How to Pitch – 20 Tips

Before you start breathing fast imagining yourself in an elevator and pitching to the prospect let me tell you that we will just talk about pitch without going into all that elevator action. According to the facts 1 in 1 million get stuck in an elevator with the prospective investors or a customer. Most of the other meet during an event, or party or anywhere else but elevator.

So what is elevator pitch

You get inside an elevator and turn to see the man you can turn you business, you have 8-10 seconds with him/her and you try to pitch your business. Thats elevator pitch.

Don’t panic, this is imaginary, in real life  you will get as much time as you can, if you keep your prospect interested in what you are talking about.pitching-20-Tips

Just Pitch Tips that will land you Big Business

  1. Remember that first impression starts with the way you look, so smile. Also, don’t be too aggressive in your pitch.
  2. Investors/Customers/clients expect energy and dedication from entrepreneurs, Just don’t over do it.
  3. Open your pitch by getting the Investor’s attention with a “hook.” A statement or question that piques their interest to want to hear more.
  4. “If you can’t write your idea on the back of a business card, you don’t have an idea.” this means a one liner which describes your business so that people remember it and tell it to their friends too. (This is how you get word of mouth publicity).
  5. Put yourself in the other person’s shoes. What would they want to know and how would they want it delivered? Then do exactly that.
  6. Use words that create a visual image in your listeners mind. This will make your message memorable.
  7. You don’t want to bore the other individual and you want to hear his/her story, too! Networking is a two-way, mutually beneficial relationship.
  8. Have different pitch for different people, depending on if  you want to make a sale, gain a prospect, enlist support for an idea, earn a referral, or something else?
  9. Prepare a pitch by writing it down in several versions of it. Like what you do and why people should want to do business with you. A story which tell how your idea or product can solve someone’s problem.
  10. Not just face-to-face, if you don’t get a chance to meet the people in person, technology have opened lot of doors for connecting with the right person. Do it on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn or even an email. You can hone your pitching skills by practicing them in writing.
  11. Social media gives you an opportunity to build a relationship with the investor or customer before pitching to them. Join online groups or community and get visibility by interacting with people online.
  12. After you’ve explained to your new networking contact who you are, it’s important to communicate what you’re seeking.
  13. In the end Make it productive by exchanging contact details or fixing a coffee appointment or even better closing the deal.
  14. Ask open ended Questions to keep the conversation going. Ex: Do you like Apples? NOT. What do you like about Apples?YES.
  15. Think How these TV commercials/Advertisements send their message in straight 30 Seconds, learn from them.
  16. Starting with asking “What do you do” is great because its always good to know what the person does before you spend time pitching.
  17. Remember People love to buy, but hate to be sold to
  18. Make sure you do a solo pitch even if you have a partner, because it will be distracting if two people talking, also your prospect may get a feeling of pressure from two people selling him something.
  19. Avoid Wipmy words(most overused) Ex: “I think…”, “I belive…”, ” What we are trying to do is…..” (c’mon you already doing it),
  20. Talking less is always better than talking more.

What’s your pitch style? Share it with us in the comments!

Suggested Read

  1. 20-tips-on-writing-press-release
  2. Guerrilla-marketing-for-internet
  3. Target-audience-target-market

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