It's called an elevator pitch because it takes about the amount of time you would spend riding in an elevator with someone. A presentation speech is a brief description of your professional and educational achievements and information relevant to your professional abilities and goals. You use it when you introduce yourself to people in networking situations and professional fairs or answer the interview question: “Tell me about yourself”. It's also your professional summary in your resume and LinkedIn profile.
In the financial world, a promotional argument refers to an entrepreneur's attempt to convince a venture capitalist that a business idea is worth investing in. Usually, a successful presentation speech will be enough to arouse the investor's curiosity and lay the groundwork for a follow-up meeting. It is during this meeting that the businessman will present the investor with a more formal presentation in the hope of increasing the initial capital. In addition, the Idaho Business Review suggests that people who use a promotional speech give it in simple language and that they avoid statistics or other language that could disturb the listener's concentration.
Depending on the circumstances, some elevator presentations may be longer than the proverbial elevator ride and may give more details about the team that was involved in developing the idea. For example, startup incubation programs may conclude with a demonstration day in which a founding member of the team, often the CEO, will deliver a keynote speech about the company. While that person may not be a hiring manager, they can still offer a promotional argument, Moffett said. In the “team” section of your presentation speech, you should explain why you and your business partners are the right team to execute your vision and why your team's skill set is precisely what is needed to lead the company to success.
Crosby, who worked as a quality testing technician and, later, as director of quality at International Telephone and Telegraph, recounted how a promotional argument could be used to drive change in the company. In situations like these, you need a brief, easy-to-understand explanation of your company and its products, such as a presentation speech. Another story of the origin of the elevator pitch is that of Elisha Graves Otis, the inventor of a device intended for elevator safety, dating back to the 1850s. A promotional speech, also known as an elevator speech, can better introduce professionals to your company.
For example, elevator presentations can be given on short notice and without much preparation due to the prior planning of the content that will be delivered within that presentation, making the listener feel more comfortable. In the target market section of your sales proposal, you'll define exactly who has the problem you're solving and calculate how many potential customers you're trying to sell to. The name comes from the idea that the speech should be delivered in the short amount of time of an elevator ride. An effective elevator argument should not last longer than 30 seconds, just like the time you spend in an elevator.
You should have an effective presentation speech prepared before you need it, since you have very little time to deliver it.
