What do Richard Branson, Steve Jobs and Tommy Hilfiger have in common? Yes – they are entrepreneurs that created globally recognised brands. Whilst some stories are well known, such as Branson’s rise to the island-owning level of wealth he has achieved today, most people don’t know the smaller, untold stories. Did you know that Tommy Hilfiger started out by tailoring jeans he’d bought from local stores and selling them from the back of his car?

I had the privilege of conducting a workshop at the Australian AIESEC National Conference in July, and the theme of my workshop was entrepreneurship and the elevator pitch – very fitting for a company as entrepreneurial as Meltwater.

You see, the most successful entrepreneurs are incredibly strong leaders. They need to inspire loyalty and trust within their investors, their staff and their customers. They come to embody their brand so that when their names are mentioned out of a business context you as the consumer subconsciously associate it with their product or company. Clever, right?

For the entrepreneur, the elevator pitch is the first step in getting the project up and running. After the entrepreneur has poured their blood, sweat and tears into conceiving the idea and business model, he/she then needs to come up with funding. The elevator pitch is the opportunity to pitch their idea to an investor after a coincidental meeting. It is called the ‘elevator pitch’ because it should be possible to deliver an elevator pitch in the time span of an elevator ride, about thirty seconds to two minutes.

AIESEC is all about producing the leaders of tomorrow, which is strikingly similar to the objective that Meltwater has for its employees. It occurred to me that anyone aspiring to become a successful leader should have an elevator pitch, whether it is for an entrepreneurial venture, whether they are working in sales, or even if they are a job seeker preparing for interviews.

Invariably, the question ‘why should we hire you’ will arise early on in any job interview, and if you have a well-planned elevator pitch up your sleeve then you stand out from the crowd!

Here are some key points to include in your pitch:

• Open with a ‘hook’ to reel them in: Think of this pitch as a movie trailer. It should get them excited to see the main feature, which will be another meeting if in a business context, or the rest of the interview if in an interview setting. For example, if you were pitching a social media monitoring tool, your hook could be: ‘78% of consumers trust peer recommendations and only 14% trust advertisements. How are you managing you social media to speak to your consumers?’

• What is your idea? Who will benefit from this?What are its advantages over competitors? You should explain clearly what you see as the gap in the market, and how you can fill this gap. The pitch should include no jargon, but concise and persuasive language to present the best aspects of your idea. If you are selling yourself to a company, then focus on your key experiences and skills that make you a strong and unique candidate.

• Close with a call to action! As you close your elevator pitch, positively affirm what the next step should be. You should think about this before and decide what would be the most beneficial: a coffee meeting? A telephone conference? Seeing them on day one of your new job?

Energy and enthusiasm is a must when delivering your pitch – remember your objective is to convince them that your business plan or that you as a candidate are the best option. Practice your pitch so that the words and the concepts become familiar to you, and the delivery is natural.

Whether you have aspirations to become the next Tommy Hilfiger, Richard Branson, Jorn Lyseggen or whether you are simply looking for the first step in your career, having a well-constructed elevator pitch will give your audience the impression that you are credible, capable, and that you possess the qualities necessary for being a strong leader.

Elinor is currently the Recruitment Manager for Australia and New Zealand.