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Read time: 2.5 mins
A few weeks ago, we were thrilled to be asked to mentor a number of ambitious MBA students studying at MIT in Boston.
The brief?
Help them build a winning pitch.
The students were preparing to pitch a business idea to a panel of profs, and the university brought Steve on to help them craft a pitch that was influential and compelling.
Being able to pitch isn’t just for MIT and Dragon's Den (or Shark Tank for our American mates).
If you can’t pitch, how can you influence someone to:
- invest in your product or service?
- hire or promote you?
- be inspired and motivated to follow you as a leader?
- agree to your restaurant choice for dinner tonight?
- and the list goes on…
We’ve been practicing and refining pitches of various types for over 20 years, and Steve was delighted to spend time sharing practical strategies that make an impact.
Here are 5 of our favourties, which Steve shared in his latest discussion with the ambitious leaders at MIT:
5 STRATEGIES FOR A WINNING PITCH
1. Focus on the problem:
When you're pitching an idea, it's easy to get excited about your solution and dive straight into sharing why it's so awesome.
But the decision-makers in the room won’t care about your solution if they don't care about the problem it solves.
Always focus first on painting a clear picture of the problem first.
Make them care about solving the problem.
Make the problem painful for THEM, and you'll have their attention.
2. Clarity is king:
It's really easy to fall into a nerdy trap when you're pitching an idea that you're super passionate about, especially if you're a technical expert in your field.
Remember that your audience doesn't know nearly as much as you do about your idea (nor do they want or need to).
So, focus on being crystal clear on what you want to say, considering the most appropriate language, tone of voice, and logical flow of information for the people you're speaking to.
Cut out all the jargon, acronyms and technical language, and clearly share your key messages.
Everyone will thank you for it.
3. Break it into parts:
Make your pitch easy to understand while still demonstrating thought and insight by breaking it up into logical components.
We like using the Rule of 3 to share your points, because ideas that are presented in 3s are more memorable.
We sometimes stretch out the Rule of 3 to 5 points (like in this newsletter), but never go longer than that.
Any more becomes too hard for the audience to remember.
4. What’s in it for them?
Your audience won't care unless you make your pitch about them.
- How will your idea make them rich?
- How do you solve their issues?
- How do you give them back time?
- How will their dinner be super delicious?
Think of their pain points and ideal solutions, and connect your pitch to what they care about.
5. The first 15-20 seconds count most:
This is where people tune in or out.
It's your make-or-break moment, and it all comes down to two words:
Credibility and trust.
We recommend you plan how to create a feeling of credibility and trust within that initial 15-20 seconds as a top priority.
It can be as easy as looking confident, smiling, and speaking clearly with a 'hook' that draws them in.
How you create credibility and trust is up to you - but don't underestimate how critical it is.
Overall, the key is to understand how to build and maintain trust and attention on any pitch you make.
We hope these 5 strategies help you do exactly that next time you need a winning pitch!
For the action takers:
Want help with your next pitch?
Steve will be offering an 'office hours' session for 1 hour next week to take your questions and help with your next pitch.
To attend or submit a question, send him a note by replying to this email.
Take care all, and speak soon,
Lynne and Steve
TLDR:
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Delivering a winning pitch is essential, not only for entrepreneurs but in many areas of business and career.
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Capture your audience's attention by highlighting the problem first and building credibility and trust with a strong, clear, and audience-centric pitch.
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Reach out for assistance (just reply to this email); we're happy to answer any questions or work with you to perfect your next pitch.
When you're ready, here's how we can support you further:
▶ Join the Unlock Your Network course
Our free 7-day course will help you learn the strategy, tools, and tactics to build a network that creates opportunities for you.
▶ Work with us
We offer coaching & mentoring to help professionals build impactful careers and businesses. Enquire here .