Everything Follows the Pitch

If you asked me to point to the heart and soul of a startup company, I would not say it's the people, the culture, or even the product. I would say it's the pitch. The pitch is that one message that, when delivered, makes people say "wow, that's a great idea!". The pitch gets everyone in the room excited about getting on board with your product and your company. It's the inspiration that carries everyone along for the ride.

The pitch also determines whether or not the company's offer has any viability in the market. For this reason the pitch should always precede any other developments or decisions. Your pitch is your divining rod that helps you make decisions on where to go next. So working on the pitch should always be the first step toward introducing any new concept.

Pitch Early

Pitching early is about as close as you can come to having your own crystal ball to see into the future. Getting a customer to say "yes" today, even though the product may not exist yet, is as important as getting them to say "yes" when it's actually available. This process allows you to probe your customers' objections early and understand where the fatal flaws in the model or product offering exist. Better to find out now that customers aren't dying for your product than after you've mortgaged your house to finance your idea!

Pitch Everyone

For the pitch to work, you need to see how it resonates with all of the usual suspects - customers, investors, and employees, in just that order. Each of these constituents thinks about your pitch slightly differently and for good reasons. Customers are interested in how your service improves their life. Investors want to know that your idea can turn into a profitable enterprise. Employees want to know that selling your service will create a great (and steady) place for them to work.

The reaction of each member of this trifecta merits careful consideration. For example, if your customers love your product but investors don't see how you'll ever make money, you have a potential problem. You will need to successfully pitch all of these groups eventually, so pitching them effectively early on is critical toward refining your offering and insuring its later acceptance.

Build the product with the pitch in mind

Knowing the pitch allows you to make much better decisions when developing the product. If what you're building doesn't add to the pitch, think twice about adding it at all. In a startup environment you have limited resources, so you need to concentrate your time and effort on features that will lead directly to the customer's, investor's and employee's decision to say "yes". Your product should always be built with the pitch in mind.

Sculpt the pitch

French author and aircraft engineer Antoine de Saint-Exupery once said a designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away. Sculpting your pitch is no different. Keep paring your pitch down to just the most critical elements that make or break a customer's decision to buy. Anything else is just excess waiting to be scraped away, or worse yet, confuse the customer. Your pitch has become a masterpiece when it is as short and to the point as possible. The faster it hits home, the more powerful it will be.

Keep it flexible

A good pitch is like a chameleon ? it adapts and responds to a changing environment. You may find that what you once thought were the perfect selling points get morphed into a message that sounds quite different but is more effective. Don't sweat it. There's nothing wrong with changing the pitch over time as long as it continues to be more effective. There are no points won here for "getting it right the first time", but there are plenty to be lost for never fixing it. Some of the best pitch masters out there are not only great at speaking, they are great at listening to what customers say and modifying their pitch accordingly.

If they won't buy the pitch, they won't buy the product

It's rare that you will be present every time your customers are considering whether or not to buy your product. That said, if you can't convince someone to say "yes" while you are standing there giving your pitch in front of them, you can rest assured you're not likely to get a "yes" when you're away. A good pitch should be so tightly integrated with your offering that it's able to sell itself without coming from you. And it should be so infectious that customers can't help but sell it to their friends.

Remember - if you can't sell it, it doesn't really exist!

- Wil

Wil Schroter is a serial entrepreneur, author, and public speaker. Wil has been recognized as U.S. Small Business Person of the Year, twice as the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year (1999 & 2004), and is a member of the Business First Top 40 under forty. Connect directly with Wil at wschroter@yahoo.com. Visit http://www.goBIGnetwork.com.

---

Aikido and The Art of Cold Calling

Imagine being in a crowded concert or bar. All of... Read More

Know What You Are Selling As If You Were Buying It

Recently I wanted a new lawn mower as we have... Read More

Model Dell: The Art of the Affiliate Coupon

Along with having an innovative supply chain, there's another reason... Read More

The Risk of Being A Yes-Man

Sales is all about negotiating. You are negotiating from the... Read More

Sales Training from the Ghostbusters

Picture this scene from the 1984 smash comedy movie from... Read More

Persuading Learners to Buy: 7 Groups

There are seven major reasons why adults continue their pursuit... Read More

Lazy Man?s Way To Get Customers

No matter how big or small your business is and... Read More

To Buy or Not to Buy? Motivating Your Customers to Take Action!

All customers have a choice to make. Sometimes that choice... Read More

How Leaky is Your Sales Pipeline?

Does your Sales Pipeline leak? If you answered no, you... Read More

Can You Use Hynotic Like Statements To Sell More Products?

As I become more successful with my internet business I... Read More

An Introduction to Mannequins

Just about every clothing store uses mannequins. There are many... Read More

3 Tips For Getting Through The Voicemail Screen

How many times have you heard that you gotta get... Read More

Make Your Trade Show Booth Popular

So, you are taking your products and heading to a... Read More

To Sell Successfully, You Have to Be Willing to Be Different

We are complex. We confidently assert that we are independent... Read More

Expert Qualities in Sales

If you went to see your doctor, and he mentioned... Read More

Selling More CDs at Gigs, Case Study: The Rogues

A few weekends back, the Brobdingnagian Bards performed at the... Read More

Impotent Questions - How Much Are They Costing You?

Last issue we talked about what motivates people to buy... Read More

Leveraging Yourself Up To Executives When Selling

The fastest way to get a decision made is to... Read More

The Allure of Antique Store Fixtures

They say if you wait long enough, a style you... Read More

Marketing Conversations, And Conversation Stoppers

Where many marketing conversations get off-track are the ones you... Read More

Throw Out Your Selling Language - Unlock Your Natural Voice

I was sitting at my desk last week when my... Read More

Your Voice is Your Instrument

On an introductory call, your voice is your instrument. During... Read More

Sell More: How to Get Motivated Buyers To Call You First

How many sales opportunities have you lost to competitors who... Read More

Instead of Discounting, Back Some Value Out of Your Proposal

Last minute discounting has become so prevalent that many companies... Read More

How to Leverage Your Influence

Why do we get into sales? Typically it is two... Read More

The Never Ending Sale

Once you have added a new customer to your book... Read More

If I Wanted To Sell For A Living, I Would Of Majored In It In College

By a show of hands, how many of you grew... Read More

Value-added Selling?

"Value-added." That word is used so much it has become... Read More

The Best Day In The Week

The best day of the week is TODAY, of course.... Read More

Gatekeepers

When I ask salespeople to define what a gatekeeper is,... Read More

5 Ways to Encourage Impulse Purchases

I just bought six square pieces of spongy fabric for... Read More

15 Ways To Get Really Motivated

First, recognize that motivation is an inside job. The word... Read More

I Am A Habit

JOHN DI LEMME on "I Am A Habit"H-A-B-I-T...When 95% of... Read More