The Elevator Pitch

Today I did a practice case with a group of 4 candidates and 1 McKinsey consultant via a conference call. The case wasn't particularly interesting per se. It was a value chain case where a new piece of equipment was purchased that would decrease some production costs and increase efficiencies. There was a simple break even analysis to perform and then a decision to be made as to whether or not to invest in this "cost-saving technology." My particular question came at the very end when I was asked to summarize the case to the COO in the elevator.

To answer this kind of question, I've found it's useful to jot down the major points along the side of the page as you move through the case and then you can run through and hit the highlights in the elevator pitch. I went through all of the highlights and then gave the recommendation to purchase the technology.

What I SHOULD HAVE DONE was to first give my recommendation, back it up with supporting data, and then outline the next steps. The consultant was right when she told me that the COO wants the answer first and doesn't want to listen to the data first, not knowing where it is going to lead.

This is just a quick reminder and something I think will be useful in the interviews...almost every interview will end with asking you what your recommendation is.