If you are a marketer like I am, chances are that you must have been involved in countless pitches. Despite being involved in countless pitches, you still have that sense of apprehension anytime you want to go before a crowd. It is very normal to feel nervous or apprehensive, it only shows you are human. But trust me, once the conversation kicks off, you find yourself easing comfortably into the subject matter.
There are five great tips that have worked for me every time and is still working, you may want to adopt.
Putting It Together:
This part is so much fun. As you have all the ideas trickling in. With your pitch team, you must filter out the ideas and decide which one best answers the objective of the subject matter being presented. Be careful at the start not to kill ideas. Rather each idea should be carefully analyzed and if possible tweaked to reflect the essence of the subject matter. Your ideas must pass the following tests/ answer the following questions
- Is the idea CREATIVE?
- Is it NOVEL and UNIQUE to the particular subject matter?
- Is it SUSTAINABLE?
- Can it be ACHIEVED OR IMPLEMENTED within the set timeframes?
Constructive criticism is always better than an outright ‘No, that won’t work’. Weigh each idea carefully and then narrow down to the three top ideas. Your best, 2nd best, and third best. Flesh out the first idea fully and then provide the strategic thought/framework for the other two ideas.
Structure Your Story:
You must have something worth talking about, think of it as taking your clients on a journey, you want to bring them into your world by showing them how it all started how it evolved and how it ended. Your ending must be the climax with the intention of getting your client to take action. We all love listening to stories and not just stories, but good stories at that. A story that can pique and sustain interest is always the best to go.
Make sure to research your audience before going fr a pitch presentation. Take your time to do a bit of research about them as this will help you with profiling them and knowing how to start. You don’t want to be too jovial or too technical either or you may lose them.
Go a bit deeper and let us know why you care so much about the subject matter and why your audience should care as well. Key is that you must try to bring your thoughts alive by giving examples, In structuring your story, you may want to include a personal experience or an experience of someone else to make it more believable and authentic.
Be mindful of the time slot you have been given as your keeping to time is always an advantage. Tell us about the solution, the contribution or value you are putting on the table
Plan Your Delivery:
This part is often neglected but I have seen that many times, failure to plan your delivery leads to incoherence and a bit of confusion especially when you are with your pitch presentation team. As a matter of fact, you must have done a mock rehearsal and everyone is clear on when to come in. From my experience. prompt and cues works,… “Susan will now tell us about the processes in achieving these tasks” Avoid reading out your presentation as your audience can very well see the screen and read.
Be natural about it and go with the flow. Be flexible and not rigid. Try and make your presentation conversational and intimate. Maintaining eye contact and asking for responses is apt and comes in very useful during the delivery.
Get rid of the stage fright:
First, understand that the persons you are speaking with are no monsters, they are actually your friends. It doesn’t matter if they are seating on the other side of the table. The fact is, you are a professional and an expert in your field. If your clients could do it themselves, they wouldn’t have reached out to you.
For those not experienced in the act of public speaking, you could rehearse on your own by presenting to the mirror, watching your gesticulations, expressions, body movement, voice inflection, and voice pitch. And please tell yourself over and over again that you can do it.
Close the deal/Ask for feedback/Revert timelines:
I have seen this happen countless times. After delivering a great pitch, you don’t just pack your bags and leave. You should ask for comments, feedback, and more importantly a revert timeline as this is the first step to closing the deal. Remember to follow up and follow through until you win the business.
Lastly, It is expected that you look good. Deciding what to wear ahead of the pitch presentation works magic in showing the cohesiveness of the team. A member of the pitch team could even decide to dress like a character in your story and bring it alive!
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