Lewis S. from Omaha here. Networking at Chamber events but struggling with my elevator pitch. When people ask what I do, I start rambling about utility bill analysis and demand charges and their eyes glaze over. Need a simple 30-second explanation that gets people interested instead of confused. What's worked for you all?
Elevator pitch help - 30 seconds to explain what we do
Yvonne H. in Concord. Lewis, I keep it super simple: "I find money hiding in business electricity bills. Most companies overpay their utility by 10-20% due to billing errors and wrong rate schedules. I found one restaurant $15,000 last year they didn't even know they were owed." Then I shut up and let them ask questions.
Vince S. from Hartford. I like Yvonne's approach but I add a specific example: "I audit commercial electric bills and find overcharges. Just saved a 40,000 sq ft office building $28,000 annually by catching Eversource billing them on the wrong rate schedule. Most businesses have similar issues and don't know it." Real numbers get attention.
Randy here. Both good approaches. The key is leading with the benefit (finding money) not the process (bill analysis). I often say "I'm like a financial detective for electric bills - I find overcharges that companies don't know they're paying. Last month I recovered $42,000 in billing errors for a Memphis warehouse." Then I ask about their business and electric costs.
Cecilia K. in Cincinnati. I've found that asking a question works better than just explaining. Something like "Does your business spend more than $2,000 monthly on electricity? I specialize in finding overcharges in commercial utility bills - found one client $19,000 they were overpaying Duke Energy due to incorrect demand billing." Gets them thinking about their own bills immediately.
These are all great! Cecilia, I like the question approach. How do you transition from the elevator pitch to actually getting their contact info or setting up a follow-up? That's where I usually stumble.
Lewis, if they seem interested I say something like "I'd be happy to take a quick look at one of your recent bills - no charge, just to see if there are any obvious issues. Do you have a card?" If they're not interested, they'll deflect. If they are, they'll either give you a card or ask more questions.
Vic S. from Augusta jumping in. I always end with a soft call to action: "If you ever want someone to take a fresh look at your electric bills, I'd be happy to do a complimentary review. Here's my card." No pressure, but plants the seed for when they get their next high bill and remember our conversation.
Val M. in Birmingham. One thing I've learned - tailor your example to your audience. If I'm talking to retailers, I mention the strip mall where I saved them $8,200 annually on Alabama Power Rate TOU-GSD-3. If it's manufacturing, I talk about the factory where I found $31,000 in incorrect demand charges. Makes it more relevant to their situation.