Elevator Pitch

At the bar, you must position yourself to capitalize on opportunities. If you’re a good dancer, hit the floor; if you’re good with words, find a quiet spot; if you want to flaunt money, head to the bar. In the smoking room, chewing gum, I noticed a girl with a magnetic vibe, mostly from her carefree nature. She was texting, so I casually asked, “Didn’t find anyone interesting enough to talk to?” She gave me an amused look.

After a few minutes, she asked for a lighter to light her cigarette. I offered mine, and when she offered me a drag, I declined, saying I don’t smoke. Surprised, she asked why I was in the smoking room with a lighter. I replied, “Content creation,” keeping a straight face.

As we started conversing, I asked her what she does for a living. She told me that she teaches the kids in a primary school. My spontaneous reaction was “I really look up to you (slight pause). Hope tonight you look up to me as well”. She laughed it off. We immediately hit it off after conversing for a few minutes. After we got acquainted, we exchanged numbers, and I headed back to the bar. She stood there chewing gum.

Coming to the MBA concept of an ‘Elevator Pitch‘. An elevator pitch briefly explains an idea, product, or person in a way that’s easy to understand. It typically covers who it’s for, what it does, why it’s needed, and how it works. For a person, it highlights skills, goals, and their value to a team or project. While not all elements are necessary, the pitch should always convey the core concept and its value.

You can use an elevator pitch to entice an investor or executive in a company or explain an idea to a founder’s parents. The goal is simply to convey the overall concept or topic excitingly.

A couple of dating insights can draw from the concept of an elevator pitch. Firstly, establish the credentials that show you are a legit person with a good social presence. The fastest way to do it is by sharing your social media handle; Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or wherever you have the greatest number of followers, preferably of the opposite gender. Secondly, make the talk contextual so that it portrays the immense value that you can bring to their life. Thirdly and most importantly, exude supreme self-confidence. In 9 out of 10 cases you will fail but trust me, that one time will be worth a hundred failures.

That brings me to the elevator pitch I made that night in front of the teacher. I texted her later in the night after getting out of the bar. She was out with her friends to grab a bite to eat. I called her up and convinced her to take a detour and invited her over. As we were getting to know each other better, I put on a mashup which was around ten minutes long, and all through was on a high note. The beats were quite fast-paced and we matched every beat of the song. Post sunrise, we got out and drove around for a bit. We went for coffee, then she dropped me back and left for home.

So is this it? ‘We don’t need no education’? Well, certain encounters are best left at a high point with a cherishable memory. Even if a decade down the line, someone asks me about my favorite teacher, my answer won’t be hard to guess. Ironically, she helped me achieve a dream although it involved her looking up to me instead.

Later, Sidhant