As an agricultural business owner, it’s inevitable that you will be asked the question “what do you do?” by a wide variety of people, such as potential customers, investors, or even competitors. You might be asked at a school event, community gathering, or even while at the grocery store. Having a clear answer to this question can help you make new relationships that will help your business.  That’s where your elevator pitch comes in handy! It’s a short, prepared rundown of what your business does that should focus on sparking interest in your business.  

Here are some tips for crafting your business’s elevator speech: 

• Be brief: Make sure your pitch isn’t too long. In theory, it should be short enough to give during a 30-second elevator ride, but it’s more likely to be a quick conversation at a chamber of commerce meeting or the local extension office. Making it too long and detailed will lose your audience’s attention, so keep it short! 

• Spark their interest: Start your speech with a hook that will reel your audience in. This could be a relatable one-liner or a question that gets them thinking. For example, a direct meat business could begin with asking something as simple as “Are you tired of buying subpar meat at the grocery store? Wouldn’t you rather have fresher, tastier, and locally-sourced meat?” These kinds of leading questions lead the audience to your way of thinking and draw their interest so they want to listen to you.  

• Don’t use jargon: Avoid using any technical language that your listener may not understand. If they’re confused about what you’re saying, your audience will tune out and your speech won’t reach them. 

• End with a call-to-action: After your speech, you can begin to form a relationship with your audience by encouraging them to do something. You can exchange your contact information, tell them where your business is located, and ask them to come visit sometime. To really catch their attention, you could even offer them a tour or a free sample of your product. Ending with a call-to-action is a good way to lead into next steps with your audience, especially potential customers. 

• Practice makes natural: You should practice your pitch enough that you’ll be confident and sure of what you’re going to say. However, you should make sure that your speech is natural and conversational. So, be sure to practice and have a plan of what to say but remember to adapt your speech to the particular situation. 

You never know who you might run into that could end up being a customer, investor, or competitor, so you should always keep your elevator speech in your back pocket for conversations in your daily life.  For questions or assistance, feel free to please reach out to KCARD at (859) 550-3972 or via email at kcard@kcard.info.