From www.yourelevatorpitch.com:

An “elevator pitch” is a quick and concise way to communicate who you are, what you’re trying to do and why you do it better. It’s much more than a mission statement, it’s understanding your business in a way that gets people excited and thinking.

Businesspeople nowadays are so much into hour-long powerpoint presentations and meetings over long lunches (or dinners) that we sometimes forget the essence of making the pitch.  We must realize that we only have but a few magic moments to capture the interest of our intended client or audience.  After that, everything is just small talk.

Why “elevator pitch?”  Product or service pitches in the tech world are known to have been done during elevator rides where engineers get to talk to their high level bosses, and get to propose propose new ideas.  And how long does that ride take?  A little less than a minute, perhaps–approximately 30 seconds.

Perhaps new and cool ideas at the cool and innovative tech companies in the west, such as Apple and Google, were indeed products of elevator pitches.  Apple’s Steve Jobs is known to fire employees at a snap right during the elevator ride if he dislikes the ideas being proposed (then of course, his assistants will hire the fired person back!).  Talk about bad 30-second pitches!

Of course, 30-second pitches done well would merit a pat on the back for the employee and perhaps a hefty bonus (and gazillions earned for the company).  But for entrepreneurs, a pitch done well could mean the difference between a good venture deal or an outright rejection.

Thanks to Jolo for the link!

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