PRODUCTEA with Leah, Growth & Senior Leadership 111: Anthony Pierri - How to make Elevator Pitches for B2B Products
Product Demos Trump Outcomes
- Product functionality and demos matter more than just stating outcomes in B2B sales.
- Marketers often wrongly advise to lead with outcomes, causing unclear messaging.
The Secret to Nail Your B2B Elevator Pitch in Two Sentences
Anthony Pierri explains the crucial mistake founders make by leading elevator pitches with vague outcomes instead of clarifying product functionality first. He emphasizes that product demos are often the highest-value sales moment, contrary to popular marketing advice that outcomes alone sell.
Pierri introduces the "positioning anchors" framework, dividing them into primary anchors such as product category, use case, or alternative, which provide enough clarity to help prospects mentally classify the product. Secondary anchors like target customer segment or desired outcomes add context but can't stand alone.
He advises layering these anchors to form a concise two-sentence pitch: the first sentence establishes what the product is and who it's for, the second attaches a specific problem to that primary anchor to highlight differentiation. This method prevents confusion and empowers companies to communicate their value with clarity and precision, a must-have skill for B2B founders struggling to describe their offerings succinctly.
Anchor Your Elevator Pitch
- Effective elevator pitches use a primary positioning anchor: product category, use case, or alternative.
- Secondary anchors like target customer or outcome alone don't clearly communicate product identity.