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Talent Acquisition

A Beginner’s Guide to Pitching Like a Pro

No matter what industry you’re in, there will come a time when you’ll need to win some new business or impress a potential client or customer. You’ll have to rock them with a pitch that not only blows them away, but also shows that you can provide the answers to the questions they’ve been trying so hard to work out. So what are some ways you can really impress with your presentation? Here’s my list of things to keep in mind when you’re pitching for a new project, client or customer.

1) Humans win humans

When you meet any potential clients, it’s easy to get bogged down in the specifics of what you would be doing. But humans win humans, so make sure you remain personable and human through out the pitch. When you’re pitching, let the audience know your own personal skills, as well as the individual skills that individuals within the team possess. It’s also important to remember that no one wants to hear a presentation or pitch from a robot, so have personality and try to be yourself as much as you can!

2) Crystal clear

When pitching to a client, it’s very important that you know exactly what they need and want from you. Make sure you have as much information as you can get about the task at hand and details about the client. From here you can create a bespoke pitch that will tick all the boxes, without beating round the bush with information that’s fluffed-up and unnecessary.

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3) Speak in plain and simple language

Throwing in buzzwords and lingo won’t make you sound any more convincing than your pitch actually is. So when writing your notes, make sure you use language that everyone can understand, and not just industry terminology. You can never be completely sure of the backgrounds of the people you’re pitching to; someone could be an outside source who has been brought in at the last minute, or someone in there might be from a different department. You don’t want to alienate people for their lack of understanding.

4) Ask questions

When you’re going to a pitch, it’s important that you make sure you fully understand the person/company/brand that you’re a pitching to. It’s similar to an job interview – it shouldn’t just be one-sided, but rather a two-sided discussion. Make sure you have questions prepared in order to find out more about who the process, project, client, next steps and anything else you’re unsure of.

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5) Show passion with anecdotes

This again relates to a previous mention of robotic pitching. Avoid this style at ALL COSTS. Pep up your pitch with personal stories, anecdotes and jokes. This will keep your audience interested, engage their interests and avoids making them want to shut off. It’s also useful to add in some friendly chitchat (when appropriate) in order to get to know them on a more personal (not just professional) level.

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