Effective marketing includes many elements- printed marketing materials, direct mail, promotional products, web site/SEO and many other elements. But getting a good start when you meet someone is also a very important element to your marketing effectiveness.

How well do you explain what your business does. Are you using words that have high impact? Are you able to clearly state your value proposition to someone without rambling on and on. For instance, I start my pitch by explaining, “Catch Fire Marketing helps businesses grow sales by helping them maintain high visibility with customers, referral sources and prospects.” And then I continue on…

You should also be able to tailor your pitch to your audience. The basics of the pitch should remain the same, but the more you can tailor your pitch based on your audience the better. What would trigger this customization? Perhaps the size of the business, industry of the person you are speaking to…things like that.

I have found a tool, developed by the Harvard Business School, which does an excellent job helping you create an excellent elevator pitch.  You can check it out by going to www.catchfiremarketing.com and look for the section on creating a good elevator pitch.