The concept of a “elevator pitch” isn’t new. The idea is that a slick salesperson can persuade or win over a client in the time it takes a lift to go from the ground to the top floor with an exciting, compelling or persuasive pitch – but it’s not something that we in the voluntary and community sector tend to always do well, or think is the right approach for us.
Networking or pitching?
It’s not the case that your elevator pitch should be trotted out every time you meet someone. Quite the opposite in fact. Pitching is something you do when you know a person is interested in your offer and you need to grab their interest and get over the key points of your offer quickly. Networking is about building relationships for the long term.
The best example I can provide for you is Daphine Aikens, the founder and former CEO of Hammersmith & Fulham Foodbank. Daphine would often be invited to meetings or events where she would come into contact with other organisations, business people, notable and high net worth individuals. At those events, Daphine never spoke about what support HF Foodbank needed – instead, she focussed on sharing straightforward stories about the people the organisation was supporting and what they had experienced that brought them to Foodbank. Time and time again, this resulted in individuals reaching out to Daphine afterwards to ask how they could help or work together.
So when do we need an elevator pitch? Read on
