Your CEO elevator pitch: how to introduce yourself and your company in 30 seconds

Intro

In every market – whether you’re running a payroll company in Belgium, a tech scale-up in the Netherlands or a B2B service firm anywhere in Europe – attention is limited.

People don’t have time for a five-minute story about your:

• full company history,

• internal structure,

• and every service you offer.

They want to know, quickly and clearly:

Who are you?What do you do?For whom?Why should I care?

That’s where a sharp CEO elevator pitch comes in.In my work as a strategic sparring partner and in “100 Days to Make Your Mark as a CEO”, this is one of the first things we sharpen.

Why your personal CEO pitch matters

Your elevator pitch is not just for networking events or conferences. It is a strategic tool.

As CEO of a SME or scale-up, your pitch:

• sets the tone for how your team talks about the company

• guides your sales and marketing messages

• influences how partners, banks and investors perceive you

• shapes first impressions with potential hires

If your pitch is vague, generic or overly complex, that confusion spreads through your entire organisation and market.

The anatomy of a strong CEO elevator pitch

A good CEO pitch is:

• short (20–40 seconds)

• concrete (no vague buzzwords)

• specific about who you serve and what you solve

• connected to a meaningful outcome for your customer

A simple structure you can use:

“I’m [Name], CEO of [Company].We help [specific type of customer]solve [specific problem or pain]by [clear solution or approach]so they can [meaningful result or benefit].”

Example for an SME in HR services:

“I’m Thomas, CEO of a payroll and HR partner for SMEs in Belgium.We help business owners keep their payroll and HR legally safe and efficient,by combining digital tools with expert advice,so they can focus on running and growing their company instead of worrying about paperwork.”

Example for a scale-up in loyalty/retail tech:

“I’m Marie, CEO of a loyalty platform for local retailers in the Benelux.We help independent shops bring customers back more often,with one simple digital loyalty app,so they can compete with big chains without having big-chain budgets.”

Both are clear, concrete and easy to remember – for anyone in Brussels, Ghent, Antwerp, Amsterdam or Rotterdam.

Common problems with CEO pitches

When I ask CEOs to pitch, I often hear issues like:

• too many “we also…” additions

• technical language that only insiders understand

• abstract claims (“we’re innovative, customer-centric, 360°…”)

• no clear target customer

• no real problem or outcome described

The test is simple:Could a smart outsider explain your company correctly after hearing your pitch once?

If not, your pitch needs work.

How to craft your own 30-second CEO pitch

Step 1: Define your core customer

Who do you really want to serve?

• SMEs in Belgium with 10–200 employees?

• Local retailers in the Benelux?

• Mid-sized manufacturers in Flanders?

Be honest and specific. “Everyone” is not a target.

Step 2: Identify the main problem you solve

Think in real, daily language:

• “We help them get paid on time.”

• “We help them attract more repeat customers.”

• “We help them avoid legal trouble.”

• “We help them make better decisions with data.”

Step 3: Clarify your solution

Not a full technical explanation, just the essence:

• “with a digital platform and a dedicated advisor”

• “with software that plugs into their existing systems”

• “with a mix of training and hands-on support”

Step 4: Name the outcome

Why does this matter?

• more growth

• less risk

• more peace of mind

• more profit

Tie your pitch to something business owners and decision-makers actually care about.

Practising and using your CEO elevator pitch

Once you’ve drafted your pitch:

1. Say it out loud 10 times until it feels natural.

2. Test it on someone outside your company (friend, partner, external contact).

3. Watch their reaction: do they get it immediately?

4. Share it with your management team and ask them to use it too.

You can use the pitch:

• at networking events in Belgium or the Netherlands

• in investor or bank meetings

• in the “About” section on your LinkedIn profile

• in the introduction of sales presentations

It becomes a reference sentence for your 100-day plan, your strategy and your commercial story.

How this ties into “100 Days to Make Your Mark as a CEO”

In “100 Days to Make Your Mark as a CEO”, I treat the CEO elevator pitch as one of the early steps in a 100-day plan:

• it forces you to make choices

• it creates clarity for your team

• it makes all later strategic and commercial work easier

If you’re a CEO of a SME or scale-up in Belgium or the Netherlands and your introduction still feels fuzzy, sharpening your pitch is a high-impact, low-effort move.

Buy the book here: https://www.lannoo.be/nl/100-days-make-your-mark-ceo