Sunday, July 24, 2011

Elevator pitching: taking you to the next level


You have a brilliant idea that’s going to change the world (or at the very least give Angry Birds a run for its money). Now all you have to do is come up with the dough to make it happen.

After tapping out all your friends and family for money, you realize it may be time to hit up some VCs for investment. Like an audition for the Shark Tank or its Canadian equivalent, Dragon’s Den, you may only have a few seconds before one of your “judges” hits the buzzer sending you packing.

The secret to a successful meeting? Having a strong elevator pitch that captivates your potential investors within the first few seconds and has them wanting to hear more.

The summary of your product or company should be delivered within the time span of an elevator ride (hence the suitable name) and is your opportunity to leave a memorable impression and get your audience hooked. A well-crafted elevator pitch is also helpful during interviews when asked to “describe yourself”, when meeting people at trade shows and networking events, when speaking to reporters or marketing products. This is your movie trailer, and you want your audience to leave thinking “I want to see that”.

Tuesday, July 26, (W)right On Communications’ Julie Wright (President) and Tomica Divic (Vancouver office Account Exec) will be hosting a presentation on Elevator Pitching at Wavefront in Vancouver. Wavefront, the commercialization centre accelerating the growth of Canada’s wireless companies, will bring in a slew of innovative start-ups seeking seeding. The session will include everything from key content elements to how to effectively deliver your message in person.

The following day Julie and Tomica will attend a session where Wavefront companies pitch one another. Stay tuned as we’ll plan to be tweeting live from the event, from 11 to 1:30 Wednesday, July 27th . Follow us at @A_tomica and @juliewright.

In the meantime, check out these fun examples of a winning elevator pitch and one that’s sure to leave your funder stunned.



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