I’m sure you’ve seen the following video before. There’s an important and timeless lesson here for anyone in business.
I remember years ago, I had heard the story of Elisha Graves Otis. Otis invented the first safety elevator back in 1850.
Have you ever been inside an elevator and wondered what would happen if the supporting cable broke? Well, before Otis came along, it would come crashing to the ground. Thanks to Otis we don’t have to worry about that anymore.
Otis had a chance to demonstrate his invention at the New York World Fair in 1853. As the crowd looked on to Otis standing on an open elevator platform, he requested the single supporting cable be cut.
As the crowd gasped in shock, Otis’s assistant chopped the cable with his axe. The elevator fell only a few inches before coming to a stop. After the demonstration, Otis never had to worry about proving his point to sell his product again.
The following video reminds me of modern-day demonstration as powerful as the safety elevator demonstration.
It’s a classic sales and marketing message that’s repeated in nearly every book on the subject.
If your product or service is the best, prove it.
If your product does something better than your competitors, prove it.
If you truly believe in what you’re selling, prove it.
