How to Pitch Your Business in 30 Seconds
Updated: 2 days ago
“Tell me about your company.” It sounds like a fairly easy question. And then you realise you have 30 seconds before the conversation moves on.
At a procurement conference, every second counts. Your answer has to be specific. Our tip? Make the listener understand where you fit into their world. That doesn't necessarily mean a rehearsed elevator pitch. It means providing a clear value proposition tailored to your listener.
This is particularly important when speaking to procurement decision-makers. At Forward Summit 2026, you can also use the Procurement Masterclass to better understand how corporate procurement actually works.
Procurement Masterclass as Door Opener
The Masterclass held on Day 1, Thursday, November 5, 2026, covers practical aspects of corporate procurement, including sourcing cycles, categories, frameworks, onboarding, compliance, and how suppliers can reach the people making purchasing decisions. Understanding how procurement teams work can help you make your 30-second pitch more relevant and show where your business can add real value.
So you don’t have to wait until the Procurement Masterclass, here are five practical tips for getting your 30-second pitch right.
1. Start With the Customer, Not Your History
Avoid starting with a piece of company history that feels personally relevant to you but may not be relevant to the listener. It may be worth mentioning later, but focus first on the listener and how your company can solve their problem.
“We help European manufacturers find qualified suppliers in markets where sourcing is difficult.” This immediately conveys value to your listener. Now they know who you work with, what you do, and what types of problems you address. And that creates a great conversation starter.
2. Explain the Problems You Solve, but Make It Specific
Procurement professionals are usually not looking for another supplier simply because that supplier exists. They are dealing with specific business challenges. These might include cost pressure, supplier risk, capacity, resilience, quality, compliance, innovation, sustainability, access to new markets, or supplier inclusion.
Your pitch should therefore answer: What problem becomes easier because your company exists? “High-quality solutions” or “excellent customer service” are not value propositions on their own.
Be as concrete as possible. Bring examples from satisfied customers, share a case study, or highlight a real business problem you helped to solve. This not only communicates your professionalism, adaptability, and skills but also gives the listener an obvious follow-up question.
3. Explain What Makes You Relevant
Use the opportunity to be as specific as possible. If you are speaking to a procurement manager, they may want to know:
What categories do you cover?
Where are you located?
What markets do you serve?
Are you already working with multinational companies?
Can you meet compliance requirements?
What certifications do you have?
What does onboarding look like?
What makes you different from existing suppliers?
You won't have time to answer all of these questions in 30 seconds. Pick the one or two that matter most to the listener, based on your conversation or what you heard them discuss on stage.
4. Your Pitch Is Not Your Sales Deck
Your 30-second introduction should create curiosity. It should not contain your complete service catalogue, five product categories, ten client logos, your entire company history, every certification you have, or a detailed pricing explanation.
A pitch is a door opener. If the person gets interested, they will ask: “How do you achieve that?” And that is when you go deeper.
The strongest pitch is adapted to the listener. At Forward Summit 2026, this distinction matters because the audience includes corporate procurement leaders, underrepresented suppliers, founders, industry experts, and ESG decision-makers.
5. End With a Question
This is one of the simplest ways to stop your pitch from sounding like a sales pitch. End with something that opens up the conversation.
“Are you currently looking at alternative suppliers in this category?” or: “Is supplier onboarding something your team is currently trying to simplify?” Now the conversation becomes two-way. You are no longer delivering a presentation but learning whether there is a genuine opportunity.
Above All, Use the 30 Seconds to Earn the Next Five Minutes
Try following this simple framework:
Who do you help → What problem do you solve → How do you solve it → Why should they care?
For example:
“We help European procurement teams diversify their supplier base. We identify and qualify suppliers in categories where companies face high supplier concentration or supply-chain risk. Our focus is on connecting procurement teams with credible suppliers that might otherwise be difficult to discover. Are you currently looking at supplier diversification in your category?”
This approach doesn't try to skip the selling process and close the deal immediately. It opens the door to the next conversation.
The Best Pitch Makes People Curious
Modern procurement is becoming more strategic. McKinsey estimates that mature procurement organizations can deliver up to five percentage points higher EBITDA (Earnings Before Interest, Tax, Depreciation, and Amortization) than less mature organizations, reinforcing the idea that procurement is increasingly viewed as a source of competitive advantage rather than simply a transactional function.
That means your pitch should not only explain what you sell but also what business value you can create. Shift from “Here's what our company does” to “Here's why our company can be useful to you” and see the difference.That is particularly relevant at Forward Summit 2026, where clear communication can be the first step towards a meaningful procurement connection.
Co-hosted by EGLCC, ESDP, and telos, the Summit brings together procurement leaders, corporations, and underrepresented suppliers to create connections that can turn into practical business and procurement opportunities.
