how to make the perfect pitch

Because I’m an entrepreneur, I need to be able to make money based on results, not the amount of time I put in…

…and in all sorts of situations, not just sales, a pitch is essential, you can use it to present ideas to staff and colleagues winning their buy in…

…you can pitch to suppliers which can be a really clever move if you want preferential service or rates…

…you can pitch for investment if that’s something you need, and by the way, when people do this to me I’m shocked at how badly they do it.

And of course you can pitch for business too, but in each and every case having a simple but proven way to pitch is critical.

By the way, if you really want to get in to the psychology of pitching I highly recommend the work of Oren Klaff and his book Pitch Anything.

Also you should realise that a pitch doesn’t need to be made in person, you can pitch that way, on video or audio and you can also use print too.

So pitching is done in physical and digital environments, which should help you practice and refine your pitch and skills because…

…if you follow my simple rules it’s much easier to get the outcome you want from any pitch, in any format and via any channel.

So now you have an appreciation of where you could use a pitch it’s time to make sense of this because many people are worried about a pitch and this is the first mistake to make.

I appreciate that when you want to make a sale or obtain investment you can be nervous, but the reality is that this actually hurts you and…

…if you can distance yourself from the end result and focus on your desired outcome then this will come across in the pitch.

And if you have an entrepreneurial mind-set and an entrepreneur’s system in place then a single pitch isn’t going to matter in the grand scheme of things.

So be confident, because you have complete faith in what you are offering to the market.

Just also remember that the people you are pitching to actually want or need what you have, for example…

…financial institutions have to lend money to make money, so this actually puts you in the strong position.

Potential customers actually want what you offer, otherwise you’ve done your marketing wrong and the reality is you shouldn’t be pitching to them…

…so actually, if you’ve done your groundwork right, the odds are in your favour, now all you need to do is not screw it up.

What should you say and do in a pitch?

Well let me make this really simple and then tell you how to do it.

The tactic is to compel your audience to do what they are told, which is what your desired outcome is, and by the way…

…I’ve been in situations where I’ve pitched and during the pitch realised I actually don’t want to work with the people or company in front of me…

…so it’s OK to change your mind, because it’s 100% your choice.

I say compel because if you are out to convince people to do what you want, the chances are you’re making it harder for yourself.

You want to dangle the opportunity in front of somebody and let them bite, just like a fishermen does with a fishing rod…

…getting the audience to bite and the way to make them bite is to set out something irresistible and compelling and just leave it there, in temptation’s way.

So without using too many fishing analogies, except maybe this last one, you need to use the right bait and this is all about understanding the needs and desires of your audience.

Your audience actually, even if they don’t admit it, don’t actually care about you, in fact…

… they actually don’t even care about you when you do your pitch, in reality if you were not pitching to them they would probably care more as this makes them feel less significant.

I know I’m being blunt here but it’s the truth.

People buy in to benefits and you need to present them in you pitch quickly, clearly and in a way that make them compelling and if you do that then you will win more pitches than you miss out on.

Let me give you a typical example of what happens when people pitch to me.

It goes something like this. I’ll give you my internal monologue too and as I do that you can think about it and what you would be thinking in my position.

First they start with who they are, so I make a mental and maybe physical note of this.

Next comes the introduction of what they’ve done in the past and how good they at specific things.

Internally, at best, I’m listening and maybe giving them 60% of my attention, but as this part goes on it drops…

…until such time as I’m wondering how much longer will they go on – they are loosing me because I’m busy.

I then get the background to their proposition and this is normally filled with statistics and information that is absolutely relevant to them and their situation…

…but my job is not to be a statistician, it’s to make money.

Now some people like stats and information, but I work very much on instinct and people who like stats only really want to check them out once they know they are interested.

People who want the mechanics behind a pitch before getting the important part of the pitch I find aren’t the right audience.

So again at this point, my interest is dropping and my propensity to want to work with them drops too and in the worst cases…

…I’ve moved on to a completely new subject. By the way, if you see people playing with their pad of paper or phone then this is more than a sign that you’ve lost your audience.

So then we get to the actual pitch, and here is the part that most people get wrong.

I get told that if I work with people then it will mean that they can get the money…

…they will be able to learn from my expertise, they can access my resources, book of contacts and all sorts of other things which is quite frankly of zero interest.

My internal voice is telling me that the person pitching is looking to use me, which is fine, but without appreciating my role in this relationship.

So here’s what I suggest you make sure happens when you pitch.

First of all you control the situation, and so you have to be the most interesting thing or person in the room…

…so if there are potential distractions, like phones, you have to make sure that you are more interesting than they could ever be.

Second you need to come right out and say what you will deliver to them.

So if you are looking for investment then you will deliver a sizable return on investment.

Or if you are selling a product or service, funnily enough, what you are offering is not dis-similar because…

…you are able to deliver great value to them and deliver clear and measurable benefits and do this by making their lives easier too.

And only once you've opened up and made your pitch, do you add information that supports your statement, like statistics or your expertise.

But keep it short and to the point.

The faster you can get your audience asking questions or wanting to know more, the better your outcome should be.

So just remember, that a pitch is based on your desired outcome and you need to clearly and quickly…

…give compelling benefits to anybody you pitch to and be the most interesting thing in the room and when you do this…

…you’ll come out on top in most pitches you do.