The Art of Pitching

The art of pitching is not just reserved for entrepreneurs or sales representatives; it’s also an invaluable skill for young professionals in any field. A pitch can make or break a deal.

Let's say you walk into a packed room filled with other talented, career-focused individuals, and there's a well-known executive, influencer or investor you've wanted to connect with present at the event. You make your way over to said person and, after waiting for several minutes, have a chance to chat with him or her. It's clear you only have a few seconds to woo this person with your words. This is where a strong pitch can make or break your interaction.

To be able to explain an idea or introduce yourself in 30 seconds or less shows that you’re articulate and have a great grasp of what you bring to the table. So, how do you put together a winning pitch? Here, we outline several tips.

1. Know Your Product
Pitch preparation starts well before you enter into a room. Whether pitching yourself as an applicant for a job or pitching a reality show to network executives, you must know your product from top to bottom. If you are the product, discuss your strengths and the ways in which you’ve attained measureable results utilizing said skills.

2. Know Your Audience
Know your audience and articulate the benefit/added value your product provides. Anticipate questions and concerns, validate them and answer them in a way that promotes confidence in your abilities. If your audience is an investor, you want to highlight the importance of your business, the solution you're providing and how you plan to scale. We'd even advise you show your product if it's compact enough to showcase in a limited amount of time. However, the pitch would look different if you were speaking with a hiring manager or a potential client; so it's important to always keep your audience in mind.

3. Tell A Story
It’s important to humanize your pitch with something personal. While facts, stats and what you can do for one's bottom line is intriguing, people prefer stories over dry information. People are open to stories. If you insert your ask within a story, you're far more likely to get a response than if you were to deliver a regular pitch. This is your opportunity to show your passion and what led you to create your product or service.

4. Practice
Your delivery is extremely important. It’s natural to feel butterflies or uncertainty, but you don’t want that to show during your pitch. Rehearse and run through your points several times prior to the meeting so you’re familiar with what you want to say. Also, time yourself. You want your pitch to be meaningful, but definitely not lengthy. Be concise.