In a blog post a long time ago, I promised to share some secrets for perfecting your elevator pitch; that all-important branding message which every management consultant should be able to deliver at a moment’s notice.
In this post I’ll begin to deliver on that promise, by revealing the power of the letter “C”, which contrary to what you might expect, does not stand for “consulting”.
I’m actually talking about the key characteristics which define a really engaging elevator pitch. Those characteristics can be easily remembered using The Nine C’s.
Are you curious to know what they are? Read on, and your curiosity will soon be satisfied.
The Nine C’s of Elevator Pitch Preparation
In management consulting, you never know just where your next client might come from. The Nine C’s will help you turn chance meetings in elevators, conference lobbies, or even on the street into qualified leads to new business.
First though, you have to know what The Nine C’s are and then apply them when perfecting your elevator pitch.
So let’s get to it. Your management consulting elevator pitch should be…
Concise: Your elevator pitch should tell people what you want them to know, but in as few words as possible. Remember, you should be able to deliver your pitch in 60 seconds or less.
Clear: A management consulting elevator pitch should not be an excuse to demonstrate your knowledge of acronyms, jargon, or buzzwords. Essentially, the pitch should be as understandable to an artistic mystic as it is to the CEO of a global business enterprise.
Compelling: For your elevator pitch to compel potential clients to learn more about you, it should clearly set out the types of problems you specialise in solving as an independent consultant.
Credible: In perfecting your elevator pitch, you should make sure it explains how you are qualified to practice management consulting in your particular niche.
Conceptual: While you need to explain what problems you solve and the solutions you offer, you must try to keep your pitch at a conceptual level rather than delving into detail. Too many details will detract from the impact of your pitch and make it too long.
Concrete: Despite keeping your management consulting elevator pitch at a reasonably high level, it’s important to ensure the information you provide is specific and relatable to anyone likely to have use for your services.
Customised: Of course, it’s not possible to customise your elevator pitch on the fly to every individual you meet. However, you should make sure it’s customised enough to pique the interest of potential clients in your particular consulting field.
Consistent: If you expect to be in an environment where you’re likely to meet a number of potential leads with a common problem, you should certainly tweak (customise) the content of your elevator pitch to suit that audience. However, if you do generate multiple versions of your pitch, be consistent in terms of your core message.
Conversational: Finally, perfecting your elevator pitch means making it natural and conversational. With your message initially set down on paper, you can’t really know how it will come across when you deliver it to someone face-to-face. So practice your delivery and record yourself, or practice with someone you know and get them to provide feedback on your delivery.
Did You Already Prepare an Elevator Pitch?
If you haven’t created your elevator pitch yet,
The Nine C’s are a great set of guidelines. Follow them and you’ll soon be introducing your management consulting business perfectly in 60 seconds or less.
As it’s been a while since my last post about the need for an elevator pitch, perhaps you already went ahead and prepared one. If you’ve launched your management consulting business, perhaps you’ve even delivered your pitch a few times.
Still, it’s never too late to take a few more steps in perfecting your elevator pitch, so now might be a good time to review yours against The Nine C’s, and make sure it has all the right characteristics to be effective.
Best Regards,
Rob O’Byrne
Email or +61 417 417 307