Your elevator speech isn’t just a pitch. It’s a bridge
If you’re a sales rep or solopreneur trying to grow your business through referrals and real relationships, you need something better than a canned script or job title. You need something people remember, and want to repeat to someone else.
I came across a short video of Forbes Riley (yep, from Shark Tank) sharing how she crafts an elevator speech. It was solid. What stuck with me wasn’t the polish, it was the structure. So here’s my version of it, adapted for people like us who meet prospects face-to-face, work rooms full of referrals, and don’t want to sound like a walking brochure.
Use this structure:
- As someone who [statement of authenticity or personal backstory]
- Witness to [what goes wrong when people don’t get help]
- I’m on a mission to help [mildly defined target market] just like you
- And [expansion of that group — “and every coach who’s struggling with this too”]
- Then list 3–4 results or benefits you help deliver
- Close with a moral statement
(“No one’s voice deserves to go unheard.”
“No one’s future deserves to be limited by their systems.”)
Here’s what that sounds like in practice:
“As someone who’s seen too many good businesses fail because their marketing was scattered,
and watched talented people burn out trying to do it all themselves,
I’m on a mission to help solopreneurs like you, and every local business owner trying to keep up
get clear on their message, automate their follow-ups, land better leads, and buy back their time.
Because no one’s business deserves to stall just because they didn’t have the right tools.”
You don’t need to memorize it. You just need to internalize your story, and say it like a human.
When people feel connected to why you do what you do, they remember you. When they remember you, they refer you.
At Accent on Demand, we help people build that kind of clarity into their messaging, so they get more introductions, more traction, and less friction.
