How to fix your elevator pitch

Most people suck at answering "what they do". And then they wonder why no one responds to their messages or cares about their startup.

Here's a step-by-step formula I learned from Shaan Puri that helps simplify your elevator pitch to guarantee strong first impressions:

In today's digital world, you should be able to explain:

• What your company does
• Why it's needed
• and Who it's for

Sadly, most people overcomplicate their answers. Here's how to fix that:

To make more people tune into your message, make it simple and user friendly to draw their interest.

• Complicated: what we're taught in university
• Simple: what we see on tech websites
• Powerful: what will actually make people listen

Here's how to make your elevator pitch powerful:

1. Change the focus from company to customer
2. Describe their problem, then your solution
3. Cut out all the fancy jargon

Don't reinvent the wheel, just carve off the noise and keep it focused on the person you're helping.

Here's the framework:

Here's a marketing example:

Now let's fix your elevator pitch.

1. First, pick a problem you're going after.

Most pet owners can never ________
Most people struggle with _____
Most parents hate ______

2. Now pick a simple solution:

• this is why we made XYZ formula for _______
• we developed a new app that _________
• we created a 1 click fix for _______

3. Paint a happy ending:

--

Here's the 3 step formula to bookmark:

1. Most people have X problem
2. We have this simple solution
3. So that you get a happy ending

TL;DR from the breakdown

• Most people suck at explaining what they do
• Change that w/ the 3-step storybrand formula
• Start with the problem the customer has
• Then pitch your simple solution
• Paint a happy ending picture

What would you add in? How do you make a great first impression with your elevator pitch?