The Elevator Speech

Really funny conversation this weekend with a friend I have known for over a decade and it got me thinking. I have spent my adult life professionally in sales and learned early on the need to perfect your personal "elevator speech". The conversation my friend and I had (granted, after a few Holiday pops) reinforced this basic lesson, regardless of what you do in life.

It's been a while since we had coordinated getting the families together, so time was spent getting caught up. She told me about her sister-in-law who is now "into some kind of crazy work out thing, muscle head/garage gym stuff". That's about all my friend could convey, but of course this peeked my interest and opened the door for me to share a little about Steelfit and the exciting new bars and systems we have been working on. When I shared our vision of the pursuit of the perfect pull up, the glazed over eyes and complete confusion had me pouring another glass of Holiday Cheer!

I did mention that this was a really good friend right? "The perfect pull up" in her mind was a completely different pursuit that involves a bra and some magical illusion that this garment has the power to create. I quickly moved into "sales" mode and if well conceived should have been able to articulate in a couple of well honed sentences (in the time it takes for a short elevator ride) what Steelfit was all about. As it turned out, this wasn't so easy as I felt compelled to talk about CrossFit, high intensity work outs, why pull ups became such a passion for me, etc. Needless to say, she was more confused then when we started. "Why pull-ups? I don't get it", she said; I was speechless this night.

As we prepare for another year, this exchange caused me to reflect. Seeking clarity, setting goals and getting things in order each January seems to be on many people's list. Each of us is on a personal journey and being able to share it with others is often what makes it worthwhile.

The pull up is the king of back and upper body exercises. Legitimate pull up bars are not prevalent in many commercial gyms and are not as easy to find as you would think. Steelfit is all about creating really great bars and making them accessible to athletes of all skill levels.

This more concise explanation may have helped my cause with my friend. Despite our obsession with taking stairs at any chance provided, perfecting your personal "elevator speech" will serve you well personally and professionally as we aim to share our passions with others.