#004 | Step 1 (Part 2): Write Your Elevator Pitch

Getting your message right is the most important first-step to creating a website. No matter how cool your website is, if it’s not actually building a list of prospects or converting sales, the top reason is because your message is not right.

Get Your Message Right!

Getting your message right is the most important first-step to creating a website. No matter how cool your website is, if it’s not actually building a list of prospects or converting sales, the top reason is because your message is not right.

The right message is magical. It transforms what you have to say into what your audience wants to hear. The right message is clear, focussed, and compelling. It instantly communicates that you have the solution to a specific problem your target audience has.

In the last issue #002 I shared how to choose a niché; what superpowers a niché has; and why choosing a niché is essential for solopreneurs. Then I shared how to use the Problems/Solutions/Benefits Canvas. I also shared a link to download the Choose A Niché Worksheet and the Problems/Solutions/Benefits Canvas (Free until November 15th). Click here to read the last issue.

In this issue I will cover the second part of Step 1: Targeting. Specifically, I’m going to share how to:

• Map Problems, Solutions, and Customers
• Write Your Elevator Pitch
• Do Market Research

The goal of this issue is to help solopreneurs who do this work:

• Know what specific customer problems they solve with their products/services.
• Clearly communicate the solutions and benefits they offer.
• Craft your “Elevator Pitch,” a simple, clear, and compelling message that serves as the foundation for website content, and all marketing communications.

What do you do?

How you answer this simple question says a lot about the quality of your message and your brand.

Before you read any further try this exercise:

• Ask yourself this simple question: “What do you do?”
• Record or write down your answer.
• Playback or read your answer.
• Now read on…

I ask all my clients this question right from the start. It’s also one of the first questions people ask when they meet you. Yet only a few can answer this simple question clearly and in a way that communicates what you do, who you do it for, and what value/benefit you provide.

In this issue, I will guide you through a proven process for crafting an effective and compelling Elevator Pitch that you can use to answer this simple and all-important question going forward.

Start With A Problem/Solution Approach

One more thing before I go into crafting your Elevator Pitch.

The key to an effective message is communicating that your products/services solve a specific problem(s) your customers have.

Marketing for most solopreneurs goes like this:

• You know what you do and you’re good at it…
• You know what benefits your customers get from using your products/services…
• Your marketing messages tell what you offer and the benefits.

The trick to crafting an effective and compelling Elevator Pitch brand message is to translate what you have to offer into what your customers are looking for.

Your customers don’t care about what you are selling. They care about finding the solution to a problem they are having. Think about this. If your iPhone 14 charger breaks, you look for someplace that sells an iPhone 14 chargers.

So, if you sell iPhone 14 chargers, then the first step in crafting an effective and compelling Elevator Pitch is to communicate that you have iPhone 14 chargers for sale. Sounds simple.

Map Problems, Solutions, and Benefits

I created the Problems/Solutions/Benefits Canvas to speed up this essential process. Here’s how it works:

1. Download the Problems/Solutions/Benefits Canvas.
2. Open the file.
3. Keeping the niché you chose in the last lesson (see the previous issue 002), in column 1 “Problems:” List your customers top 3 problems. For this example, the top 3 problems are:
   1. Broken iPhone 14 charger
   2. Need immediate replacement
   3. Want only “New” condition
4. In column 2 “Customers:” List your target customers and users. For this example, the target customers are iPhone 14 users located in Atlanta, Georgia. Their location is important for this example because “immediate replacement” is one of the problems. This means the customer must be located where you can reach them immediately.
5. In column 3 “Solutions:” List how you solve each of the 3 problems. For this example, the solutions are:
   1. I sell new iPhone 14 chargers
   2. I offer online pre-ordering
   3. I offer same-day delivery (via DoorDash)
   Notice how the solutions relate directly to the problems and the target customers.
6. In column 4 “Benefits:” List the top 3-5 benefits customers with the 3 problems get from using your products/services. For this example, the benefits are:
   1. Immediate availability
   2. Online pre-orders
   3. Same-day delivery (via DoorDash)
   Notice that the benefits relate directly to the specific problems and solutions you listed.

So far you’ve chosen a niché and mapped problems, solutions, and benefits that you can offer and fulfill. Now, let’s craft your Elevator Pitch.

Write Your Elevator Pitch

An Elevator Pitch instantly:

• Tells what problem(s) your products/services solve
• Tells who has the problem(s) you solve (your prospects/customers).
• Tells what alternatives your prospects/customers are using now (your competition).
• Tells what solutions you offer.
• Tells what value/benefits you deliver.

The Elevator Pitch Template

Your Elevator Pitch answers the question “What do you do?” Use the Elevator Pitch Template to craft your Elevator Pitch. The template provides 3 formats that deliver your message with different levels of detail.

Follow these steps to use The Elevator Pitch Template:

1. Download the Elevator Pitch Template.
2. Open the PDF file.
3. Go to page 2 and List 3-5 problems your products/services solve. The key here is to list problems you can solve really well with the products/services you offer..
4. Go to page 3, and Describe who has the problem(s) your products/services solve. Be specific. “Men age 40+” is too broad and vague. Find a niché. “Men age 40+ who suffer with premature hair loss.” is better.
5. Go to page 4, and List five benefits your products/services provide. List what your customers can expect if they purchase and use your product/service.
6. Go to page 5, and List 3-5 objections your customers have to using your products/services. List common objections you hear or have heard before. Talk to customers and ask what they DID NOT LIKE about using other solutions (your competitors products/services) in the past. Common objections include “I don’t have time for this,” “It’s too expensive,” “I’ve tried something like this — it didn’t work,” “This is not right for me.” Address each of these objections specifically in your marketing messages.
7. Go to page 6, and Write your elevator pitch using Elevator Pitch Template 1.
8. Go to page 7, and Write your elevator pitch using Elevator Pitch Template 2.
9. Go to page 9, and Write your elevator pitch using Elevator Pitch Template 3.

Follow these steps to use The Elevator Pitch Template:

You have written 3 versions of your Elevator Pitch after completing these steps. Review them and refine each of them. Memorize your Elevator Pitch.

Use your Elevator Pitch to answer the question “What do you do?”

Wrap-Up:

If you did the work and followed the steps in Issue #002 and in this issue #004 of The Web Guy Newsletter, you will have created a clear and compelling message for your brand.

Refer back to The Elevator Pitch Template often to find:

• Your target Niché audience.
• The Problems your target customers have.
• The Solutions and Benefits your products/services deliver.
• The top Objections your target customers have.

Each of these is an important piece of your brand, and now that you have defined and documented them you have set a foundation for all your marketing and promotional messages going forward.

Use them often. Here’s to your success!