Best Practices in pitching for new deals

We tend to inherit business processes as best practice when we enter the workforce. Some are better than others, and some defy common sense. Consultants make a lot of money showing companies the difference.

One process that I suggest could use re-examination is the in-person pitch. The way we’ve been taught to get our ideas across is not necessarily the most effective for generating revenue, particularly with total strangers. By “pitch” I mean the traditional monologue about a product or service, often built around slides, demanded by use in contests by start-ups. Enterprises use a version as well.

Think about the word itself before it happens to you. Pitch usually means that someone you don’t know will throw a ball hard at your head. Your job is to slam that ball away to avoid serious injury.

Is that really best model for persuasion?

It’s no secret that business is built on relationships. Deals are always based on a certain level of trust in people, no matter how airtight the contracts. Billions are spent every year on brand, marketing and generating valuable contacts.

A monologue might raise visibility, but unless you’re a professional actor with great lines, it’s certainly not optimal means for an audience to absorb information. So here’s my question for entrepreneurs and enterprise alike:

Why is a memorised pitch still our conventional notion of Best Practices in business communication? Is “messaging” — and “delivering” in broadcast mode — the most effective way to develop relationships? In short, is talking AT people really persuasive?

Here’s the alternative: rather than talking at someone, start a conversation that listeners want to continue. Why? Business is always done later, usually in a room other than the one where you’ve shown your deck. If your final slide is the last word, you lose.

Don’t think of closing — instead, consider every communication event the opportunity to engage your listener. This requires some consistent Best Practices, and here are three to start with:

1. Before writing your story, think about what your audience is listening for. What you want to say is less important than what I want to hear if you want to persuade me to continue the conversation. We know this outside of business — if we “pitched” or “delivered” “messages” to our friends, we wouldn’t have any.
2. Write your story before you create your deck. Most people create a deck and then the story is built around it. Instead, justify every slide you add as something you couldn’t simply say. Don’t distract your listeners by forcing them to make meaning out of charts and graphs while you’re talking. Keep the focus on you.
3. Be able to tell your story without slides at all. The world is small, and every conversation is an opportunity to find resources for your business. Once I was on an airplane where the man next to me complained about his girlfriend for an hour. Then he asked me what I did for work. Turned out he was the buyer at a big department store in New York, and I was working as a non-exec for a retail technology. Deal made.

More on Best Practices in communication next week.