Yet, reading an article last week reminded me about the original elevator pitch. Here's the story.
It is 1853, and Elisha Otis was trying to figure out a way for him to demonstrate his remarkable solution to what was one of the major engineering problems of the day. Very simply - it was designing a SAFE elevator. Many buildings had elevators, which were incredibly complex rope-and-pulley powered systems, which were prone to failure .. and as a result .. the elevator cage would go hurtling downwards, resulying in death and destruction.
Elisha figured out a solution (which I won't explain) - and a way to demonstrate it. He rented out some space on teh main floor of New York's kargest exhibit hall and announced to everyone at the convention that they would see a remarkable demonsration the next afternnon. He set up his elevator and had his assistant hoist it 45 feet off the ground to the top of the platform. Grabbing an axe, he cut the support rope. The crowd gasped, the elevator lurched .. and nothing else happened. Elisha Otis had developed a safety brake! Saying "All safe, gentlemen, all safe" he then descended.
Elisha Otis went on to found Otis Elevator, but more importantly he developed the very first, (and a successful one at that) elevator pitch.
How impactful are your pitches?
John, great story, and one of the most important sales best practices. My experience is that not that many salespeople would get an "A" in terms of impact. Look forward to hearing from your readers.
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