Tessa: You don't have to play baseball to know how to pitch... Blog dos

The concept of an elevator pitch was not new to me. Career services at the Heinz college and my undergraduate university have both required me to share my elevator pitch with them. Each time I found it difficult to do because I was selling myself, which for me is not something that comes naturally. This week in class I found a new appreciation for elevator pitches. For a few reasons, I guess...

First, my dad shared with me an article earlier in the week about the first ever elevator pitch. A coincidence, if you believe in them. (Read article here: http://buildingpharmabrands.com/2013/03/29/the-first-ever-elevator-pitch/). In summary, Elisha Otis invented an elevator safety device in the 1850s that eventually made sky scrapers a reality. People were skeptical of elevators as they were associated with fatal accident after fatal accident. In 1854, Otis demonstrated his safety device by ascending in an open sided shaft elevator where halfway up he cut the hoisting rope and to everyones surprise the platform held fast and did not go crashing down. Otis exemplified the art of the elevator pitch. He believed in his product and shared it with people in a way they could understand.

Second, I gained a new approach to the elevator pitch through the readings and class. To me, now, the pitch is all about telling a story. You want the audience to feel something and make a connection with you/your venture, what easier way to do that than tell a story? My venture idea is born out of my life experience so telling a story to explain it should work well. We'll see on Monday, though!

Third, reading about positioning statements hit home the art of an elevator pitch. One sentence clearly explaining your product and its place in the market is not easy to come up with. It reminds me of the Mark Twain quote, "I didn't have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead." I read another article about position statements here: http://www.thebuzzfactoree.com/how-to-write-a-kick-butt-brand-positioning-statement/. It has an awesome Brand Consumer Relationship Onion diagram:)

In summary, I learned that elevator pitches (even if you are pitching yourself) are nothing to be afraid of. They are simply 30 seconds of sharing something you're passionate about.