As a real estate agent, you should have an elevator pitch ready to go wherever you are. Sometimes the biggest opportunities to obtain new business happen during your daily routines, such as grocery shopping or weekend volunteering. So, the next time you run into someone who might turn out to be a lead, you want to be prepared. Here’s how to craft and deliver a powerful elevator pitch for your business:
Focus on the value proposition. What is it that you’re offering? It should be unique—something that isn’t being provided by another real estate agent. If you have a niche, such as luxury homes, short sales, etc., this would be a great thing to focus on. Your value proposition will be the foundation of your elevator pitch. If it’s not something a consumer will buy into, then your elevator pitch will fall flat.
Keep it short. You’re not writing a book here. An elevator pitch should be just that: a short blurb that you can easily run through in the time it takes to hop on an elevator and get off at the next floor. It’s a way to hook people into a longer conversation, so keep business cards on hand so the consumer can easily reach out to you after you introduce yourself.
The delivery is everything. People will be able to spot a canned response the minute you gush out a stream of memorized words. Get comfortable with customizing an elevator pitch on the spot so that it’s relevant to that specific person or group of people. Of course you can still outline what you’re looking to say when you put together the pitch, but don’t forget you’re just having a conversation with people, not reciting a monologue to an audience.
Stand tall and speak with confidence. Body language will give you away in two seconds if you’re not comfortable. If you’re crawling out of your own skin, consumers will be hesitant to believe in your value proposition. Speaking with confidence and standing upright, as well as maintaining eye contact, will keep people at ease and will help capture their attention.
Remember, an elevator pitch can be an effective way of capturing business, but you want to keep it short and engaging. Have confidence in what you’re saying, or the consumer won’t have confidence in what you’re offering.
Liz Dominguez is RISMedia’s senior online editor. Email her your real estate news ideas at ldominguez@rismedia.com.
