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The elevator door opens, and in walks your ideal investor or client. This is the chance of a lifetime that will be over in about a minute. While you mentally prepare to give an abbreviated presentation on your business, you hear that familiar ding and your chance has slipped away. However had you been prepared for such an occasion, instead of going home dejected and empty handed, you could have pitched your business and set up a formal meeting for the next day.

Whether you are at Starbucks, being introduced to a potential client via handshake, in real life, virtually, or on an elevator, having a well crafted, concise, elevator pitch is essential to making the most out of every opportunity. So essential, that Googling “elevator pitch” will net thousands of results from posts telling you “How to Craft a Killer Elevator Pitch” to career coaches who will do it for you, for a fee. With so many resources available on the ins and outs of selling yourself and your business in under a minute, most people find themselves buried under a mountain of information, unable to make heads or tails of where to start. Instead of giving you “10 tips to keep in mind as you craft your elevator pitch,” the internet is ripe with them, here are a few things to help you get started with crafting that “killer” pitch.

 Keep it short. Most elevator rides are under a minute, so make sure you can clearly convey your message in 30-60 seconds without sounding like a bid caller at an auction.

Have a hook. The point of the elevator pitch is not to summarize your entire business in 60 seconds or less, but rather to get the recipient interested enough to want to take time out of their schedule to hear you properly sell yourself. Think of it as a movie trailer not a short film.

Practice. Practice really does make perfect. The more comfortable you are with your pitch the more confident you will be when giving it, that way when you finally corner Oprah you’l know exactly what to say.

Use the same tactics for print. With everything in the world online these days, sometimes you will be pitching your business via email, facebook, or even twitter. Make sure to use the same approach as you would for a potential client face to face as you would in any other medium. Sometimes 140 characters are all you need to get the message across effectively.

Keep it fresh. Not only should you constantly be revising your pitch based on changes in your company’s goals, strategies, and offerings but you should also keep up to date on industry trends and how they may effect potential investors.

Your elevator pitch, like any piece of good marketing, is there to do two things, wow investors and make them want to know more.