Making a Pitch

As Mark Twain said, “I didn’t have time to write you a short letter, so I wrote you a long one instead.” Communicating succinctly is always a challenge, both written and verbal. If you are leading, you need to permanently communicate your mission and goals and this can be done at any opportune moment – but usually the moment is short, so you need to be succinct! Being in the USA this week I was reminded of the “elevator pitch” concept and sought out guidance on how to do it well. The article “How to Make Your Case in 30 Seconds or Less” by Wreden, 2002, Harvard Management Communication Letter does just that. Whilst American in nature (with implicit references to and a focus on making a sale), the advice is nevertheless pertinent for any leader needing to influence others.

Here’s how to make a very brief case along with further considerations (et alors).

Making a Pitch

The goal of an elevator pitch is not to get funding, a job or a project sign-off; rather it is to get approval to proceed to the “next step” whether that’s a referral, an invitation for a further conversation or a request to correspond. The secret of a strong pitch is to “grab” the attention of the listener, define mutual benefits and set the stage for a follow-up. Here’s how:

Grabbing Attention

Provocative, contrarian or counterintuitive statements work well to grab attention but the assertions need to be justifiable. Clarity is more effective than jargon.

Mutual Benefits

SWIIFT – so what’s in it for them? Without this in mind, the pitch becomes less effective. The pitcher needs to know the subject and know the audience so as to always relate the offer to them.

Setting the Stage

The pitch needs to be well organized to lead the audience from the introduction, through the challenge (with solutions for the listener) to conclude with setting the stage for the follow-up.

Finally, the author also emphasizes the importance of presentation. With only 30 seconds it’s tempting to talk as fast as you can; however this is counterproductive. Slowing down, changing tempo and even adding a small pause can all help effective delivery.

Et alors

Perhaps it was because I have been staying in a hotel with only three floors, but I was originally skeptical of the whole “elevator pitch” concept! (As a matter of fact, the author retorts that to improve the effectiveness of the pitch, it should be delivered in 15 seconds.) However as chance would have it, I had an opportunity to try a pitch recently and this simple formula seemed to work – I set the stage and secured a follow-up. Focusing your goal on achieving a follow-up changes the whole idea of getting you point across and should work beyond American culture – for it is when you do the follow-up that you can adapt culturally either going again for a slightly more elaborate pitch or getting into the details (or something in between)… Focusing on the audience is also very good advice for leaders anywhere – don’t just broadcast a standard one-size-fits-all message, adapt the message to each audience!