Hold on guys, one bumpy ride awaits us. Tie your shoes, respect the personal bubble and try not to spill your red slushy on any white shirts.
Riding in an elevator is similar to that feeling you get riding over a hill too fast. Except the music, I think we can all agree upon that. Elevators are essentially known for three things: unforgettably forgettable toneless music, cliché jokes, fictitious blackout and bully scenes*.
*e.g. Die Hard, James Bond, Taken, The Office, Terminator
What if you got on 1 out of the 900,000 elevators in the US and it blacked out right when you reached your floor? About 3,000 people a year suffer this fate. Wouldn’t you like to know a little about your fellow passengers? With all the deodorant, hidden camera pranks, make-out, music and button happy (think Elf) jokes based on the interior existence of an elevator, we’ve conditioned ourselves to getting on, intently studying our footwear, and getting off.
An average elevator ride is 30-seconds. If you’re lucky you could get a 2-minute ride to make a new friend and establish a new relationship. As author Scott Stratton of UnMarketing says, “If you believe businesses are built on relationships, then make that your business.”
What will you do with those 30 seconds? Well, turn the clock back first. Once you start rushing toward the open elevator, whose jaws of death are closing, you’re reduced to that nightmarish slow-motion torture. It’s closing; you’re already running late and wait, what’s that? A random act of kindness: Allowing you to board, a hand slaps against one of the barricades, blocking its progress.
Scenario 1: You mumble thanks, slap your hand against the number board panel and depending on your palm size…again, think Elf.
Scenario 2: You make eye contact, thank them and find that chitchatting about the weather is a welcome distraction.
This is more than an elevator pitch. It is more than “30 seconds could save 30% on your car insurance” and yes, that math seems faulty. How are you going to spend your elevator ride? Are you going to pitch your personality or are you going to stand in the corner should it all go pitch black?
What do thirty seconds look like on an average day? In 30 seconds you can…
-Boot up your iMac
-Watch 5 Vines
-Floss 7 teeth*
*Unless, for example, you’re a hockey player and have dedicated many of your teeth to the passion of your sport.
-Cook half a meal of *Minute Rice
*Worx is not responsible if you consume partially cooked food.
-Update a Twitter *Post
*With 100 characters to spare. Average typing speed is 38-40wpm.
-Read 125-150 *Words.
Or you can make an elevator connection. You can start a relationship, and you can rest easy knowing that if you should be one of the 3,000 stranded in an elevator, it will not be with a complete stranger.
Riding in an elevator is similar to that feeling you get riding over a hill too fast. Except the music, I think we can all agree upon that. Elevators are essentially known for three things: unforgettably forgettable toneless music, cliché jokes, fictitious blackout and bully scenes*.
*e.g. Die Hard, James Bond, Taken, The Office, Terminator
What if you got on 1 out of the 900,000 elevators in the US and it blacked out right when you reached your floor? About 3,000 people a year suffer this fate. Wouldn’t you like to know a little about your fellow passengers? With all the deodorant, hidden camera pranks, make-out, music and button happy (think Elf) jokes based on the interior existence of an elevator, we’ve conditioned ourselves to getting on, intently studying our footwear, and getting off.
An average elevator ride is 30-seconds. If you’re lucky you could get a 2-minute ride to make a new friend and establish a new relationship. As author Scott Stratton of UnMarketing says, “If you believe businesses are built on relationships, then make that your business.”
What will you do with those 30 seconds? Well, turn the clock back first. Once you start rushing toward the open elevator, whose jaws of death are closing, you’re reduced to that nightmarish slow-motion torture. It’s closing; you’re already running late and wait, what’s that? A random act of kindness: Allowing you to board, a hand slaps against one of the barricades, blocking its progress.
Scenario 1: You mumble thanks, slap your hand against the number board panel and depending on your palm size…again, think Elf.
Scenario 2: You make eye contact, thank them and find that chitchatting about the weather is a welcome distraction.
This is more than an elevator pitch. It is more than “30 seconds could save 30% on your car insurance” and yes, that math seems faulty. How are you going to spend your elevator ride? Are you going to pitch your personality or are you going to stand in the corner should it all go pitch black?
What do thirty seconds look like on an average day? In 30 seconds you can…
-Boot up your iMac
-Watch 5 Vines
-Floss 7 teeth*
*Unless, for example, you’re a hockey player and have dedicated many of your teeth to the passion of your sport.
-Cook half a meal of *Minute Rice
*Worx is not responsible if you consume partially cooked food.
-Update a Twitter *Post
*With 100 characters to spare. Average typing speed is 38-40wpm.
-Read 125-150 *Words.
Or you can make an elevator connection. You can start a relationship, and you can rest easy knowing that if you should be one of the 3,000 stranded in an elevator, it will not be with a complete stranger.
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