Nov 142016
 
Broken pitch
Too many pitches are boring. Boring pitches are the weak link in Startup communication. I applaud anyone who listens to pitches full time. They’ve got to have a special talent for staying awake. I attend all kinds of startup Pitching Events, from competitions, to demo days and investor pitching sessions and, even though I train people to pitch well,  I sometimes have an irresistible urge to ...
Sep 222014
 
A magazine recently quoted me saying, “I hate the term ‘elevator pitch.’” That’s not entirely true. I actually hate elevator pitches themselves. Here’s why. One size fits all Elevator pitches are based on the principle that, if you’ve worked out one 1-3 minute speech, you can tell it to everyone. That’s just wrong. I certainly hope that, when you talk to the person ...
Jun 172014
 
What do you say when someone asks you what you do? What do you say when you need to sell something? What do you say when you want to tell someone about your great idea? Pitching and catching We give business pitches for any number of reasons: to increase our network, to get new customers, to generate investment in our products and companies. In baseball, every pitch is thrown to somebody: ...
Apr 292014
 
Why are some presentations great and others horribly boring? There are two presentation skills that separate great presenters from the rest of us: They always have a goal. They make certain that every presentation has a point. The goal could be a company goal, like more sales, generating investment, or making the working environment better. It could be personal, like being seen as ...
Jun 232013
 
While preparing for the workshop on pitching that I'm giving later this week, I've been thinking about the purposes of a pitch. So far I've got two: 1. To initiate a conversation. In other words, to get the other party (or parties) to say "How do you do that?" or "Tell me more." or "How can I help?" 2. To be remembered. Here's an example. You're talking to someone between sessions at a ...
Jun 182013
 
What do you say when someone asks you what you do? What do you say when you want to stand out of a crowd? The first words out of your mouth in these situations (after your name, of course) are usually a pitch. We all have to pitch every day, and, too often, when we're called upon to do it, we freeze, mumble, and miss the chance to enter into dialogue. And dialogue creates opportunity. Let ...
Jun 112013
 
A business pitch, just like a great pick‑up line, is an invitation to further conversation – or, better yet, to further action. However, all too often we end up feeling more like helpless teen-agers than successful businesspeople. We all need to pitch many times a day, whether it’s explaining what we can do for potential clients, selling our best ideas, or generating investment in our startups. Just ...