Many business owners understand the concept of an elevator pitch but don’t know how to effectively use them. That may be because you think your business concept is obvious or because you think you could recap it in less than a minute without practicing. However, in practice, you may find yourself stumbling over words, getting too in the weeds, or missing vital pieces that would pique the interest of others.

When you’re at a networking meeting or someone just asks, “So, what do you do?” you should have a prepared and practiced answer. Not only will it get the most important information across, but it’ll also help you seem more knowledgeable and experienced.

Practicing an elevator pitches is also a smart tactic for more shy or introverted people. You’ll be less likely to get tongue-tied and be more confident starting conversations – which is often the hardest part.

Here, you’ll find 4 elevator pitch templates and examples to help you get started writing your own.

The Generic Pitch

My name is [name], and I’m the [title] of [company]. We [make/sell/service] for [target audience], allowing them to [value]. We also offer [feature]. Unlike [competitor], we [competitive advantage].

My name is Amber, and I’m the director of marketing for Vonix. We provide VoIP and communication services to small and medium businesses, letting them connect with their customers. We also offer mobile softphones and desktop apps to give more flexibility to how companies connect. Unlike Spectrum, we offer more business features like unlimited lines and business texting, and we offer a direct line to our in-house support team to make it easy for our customers to reach us when they need help.

The Why

My name is [name], and I’m the [title] of [company]. As a [business owner, parent, other identity], I was always frustrated by [pain point] so that’s why we build [company/product]. It solves [pain point] by [features].

My name is Jessica, and I’m the CSO of Vonix. After a previous VoIP company I was with got acquired, I was frustrated with how poorly our customers were being treated. They couldn’t get the support they needed and kept facing rising costs without getting more features. That’s why we made Vonix. We wanted to create a phone company that treats customers the way that we want to be treated. We have over 30 years experience in VoIP and cloud communications and provide customers with all the support they need, when they need it.

The Sales Pitch

My name is [name], and I’m the [title] of [company]. We [make/sell/service] for [target audience], allowing them to [value]. Have you ever [pain point?] We solve that by providing [solution].

Hi, I’m with Vonix, a cloud communication provider based in Orlando. We provide business calling and texting to small and medium businesses, allowing them to get more sales and provide better service to their customers. Have you ever lost business because potential customers get busy signals or overflowing voicemail inboxes? We solve that with unlimited lines, custom hold messages and music, and voicemail to email or text so you never miss a message.

The Shock Factor

My name is [name], and I’m the [title] of [company]. So – did you know this? X% of people [do y]. But most [industry] companies don’t offer [solution]. At [company], we want to make sure that our customers don’t [pain point], which is why we [solution and features].

I work for Vonix, a cloud communications company. Did you know that 1/3 of people who get a busy signal from a company won’t call back? But most of our competitors only offer businesses with 2 lines. That means you could be losing business every time you’re on the phone. That’s why we offer unlimited lines with custom hold music and messages to keep your callers on the line longer. We want to help companies get and keep more business, which is why we offer more features to help them get more out of their phones.

How to Write Your Elevator Pitch

Feeling inspired? It’s easier to write than you think. Before you get started, think of these key factors:

• Why do we do what we do?
• What is the biggest pain point for our customers?
• What is our greatest value to customers?
• What are the top 3 features or reasons people might choose us?
• How are we different from our competitors?

Once you’ve written your pitch, practice saying it out loud. If you’re tripping over words or something doesn’t feel right, try breaking your pitch into shorter sentences, removing complicated words, and making it as simple as possible.

Next, practice saying it until you can memorize it. Practice before you head to an event but also think about taping it in an area you see a lot until it’s committed to memory. Soon, you’ll be able to recite it without thinking and make variations to help address points you know your audience will care about.