I'm going to a local chamber of commerce mixer next week and I need a solid 30-second explanation of what I do. Every time I try to explain utility bill auditing, people's eyes glaze over. What's your elevator pitch?
Elevator Pitch - What's Yours?
I find money that utilities owe your business. Most commercial properties have billing errors that cost thousands per year, and the utilities have no incentive to find them. I do. And I only get paid if I find savings. That's it. Lead with the money, not the process.
Mine's similar: You know how your electric and gas bills just show up and you pay them? I'm the guy who makes sure the utility company is actually billing you correctly. Turns out they get it wrong about 30-40% of the time on commercial accounts. I find the errors and get your money back.
I like to use a specific example: Last month I found a $6,200 per month overcharge on a warehouse in Raleigh because the utility had them on the wrong rate schedule. The building owner had been overpaying for four years. I got them reclassified and recovered $180K in refunds. Specific stories stick better than general claims.
All good approaches. The key is making it concrete and relatable. Avoid jargon - nobody at a chamber mixer knows what a rate classification error or demand ratchet is. Talk about money found, money saved, money recovered. That's what gets people to hand you their card.