The art of pitching

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The art of pitching

• Hoorcollege marketing blok 2 week 6

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Learning goals

• By the end of this college you should understand
• What a pitch process is and why it is used by
  organizations
• Who the key players in the pitch process
• What the concerns are of the players in a pitch
  process
• Some best practice for preparing, giving and
  following-up on pitches
• How you can prepare for your assessment
  presentations

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Agenda

• What is a pitch?
• Why use a pitch?
• The key players and their concerns
• Preparing for a pitch
• Giving the pitch
• After the pitch
• Some tips for the assessment
• Summary

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What is a pitch?
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This is your client and they have a problem
????
It is your job to show them how you can solve it
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What is a pitch?

• A pitch is a competitive process where a client
  organization tries to find an (internal/external)
  organization that can help them solve their
  problem
• The client organization asks more than one
  organization to come up with possible solutions
  and then selects the best from their perspective
• Usually the client organization is looking to
  see
• Who has the best ideas to solve their problem
• AND
• Who they can work with most effectively to
  implement them
• Having the best ideas do not usually mean you win
• The combination of ideas and ability to work
  together is essential

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Why use a pitch?
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Clients use pitches to

• Get other perspectives on their problem
• Get a work sample from other organizations
• Compare options and ensure the best combination
  of ideas and ability to work together
• And sadly sometimes they use them to steal the
  good ideas of others
• Outside organizations should try to protect
  themselves from this

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Agencies use pitches to

• Get new business
• Build awareness
• Gather market information
• However in an ideal world most agencies would
  prefer not to pitch

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The key players and their concerns
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Players and concerns
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Preparing for a pitch
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The 5 Ps of pitching

• Pathetic
• Preparation
• Prompts
• Poor
• Presentation
• Preparation is the key

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Preparation
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Field Of Dreams
X
If you build it
they will come
FIELD OF DREAMS
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The Field of Dreams almost never happens

• Consumers generally need to be aware of solutions
  to their problems
• If you build it
• you have to tell them about it somehow
• and then
• they might come
• Telling them can involve
• Communication
• And/or
• Distribution

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Miracles rarely occur

• A miracle is a hole in your argument
• It means you have not thought your story through
• Or
• Your story is not complete
• Or
• Your story is not being told well
• The best sign that you are expecting a miracle is
  the phrase
• We hope that
• Hope has no place in a pitch presentation

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Scenarios help

• Constructing different scenarios will help you
  avoid the field of dreams and miracles
• Create scenarios for situations where the
  customer/user
• First finds out about the product
• Is persuaded to trial and/or buy the product
• Uses the product in different ways
• Tells their friends about how much they like the
  product
• Think of how you can ensure that they do find
  out, trial/buy, enjoy using and tell their friends

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Preparation
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Giving the pitch
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A pitch is about selling

• The word pitch is short for sales pitch
• This is your opportunity to sell
• Your ideas
• Yourself
• Your organization
• The client organization has a problem and wants a
  solution
• You need to show them yours is the best and that
  you are the right organization to help them
  implement it

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To do this you need to

• Be prepared
• Be professional
• Be convincing
• Be visual
• Tell a complete story

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After the pitch
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Both the client and your organization need to
decide something

• The client
• Are their ideas good?
• Do we believe they can deliver?
• Can we work with them?
• Do the benefits justify the cost?
• Your organization
• Can you work with them?
• Do the benefits justify the costs?
• Do you want the contract?
• You do not have to take the job if offered
• Although you have to get out of it carefully!

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Post-pitch best practice

• Review how it went with your colleagues
• What can you learn for future pitches?
• Talk to the client and ask for feedback
  (especially if you were unsuccessful)
• Again what can you learn for the future?
• If successful, negotiate terms and conditions as
  soon as possible
• If unsuccessful, try to maintain contact with the
  client for the future

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Some tips for the assessment

• Make sure you prepare well and rehearse
• Watch out for the field of dreams and miracles
• Where you can use visuals in place of text do so
• Dont make your presentations like a hoorcollege
  (too much text)
• Agree an earlier meeting time with your team to
  check the presentation and computer one last time
• Be ready at the start time
• Imagine that your tutor is the client
• Try to sell your ideas and your team
• Try to tell a story
• Take notes of all feedback
• BTW you should always take notes when talking to
  your client (e.g. in the project)

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Summary

• A pitch is a competitive presentation aimed at
  showing the client that you have the best ideas
  and you are the best organization to work with to
  implement them
• Preparation is the key
• Remember the briefing is the basis of what you
  present
• Make sure your story is complete and strong
• To pitch is to sell
• Make sure everything you do contributes to
  selling both your ideas and your organization