Dictionary

elevator pitch en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈɛləveɪtə ˈpɪtʃ/ (Received-Pronunciation)
• /ˈɛləveɪtɚ ˈpɪtʃ/ (General-American)
• /-ɾɚ/ (General-American)
• (Australia) audio

Etymology

From the idea that such a pitch is concise enough to be given during a trip between floors in an elevator.

Meanings

1. A brief and simple sales pitch; a short summary of a business plan, process, or product, and its selling point and value proposition.
   • Once you've found the right person, the art is in making an elevator pitch—spill the beans fast. 1998, Electronic Business, volume 24, Highlands Ranch, Colo.: Cahners Business Information, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 8, column 1:
   • Elevator pitches are called what they are for a reason. They force you to focus your personal pitch to the mere 30 seconds or so a typical elevator ride takes. The term is old, but the concept remains relevant. 2017, Sara Kelly, “Brand You”, in Personal Branding for Entrepreneurial Journalists and Creative Professionals, New York, N.Y.; Abingdon, Oxon.: Routledge, →ISBN, page 66:
   • An elevator pitch raises more questions than it answers but they are likely to be questions about how the business works, not what it is. 1998, Don Pfarrer, Guerrilla Persuasion: Mastering the Art of Effective and Winning Business Presentations, Boston, Mass.: Houghton Mifflin, →ISBN, page 110:
   • This chapter is about the elevator (or lift) pitch: what it is, how you develop one and how to use it effectively. It is a single sentence that describes your work and which you can deliver in 30 seconds or less – the time it takes an elevator to travel from one floor to another. […] If you want to create a compelling elevator pitch, it needs to be short and accurate. […] The elevator pitch is about getting your message across in the shortest possible time. 2010, Frances Kay, “The Elevator Pitch”, in Successful Networking: How to Build New Networks for Career and Company Progression, London; Philadelphia, Pa.: Kogan Page, →ISBN, page 137:
2. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see elevator, pitch.
   • Control the glide descent angle through small amounts of elevator pitch movements. 1987, Dave Prochnow, Flight Simulator and Flight Simulator II: 82 Challenging New Adventures, Blue Ridge Summit, Pa.: TAB Books, →ISBN, page 39:

Forms

Hypernyms

sales pitch

Relateds

high concept

Synonyms

elevator statement · elevator speech

Translations (3)

he נְאוּם מַעֲלִית (brief and simple sales pitch) · fi hissipuhe (brief and simple sales pitch) · sv hisspitch (brief and simple sales pitch)