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!
Be human when presenting. Don't be perfect. People want conversations; not actors on a stage.#publicspeaking @MagneticSpeak
— James Greenway (@NerdCred) May 15, 2015
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.
https://twitter.com/thevantee/status/706716560354717696
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.
Use plain English. The #language must be simple, clear and direct. So don’t use agency speak when presenting. pic.twitter.com/Bilt01u7wJ
— Bram van den Boom (@BestPrezz) March 6, 2015
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.
When you done presenting but everyone wanna ask questions… pic.twitter.com/VoQiD67emZ
— JB on TNT (@jbwshh) April 12, 2016
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.
Just getting our delegates to be creative by helping them to tell stories and anecdotes when presenting. It keeps the audience switched on
— Mike Ode (@Mike_Ode) February 22, 2012
Main image credit: Shutterstock
