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Editor's Notes

• #2: Key message; Comm. of value (& awareness of client value perception) which positions you to attract ideal clients. NB: Understand your own value, how to communicate it & what¡¯s valuable to ideal clients Preso structure; Why this?/Why now?/What¡¯s changed? (why a great Pitch is now more important than ever) Why me (?) & thinking built on/Your challenges/What¡¯s wrong with the topic (Pitch)/Our obsession (?) (common message mistakes) What we do/why you should care/what¡¯s it all about/what¡¯s in it for you (how to structure your message so you¡¯re easy to buy & refer) AMCHAM story (CP pitch event & getting CP as a client) ¨C prepare, have intent, deliver value & follow up (message, backed by action) (Why this?) Life¡¯s a Pitch (big decisions & ongoing comms.) Pitch (¡®hinge¡¯) ¨C pivotal moment which determines success or failure¡­if you get it right, everything follows & if you don¡¯t, nothing follows¡­ Definition of pitch ¨C selling services, ideas (DF) ¨C present case/you, feel differently about you afterwards Biz & Life (big & small pitches - snapshot) ¨C understand audience, good listener, confident & express yourself simply & quickly ¨C charm.
• #3: (Why this?) Ever asked someone this question & immediately regretted it?! Problem with passion, need for focus/brevity & relevance (find out about them first) If we can¡¯t explain what we do in a clear, credible & compelling manner, we can¡¯t expect others to buy or refer us. Is it easy or hard for the prospect to ascertain who is the best? Hard ¨C Pitch gives you the benefit of the doubt (¡®shortcut¡¯¡­he/she sounded like they¡¯re know their stuff¡­) 3 c¡¯s of value - comms bridges gap between value creation & commercialisation & attracting ideal clients & referrals you deserve.
• #4: (Why this?/Why now?) Too many conversations end in apathetic indifference ¨C lack of brevity & relevance, focusing on the solution & not how you could solve a problem & make their life easier.
• #5: NB: Need Diagram of - Logical (left) Brain (in red) vs. Emotive (right) Brain (in green) NB: 1 liner ¨C ¡®People buy emotionally and then justify logically¡¯ Key message ¨C Most people pitch using too much logic & not enough emotion, but business & decision making involves more emotion than we realise
• #6: (Why now?/What¡¯s changed?) ¡®Pens Activity¡¯ ¨C there¡¯s only so many messages the prospect/client can remember (¡®cut through¡¯) ¨C Vahe ¨C 719 word pitch reduced to 156. Apathy (& memory loss) is our biggest competitor¡­3-5000 messages (remember 3-5)¡­if we¡¯re not crystal clear about the problems we solve & why others should buy from us, then how can we expect others to be? We¡¯re being rude¡­making others work too hard to understand us, while still expecting them to buy! Is there message alignment within the business (& is it delivered eg: CBA bank branch example)? Prospects want consistency!!! (risk averse) Impact (Mark Jackson) ¨C people don¡¯t buy what you do, it¡¯s the impact of what you do for them ¨C how does what you do help them get what they want? (purpose) (Why me? & thinking built on) MMgt¡­ Won Pitch comp¡­ Over 10 000 client interviews ¨C know why people buy, stay & refer (help clients focus on the right things & get alignment) - value is not what we think, but what our clients think¡­ 4th business in 22 years¡­(41)
• #7: NB: Need diagram of ¨C a half open door NB: 1 Liner ¨C ¡®Our Pitch either opens or closes the door¡¯ Key message ¨C Our pitch is the crucial first step/hurdle in the sales process
• #8: NB: Add ¡®Sweet Spot¡¯ diagram ¨C 3 overlapping circles (Venn diagram) with heart symbol (top middle with ¡®Why¡¯ above it), tick symbol (bottom left with ¡®What¡¯ & ¡®Who¡¯ below it) & $ sign (bottom right with ¡®How¡¯ below it) NB: 1 liner ¨C ¡®Heart, head and hand¡¯ Key message ¨C we do our best work when what we do is fuelled by who we are
• #9: (Your challenges/What¡¯s wrong with the topic) Need a central message to drives sales & referrals (what ultimate benefit/result is your call to action?) ¨C message should be predatory with regards to competition & what¡¯s important to consumers. Eg: Qantas ¨C Safety & Service (airline rankings), CBA ¨C cust service rankings Think in bumper stickers¡¯ eg: Politics ¨C Obama ¨C ¡®Change¡¯ (against John McKain ¨C Bush 2) (what do you want people to remember, feel & do?)
• #10: (Your challenges/What¡¯s wrong with the topic) Pitch v Proposition Benefits - Absolute/Relative/Parity + CI/10 = relevance/importance to marketing message & impact on ¡®buying reasons¡¯ Values alignment between staff ¨C impact on delivery of value proposition Clients are your ¡®Market Research Department¡¯ & your ¡®Extended Sales Team¡¯ ¨C service is part of your Pitch/message (¡®new snapshot¡¯)
• #11: (Our obsession & what we do) Helping businesses who create a lot of value, best communicate it¡­so they can attract more of their clients faster (& commercialise it)¡­alleviates their frustration eg: Message evaluation, Verbal ¨C Written ¨C Sales Pitch (Pitch & Sales - get the client)¡­Perfect Pitch Program ¡­service (keep the client)¡­Sales Support Program ¡­referrals (grow the client value)¡­Referral Plus Program NB: Deliberately (with intent ¨C AMCHAM story) designing businesses¡­so they can get positioned in the market (see whiteboard) (Why should you care?) You may be the best at what you do, but if you can¡¯t communicate your value clearly you won¡¯t get the business you deserve (Positioning ladder)
• #12: (Why you should care) Always pitching (just because we do it regularly, doesn¡¯t mean we do it well¡­eg: driving) - defn of negotiation ¨C ¡®The exchange of information between 2 or more people with the intent to change a relationship¡¯ Subject line email pitch ¨C utility/curiosity and specificity Research into ¡®non ¨C sales selling¡¯ (41%) ¨C lots of opps to get it right & not! (¡®To sell is human¡¯) Examples of Pitches - Social, Networking, Meeting, Presentation pitches etc¡­ - 1 word pitch ¨C Optus, CBA, Qantas (¡®Rain Man¡¯ film) - Question pitch ¨C Reagan ¨C 1980 election ¨C ¡®Are you better off now than you were four years ago?¡¯ - Rhyming pitch ¨C ¡®If the glove doesn¡¯t fit, you must acquit¡¯ (O.J Simpson trial)
• #13: (What¡¯s it all about/what¡¯s in it for you) - More Ideal Clients, Faster - Don¡¯t be rude - be easy to buy from & easy to refer - an 8 & 80 year old should be able to explain what you do¡­don¡¯t make people to understand your message Eg: Introductory referral email pitch¡­don¡¯t leave it up to them to position your business.
• #14: (What¡¯s it all about/what¡¯s in it for you) Leverage¡­making the most of every opportunity (email, phone call, meeting etc¡­) so we¡¯re not resigned to soul destroying cold calls & following up people that just don¡¯t¡­care.