What can the world's most famous gift-giver teach you about crafting an elevator pitch that gets you remembered in 60 seconds?

Ho ho ho gets you through the door. But it won’t get you the job.

Every year, hundreds of Santas compete for a limited number of shopping centre gigs. Four weeks of work, concentrated into the Christmas season. Decent money. High visibility. And an audience of children who will remember the experience — for better or worse — for years.

The Santas who succeed aren’t just the ones with the best costume or the most convincing belly laugh. They’re the ones who can communicate clearly, engagingly, and memorably in a very short window of time. Which, when you think about it, is exactly what a great elevator pitch does.

What an Elevator Pitch Actually Is

The term comes from a simple premise: if you found yourself in a lift with the most important person you could ever hope to impress, could you describe what you do compellingly in the time it takes to travel a few floors?

Most people can’t. Not because they lack expertise or value. But because they haven’t done the work of distilling what they do into something crisp, compelling, and memorable.

The classic mistake is what I call the job title response. “I’m an account manager.” “I’m a financial planner.” “I’m a consultant.” These are labels, not pitches. They tell someone your category, not your value. They invite no follow-up question, no curiosity, no connection.

What Santa Taught Me About Pitching

A shopping centre Santa needs to communicate several things in a very short interaction: warmth, credibility, genuine interest in the child in front of them, and the magic of the moment. The best ones do this instinctively — they bend down to eye level, ask a specific question, respond to what the child actually says rather than what they expected them to say, and make the moment feel personal.

That’s a masterclass in pitch technique. Connect immediately. Make it about them. Be specific. Make it memorable.

The Santas who secure the best engagements are the ones who, in their audition or application, can articulate not just that they love children and the Christmas season — every candidate says that — but specifically what they do that creates an exceptional experience. “I customise every interaction based on what the child is wearing or carrying — a favourite character badge, a school logo — so the experience feels magical rather than generic.” That’s a pitch. That’s specific, differentiated value.

Building Your Own Elevator Pitch

Here’s a framework I use with clients. Your pitch needs three components.

First, who you help. Not in the abstract (“businesses” or “people”) but specifically. “Leaders who need to communicate more confidently.” “Small business owners who are ready to grow but don’t know how to pitch for investment.”

Second, the problem you solve. Again, specifically. Not “I help with presentations” but “I help executives who know their material brilliantly but lose rooms the moment they stand up.”

Third, what’s different about how you help. Your particular approach, methodology, or perspective that sets you apart from everyone else who does something similar.

Put those three elements together in natural, conversational language, and you have something worth saying.

Practice Matters More Than You Think

An elevator pitch that lives only in your head will never be as smooth as one you’ve delivered out loud forty times. The words that seem fluent when you’re writing them often feel awkward when you speak them. You need to hear yourself saying it, adjust the phrasing, find the rhythm.

Practice it in the car. Practice it in the shower. Practice it in the mirror. Get a trusted colleague to listen and give honest feedback.

Santa doesn’t walk into that shopping centre without having performed that character many times before. Your pitch deserves the same commitment.

Whether you’re pitching for a contract, introducing yourself at a networking event, or making a case for a new initiative — the question is always the same: can you make someone care in sixty seconds?

Start working on that answer today.