Are you ready with your elevator pitch?

I experienced one of those moments earlier this week that we talk about a lot at our various Lionesses of Africa networking events - being ready to go with our elevator pitches at any time as entrepreneurs, as you never know who you will bump into. This was certainly the case when I was in a corporate elevator in Johannesburg, returning to the ground floor from a meeting in the upper floors of the building, when a young entrepreneur had the opportunity to pitch his business to a senior decision maker from the client company he was chasing. Such opportunities are rare and have to be grasped immediately. The entrepreneur introduced himself to the potential client, who then asked what he and his company did - there it was, the invitation to do the elevator pitch. The problem was that the young entrepreneur was so keen to meet and get to know the client, he completely forgot to make the pitch as the elevator reached the ground floor, missing out on a golden opportunity. Such opportunities very rarely come around twice, so it’s important to be ready. Prepare and practice your elevator pitch on a regular basis, and hone it until it’s both informative and impactful. Remember that if you can’t get your business, brand and product message pitched in around 15 seconds, then the chances are you won't make your message stick with your potential client. So get practicing that elevator pitch now!