How write a great elevator pitch? Don’t. Do this instead.

The best elevator pitch isn’t one at all.

The “elevator pitch” has been taught as the must-have for networking for…

…I don’t know. Forever, maybe?

Especially for small business owners, it’s been positioned as the ultimate answer to:

How do I talk about what I do?

Of course, different flavors of it float around from time to time, like the “I help” statement or the “problem/solution” intro.

The problem is, they’re all pretty functionally “about me” statements. They’re built to explain what you do, what you offer… even when you use “you”-based language to try to get around that self-focus trap.

It all sounds like:

Hi, we just met, let me tell you why you should talk to me. 

Our brains immediately want to turn off and go see if there’s more feta-stuffed olives left at the hors d’oeuvres station. 

Of course, we don’t. We stand and smile and do our best to listen while we wait for our turn to do it.

Hi, we just met, let me tell you why you should talk to me. 

Not a great system for actually facilitating human connection, really.

Why Elevator Pitches Don’t Work

Regardless, as business owners, we do need a way to talk about what we do, whether we’re at a formal networking event or we randomly run into a potential collaborator at the farmer’s market bakery stall.

Most people default to:

• A job title

• A list of services

• A one-liner they learned in a 3-day challenge

Even the best elevator pitches often fall flat because they’re just… information. And information doesn’t build relationships. Connection does.

So how do we connect quickly and authentically to other small business owners?

The secret to a better business intro is sharing your Power Idea.

Your Power Idea even necesarily about what you do. BUT it’s the lens, the angle that makes your work make sense. And it’s why people will lean in, ask questions, and engage in conversation with you.

When your Power Idea is clear, everything else — from networking to marketing to what you say in your out-of-office reply — gets easier. And not just easier… but better, too.

So what IS a Power Idea?

Sometimes mentors or coaches will ask, “What do you want to be known for?”

But your Power Idea isn’t just what you want to be known for. It’s what you need to be known for.

It’s the idea you NEED to share in order for people to hear you, trust you, adjust their beliefs — so they know that your business is where they need to spend their ever-increasingly-valuable money.

When you share your Power Idea, people will walk away remembering it — and you.

When you create your Signature Power Idea, it becomes the backbone of everything you say. 

Your marketing. 

Your talks. 

Your podcast. 

Your networking. 

It takes the pressure off having to “pitch” yourself all the time — because you’re just showing up and sharing the big idea you believe in.

You’re probably already talking AROUND your Power Idea.

Maybe it’s related to something you say over and over again to clients. Or it’s the theme underneath your most-shared social content. Or maybe it’s the thing you wish people understood about your work — but when you try to explain it, it turns into a five-minute ramble.

(It’s okay. We’ve all been there.)

Your Power Idea is in there. You just need a thought partner to help you mine for it, bring it to the surface, and shape it into something powerful.

Once you do? That’s when you get the “Wait… can you say that again?” moments. That’s when you see heads nodding on Zoom. That’s when someone you just met says, “Wow, I’ve never thought of it that way.”

And that’s when everything starts to feel more natural:

Networking. 

Selling. 

Pitching yourself for interviews. 

Writing your bio. 

Once your Power Idea is solid, everything flows.

Because with your Power Idea, it’s not like you’re out there trying to think up ways to sell your services — you’re sharing an idea that people can get behind.

Your Power Idea isn’t an elevator pitch — but it will make networking easier (and a whole lot more interesting).

No matter what format of elevator pitch is trending, the pitch built to explain what you do and who you serve.

And that’s important — eventually!

But if you start there, it can feel stilted and shallow and like an awkward canned monologue.

It’s information, not connection.

Hi, we just met — let me tell you why you should talk to me.

That kind of intro doesn’t open up a real chance at conversation. 

But a Power Idea does. 

Your pitch can only be powerful when it’s grounded in a message that feels like you’re actually interested in sharing space and time with that other person. And typical elevator pitches just don’t do that.

But your Power Idea can — and does.

Because your Power Idea isn’t just about what you do and who you serve.

It’s about why it all matters.

Meaning builds connection. Connection builds relationships.

When you lead with your Power Idea, you’re sharing meaning. 

That’s why when you lead with your Power Idea, people get it. Not just what you do — but why it matters.

That changes everything.

You’ll notice things shift when people stop asking “What kinds of clients do you work with?” and start saying “Wait, tell me more about that.” “Oh, wow, thank you for that.” “I need to tell my friend about that.”

It’s not a pitch.

It’s the beginning of a relationship.

Once your Power Idea is clear, you’ll start to see it belongs EVERYWHERE.

Seriously — once it’s clear, it becomes the message that shapes:

• Your content

• Your offers

• Your sales conversations

• Your client experience

• Literally every other place your business uses words

Cynthia Barnes, who worked with me to create her Power Idea in advance of her TEDx Talk, later said:

“It became the foundation of everything I’ve built since — including my upcoming book and my client work.”

Books, clients, emails, socials, talks, sales calls… everything.

And yeah — networking events become a whole lot less exhausting. 

Because now, you’re having real conversations… As long as the other party isn’t just waiting for their chance to jump in and say “Hi, we just met, let me tell you why you should talk to me.”

Can’t talk to people who refuse to listen.

But in that case, maybe you can let them know they need a Power Idea. And then excuse yourself to get a few more feta-stuffed olives from the hors d’oeuvres station.  😉

You don’t have to figure this out alone.

If you’re ready to bring your Power Idea to life — and use it to lead change in your business or community — I’d love to help.

Schedule a Power Hour Intensive to get started.