So, you want to start a business? Update your existing brand? Position yourself differently?

Congratulations on taking that first step in acknowledging that you have something original and relevant to bring to the marketplace. What’s the most important asset you need right now? It’s not capital, investors or even a computer—it’s an elevator pitch.

Consolidating your vision into a concise declaration is a critical first step. Whether you’re selling a product, a service or yourself, perfecting your elevator pitch and delivering it anytime, anywhere, can mean the difference between acquiring additional funding, signing a new client, gaining a business partner, securing a new job, getting media attention... or not.

At Krupp Kommunications, we use a three-step process to get to the core of the key messages of your brand, personality, product or service quickly and concisely. We do this by asking the following three questions: Who cares? So what? Why you?

Every day we are flooded with an overabundance of information, stories and ideas; it becomes easy to lose the message amid the noise. An elevator pitch needs to cut through the clutter and ensure that your audience will relate to what is being said; it needs to provide an immediate personal or emotional connection that, if successful, will create the urgency and necessity for the listener to take immediate action. The message should inform, entertain, educate or inspire—or all of the above.

To come up with your elevator pitch, you need to uncover your unique positioning.

Who Cares?
Ask yourself, “Who cares what I have to say?” Take yourself out of the question. Define and know your target audience. Who are you speaking (or selling) to? Once you identify your audience, think about what really matters to them. Who cares allows you to drill down into who your message is really for and define the audience who cares.

This allows you to understand your audience’s age, sex, profession, income, interests etc. What are they reading? Where are they going? Who are they listening to? Where are they shopping and what else do they care about? Remember, different audiences have different needs, so knowing who you are speaking to will help you in your elevator pitch.

So What?
What is the emotional hook to your message? Are you providing a solution to a problem? Are you fulfilling a need? Define your value and give your audience a reason to take immediate and massive action. Connect, respond and leave them wanting more. You will spend the most time on the so what if this is a new product being launched. You want to be able to establish the demand or need, as well as the urgency for why anyone would care. The so what is what matters; you want to make your message count.

Why You?
Define your unique selling point (USP). This is the most important component to a conspicuous and attention-grabbing elevator pitch.

Why are you the best person to answer this question, solve this problem or fulfill this need? In order to convey who you are in an elevator pitch, you first need to know what makes you different. What makes you stand out? What are you offering that is unique?

This allows you, your business and your brand to attract attention in an overcrowded marketplace. What can you provide that no one else can?

To get you up and running with your new business, SUCCESS brings you tips, strategies, inspiration and insights in this new Entrepreneurial Toolkit. You'll read why now is the right time to start a business and the personal benefits of entrepreneurship. The toolkit will be an ongoing component of SUCCESS.com, offering an array of articles with time-tested principles as well as new features posted each month.