than someone wanting to purchase a home.

• Sellers want to sell their homes as quickly as possible for as much money as possible.

• Buyers want to find their dream house and they want to spend as little as possible for it.

These are oversimplifications. Your target audience is also very concerned about finding a partner in this journey that they can trust. They need someone knowledgeable, honest, and capable. These may also be traits to capture in your elevator pitch.

3. Explain how you can help your audience achieve their goals.
Now that we’ve pinpointed who your target audience is and what your target audience wants to achieve, we can explain to them how you will help them achieve it.

This is the place where you identify your unique selling proposition, what sets you apart from your competitors. Is it your grasp of technology? Is it your customer-focused approach? Do you have special training or education that would enable you to do the most for your target audience?

4. Provide an example of your success.
The best thing you can do is to provide facts and statistics to back up your claims. Give exact numbers that demonstrate your success in helping your clients. Things like days on market and selling price matter a lot to sellers. Communicate any unique marketing program that you use and reinforce marketing programs that they are likely to hear from others – for example,  “We also do all the basic stuff like virtual tours, listing syndication to popular web portals, postcards, open houses, staging, etc.”

Example
So, for example, an agent in our area might say to a seller:

“I’m a real estate agent in San Luis Obispo County. I help people sell their homes quickly and for maximum profit. I’m able to do this extremely effectively because I’m a pro with the latest technology tools and advanced Web marketing. I helped my last client sell their house at [dollar amount] above listing price after only [number] days on the market.”