I remember the first time I was asked that question, “What do you do?” Well, I do all kinds of things. I definitely don’t get paid to wear yoga pants and cuddle dogs, but I do a lot more than a simple title. So many times as entrepreneurs we struggle with fraud syndrome or try to convince people that we do really big things in a short amount of time, so I wanted to take the opportunity to share how you can refine and deliver your “elevator pitch” with confidence! Don’t miss out on the free guide I created for you, “How to Create (and Nail) Your Elevator Pitch” by clicking below!

So what the heck is an elevator pitch?

An Elevator Pitch is 60 seconds where you describe who you are and what you do. Think of being on an airplane and telling someone the “gist” of it all in a short time. The “What do you do” question can stump us all or leave us wanting to explain and explain and explain it all…  which is anything but precise. We might even find ourselves hiding behind titles.

Here’s how Entrepreneur.com sums it up:

An elevator pitch is a conversation, or an ice breaker, that will (hopefully) lead into a deeper dialogue about the functionality, and specialty, of what you and your company can offer. In practice you typically have just 60 seconds to leave an exciting, impactful and meaningful impression with whomever you come in contact with. So make them count.

You want to keep it short and sweet, summing it all up within 2-3 sentences if possible. Instead of focusing on YOU and what you DO, talk about who you serve and how you serve them. How do you do this? Let’s walk through it.

5 Key Factors for Your Elevator Pitch:

1.)  Create connection: why should they CARE about what you do? How can you create some sort of tie between you to make them want to remember or ask more questions? Everyone is out there wondering “what can do you do for me” so you want to present yourself in a way that tells them exactly that and answers that big question. You want to make their life easier, better, or more enjoyable by solving a problem, answering a question, or serving them in a way that helps.

2.)  Establish credibility: you want them to know you are an expert in your area, so how can you communicate that in a way that will resonate with them? Why is it that you are uniquely qualified? Don’t use titles they won’t understand or if you do, share it in a way that will make sense to them. So often we share things that would resonate with our peers but not our clients.  Also be sure to use numbers if you can, this gives tangible evidence and helps people understand the scope of what you do.

3.)  Leave them wanting more. You want people to become interested… so interested they need to know more. Keep it intriguing, almost like a cliff hanger so they can’t wait to be a part of what you’re doing or ask clarifying questions. You have to be brief, so pack it all in with a giant punch. The goal is to confidently communicate who you are and what you do.

4.)  Give them an invitation: we’ve talked about call to actions in a lot of episodes but what that means when giving your elevator pitch is to give them an invite to take action. How can they go a step further with you, what would they do if they wanted to learn more, how could they connect with you in the future? Whether you direct them where they can go to get more information or content or discuss a way you could potentially partner up –  extending that invitation is HUGE!

5.)  Do not defend. If you find yourself on the defense, they likely aren’t “your people” anyway. A lot of times I feel like people just don’t “get it” and it’s hard to not want to clarify and keep rambling on about what I do BUT I’ve learned to have restraint. If they don’t get it or aren’t interested, it’s okay, if you need to convince people, they aren’t worth your time. When you speak clearly to the right people, you’ll know that every time.

Example of my elevator pitch:

Hi, I’m Jenna Kutcher. I’m a small town Wisconsin girl with big ambitions. I’m mostly known for my obsession with mac and cheese, yoga pants, rescuing puppies, and keeping it real. I’m a photographer, educator, podcaster and blogger. I have served over 100 couples in love with wedding photography that tells their story in an authentic way and translates images into family heirlooms.

I have a giant obsession with marketing and love to teach other entrepreneurs how to run successful, authentic, and profitable businesses through messaging that serves, I teach online courses and did 1 million dollars in sales in one year. I also LOVE teaching on The Goal Digger Podcast, a workshop style podcast that serves up free education twice a week and helps inspire other entrepreneurs to chase their biggest dreams. If you want to connect, you can dive into my website at: jennakutcher.com

Seriously get in an elevator and practice. Time yourself and grab you freebie for this episode at by clicking here!