Achieving consistent growth is the key to any successful enterprise. One of the very best ways to grow your business is to get out into the marketplace and pitch – either to potential customers or potential investors. No matter how confident you are or how sure you are of the enormous value of your particular product or service, taking a little time to plan out both what you say and how you say it will pay enormous dividends each and every time you make a pitch.
Respect your audience
Be sure to confirm in advance exactly how much time you have to deliver your pitch and exactly who is going to be part of your audience. Failing to do so is a common error, and one could quickly spell disaster. Delivering a perfect pitch that is filled with information that is mostly irrelevant to the people you are speaking to will do nothing to further your cause. If your pitch ends up running for twice as long as the timeslot you have been assigned, you risk some of those present having to leave before the end due to other commitments. This means they lose the chance to have any questions they might have answered. Even if all of your audience stays to the end of a pitch that overruns, they may be left with feelings of resentment as a result.
Turn your pitch into a story
The human brain is hard-wired for storytelling and knowing this can help turn an otherwise dry pitch into something far more entertaining and memorable. Stories are satisfying because they have a beginning, middle and an end and they engage the audience throughout. If you can incorporate some key storytelling techniques in your pitch, you stand a better chance of delivering a fascinating presentation that resonates with your audience long after you have left the building.
Leave them with high-quality handouts
Even the best pitch in the world can’t possibly provide all the information or answer all the questions that a potential customer might have. Being able to leave behind a range of high-quality promotional materials not only provides an opportunity for people to go through the material in more depth and at their own pace, but it also cements the image of your company as one that is both efficient and capable of providing a quality product or service. At Showcasecreative.com you can find a wide range of presentation folders and other materials that will ensure you leave a lasting impression.
Practice the tough questions
There will be times when your pitch goes perfectly to plan, but there will be others when one catastrophe hits you after another. Knowing your business inside out so that you can answer any question that is thrown at you is the key to maintaining your composure when times get tough. You also need to practice answering the most difficult, challenging questions you possibly can think of – the ones you hope and pray will never actually come up. Never let yourself be caught off-guard – prepare for every scenario.
