Bizkids: Six Key Points of a Successful Elevator Pitch

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In this column, Bizkids, we will feature interviews with successful entrepreneurs and various professionals to share their advice to aspiring kids with entrepreneurial spirits. To send in your questions or advice, email [e-mail].

The importance of business and entrepreneurial experiences for teens is increasingly recognized. Are you or your teen ready to leave the nest and take the challenge? Once you have an idea, the very first step to introduce it to others is using an elevator pitch. As a brief, persuasive speech, you can use an elevator pitch to spark interest in your idea to potential clients or customers who don’t know you. 

This time, our featured professional is James LaLonde, co-founder, investor, and board member of Yodo1 and currently driving several growth project teams. LaLonde started his career as an early employee of Microsoft Japan and led the subsidiary’s rise to the first billion-dollar revenue of a software company in history. After his nearly 15-year corporate career, which culminated in a role as CEO of a NASDAQ listed software company, LaLonde with partner Henry Fong co-founded Yodo1, the largest private publisher of mobile phone games in China. Many of his ideas, best practices, and advice can be found in his most recent book The Tao of Startups.

Here, he has listed six key points about elevator pitches to help you introduce yourself to potential career and business connections in a compelling way.

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1. Smile and relax

Smile at your counterpart, look them in the eyes, and open with a statement, question, or handshake that grabs their attention.

2. Describe yourself

Tell them who you are: describe yourself and your career highlights. Show enthusiasm!

3. What do you offer the listener?

Talk about the milestones you have accomplished, problems you have solved, or contributions you have made. Give details or a clear example if possible.

4. What benefits do you or your product offer?

Mention what unique service, product or solutions you or your company offers. What are the advantages of working with you? How are you different from others?

5. How do you do it? What is your “special sauce”?

Give a concrete example or tell a short story, anecdote, or analogy, show your uniqueness, and paint a verbal picture of how you “do” the thing you do. This can be incorporated into number 4 above to save time.

6. Call to action

What is the desired next step after your elevator pitch? Do you want a business card, WeChat connection, a referral, follow up meeting, or demo?

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Photos: Courtesy of James LaLonde, Beijingkids, Unsplash 

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