Copywriting is about more than just being able to write well. The true value of a copywriter is the strategy they bring to the table. This is why we created a free guide on how to create elevator pitches for different situations. Being able to talk about your business in person is just as important as having high-converting sales funnels and websites that get coaching clients excited to work with you. An elevator pitch is often the first impression someone has of your business.
An elevator pitch for coaches requires just as much strategy as any piece of copy. You need to understand who you’re speaking to and what aspects of your coaching business appeal to them. You also need to know what your goal is for the elevator pitch in this situation. As copywriters, we can teach you how to think strategically when talking about your coaching business.
The Problem With Current Elevator Pitch Tactics
We’ve all heard the theory about elevator pitches, that you should focus on results and write an elevator pitch that emphasises the value you can offer the other person. Their aim is to warm a lead or make a sale in 3 sentences or less.
What those elevator pitches fail to recognise is that the other person didn’t ask for a hard sell; they simply asked what you do. It’s a polite question that people ask in social situations to try and find common ground so they can make conversation. They didn’t ask you to sell them on your coaching in 2 minutes flat. Frankly, that’s not a situation that ever arises (and why would you want to work with someone like that?)
Every single person you meet could be a potential coaching client or could refer you to a potential coaching client. They’re only going to do so if they think you would be a good coach. Someone who talks at them or tries to sell them on things without so much as a bit of light conversation is not someone most people would want as their coach.
The goal of an elevator pitch is not to close a deal or even book a meeting with someone. The goal is to start a conversation. Even if you’re in a room full of people actively looking for a coach, it’s going to take more than 3 sentences to convert them. Stop using your elevator pitch to sell. Use your elevator pitch to start a conversation.
Elevator Pitches Offer You Value
A coach’s elevator pitch provides real-time feedback. You deliver an elevator pitch, and you can see exactly how different people respond to what you are saying. You can see what piques their interest, what surprises them, and what they connect with. The person you are speaking to will ask questions and end up telling you about their experiences.
The conversation that happens after an elevator pitch is an absolute goldmine for getting to know your clients. People will actively volunteer what makes them reluctant to try coaching or what they struggle with most in your area of expertise. You can start to understand how your ideal client thinks and feels about the problem you solve.
This information will help you to improve your coaching because you understand the common sticking points. This information will help you to create effective marketing because you understand how your clients see their problems.
If you try to sell in your elevator pitch, this conversation won’t happen because the person you are speaking to will put their defences up.
Read The Room
Don’t be that person trying to do business at a family BBQ. Nobody likes that person.
Our free elevator pitch eBook for coaches takes you through how to approach an elevator pitch in 3 different scenarios:
- Elevator pitches in casual situations
- Elevator pitches in industry events
- Elevator pitches when talking to potential clients
In each scenario, you’re answering the same question – “so what do you do?” However, in each scenario, there is a different expectation for how you answer.
If you start selling to Aunt Mabel at her son’s 5th birthday, you’re going to be given a wide berth for the rest of the afternoon. If you simply explain what you do and why you love it, that opens a conversation where Aunt Mabel asks more about your coaching. Next time someone is talking to her about a problem they’re having, she’ll remember that you help people with that problem and suggest they contact you.
Copywriting 101 is understanding who you are talking to and what your goal is for the conversation. Is Aunt Mabel going to care about the hard numbers of my client results? Probably not. She’s looking for a conversation, and I need to give her something to ask about. What can I say that would pique her interest, or what can I say that she can relate to? These are the questions you need to be asking yourself when you’re writing an elevator pitch. These are the questions missing from elevator pitches written by sales experts.
Ready to start writing elevator pitches for your business? Grab our free guide here.
