Pitching to win

It’s a competitive world out there.  Increasingly people working in every sector need to pitch better than the rest to win business. Often you’re up against companies with great products and services. To be successful you have to convince them that you’re the right people, with the right products. If you don’t they’ll swiftly move on to the next outfit that can.

So how can you develop a competitive edge? How can you win that contract? The secret of being successful comes down to a handful of small differences that make a huge impact on the end result.  Here are our eight steps to delivering a perfect pitch.

1 Know your audience

Find out as much as possible about your client and the company. Talk to your colleagues and acquaintances who may have insider experience. Find out who makes the decision and who controls the purse strings. By all means take a detailed look at their website and discover what you can about the corporate culture, but, if you want to win, focus on the people who will be making the decision. People react well to people who have made an effort. They want you to add value. They also like people who are like them. If you know something about the people already, work out what type of character they are and match their style. If the decision-maker is results oriented and demanding get down to business fast. A no-nonsense approach works best with this style of behaviour. If they like to chat and are social creatures, take time to ask how they and their family/dog/cat are before ploughing ahead. If they’re warm, patient and cooperative they’re probably looking for a long-term relationship. Feel your way with this type - they want to get to know you first.

2 Build rapport quickly

If you ask a buyer why they selected a particular company they might mention “excellent reputation” or “international experience”, but they may also add “and of course, I like him”, or “I trusted her”, or “I felt they would fit in”. Building rapport with a prospective client is the key to winning new business because the client is actually buying you as well as your products and services. To build rapport quickly match their posture, gestures and voice tone – without taking it to the extreme where it turns into mimicking. This is how people who are in rapport naturally behave.

Many organisations invest vast amounts of time, money and energy preparing for new business pitches. Yet many fail to even reach the short-list because they’ve paid too much attention to the content of their proposal and not enough to establishing rapport with their audience.

3 Find out what’s important to them

Listen carefully to the client and find out as much as you can about their needs. The more you encourage them to talk the more you’ll learn about what matters to them. You can then reflect what they say back to them in a way that makes them feel understood. Ask lots of questions such as “What are the key issues for your business now?”, “What are your key business indicators?” or “Is there anything we haven’t asked that we should be asking?”. In some cases the problem presented by a client may not be the true issue. Dig deep. Find the pain. It is useful to talk to several people within the company as their angle and insight may give a different picture. It is also helpful to note their phrases and terminology so that you can repeat these in the proposal. This will indicate to the client that you understand their industry and their current situation and that you really listened.

4 Be clear and give them what they want

Find out exactly what your prospective client wants and when they want it by. Look behind the brief and try to discover the true extent of the problem they’re attempting to solve. Don’t be afraid to ask for clarification of what’s expected – it shows enthusiasm and interest, not weakness. Take note of the terminology used so you can repeat it to add credibility to your presentation.

Avoid the temptation to present your written proposal word for word. Limit yourself to the key facts and leave the numbers and credentials to the document. Focus on the benefits to the client of working with you and always mention the expected results. Use as few visual aids as possible and keep them simple. Create a logical flow of information:

• Recap the client’s key issue, concern or problem
• Outline the main reasons for this situation
• Express the desired outcome clearly and bring it to life
• Explain your approach and reasons why you believe it will work
• Illustrate some of the benefits they will gain as a result
• Tell them how they can measure return on investment

Once you have the structure and facts in place add ‘flavour’ to the facts by including examples and anecdotes that bring your presentation to life. The key is to paint pictures in people’s minds.

5 Field a winning team

Don’t overwhelm the client with too many people. Opt for a small, select team where everyone has an important role to play. Choose a strong, but not dominant leader. And whatever the reality may be make sure you present a supportive united front to your audience. If you’ve prepared a formal presentation make sure you’re all clear on who does what and rehearse beforehand to iron out any glitches. Having a run-through allows you to check on timing and eliminate problems and repetitions. Rope in a colleague to act as the client to make it seem more real. Plan introductions, handovers, seating arrangements and the position of any audio-visual equipment. Avoid last-minute changes which could lead to confusion.
Ask yourself:

• Are our key messages clear?
• What will make us memorable?
• How do we want the clients to feel?

Many people skip the rehearsal stage to their cost. Make sure you have the self-discipline to practise. If you have any doubts about the team’s ability to present with impact, and there’s a lot riding on the deal, consider getting professional support to help you create a winning formula. They will often give you advice on how to convey the content more effectively too.

6 Send the right signals

Make sure your body language and voice convey the right message. Maintain eye contact with everyone and aim for a cheerful friendly expression. Put energy, enthusiasm and sincerity into your presentation. Avoid fiddling with pens, jewellery or clothing – it will distract your audience and is a dead give-away that you’re nervous.

Think about whether you want to sit or stand for your new business pitch. You have more authority if you stand, and this is the best position if you are talking to a large panel of people or need to point to slides. Sitting is more informal, and can create the impression that you and the client are one team working together. You’re more likely to be interrupted if you are sitting down.

Listening is very hard work, but it’s a lot easier if the speaker has a good voice. The ideal voice is varied in volume, speed and emphasis. It must have energy. Your voice is a physical part of you and is affected by physical and emotional factors. Above all, smile. They are potential clients, not executioners.

7 Prepare for questions

Research suggests that the question and answer session is considerably more important than the presentation when it comes to making a decision, so allow plenty of time for questions and prepare thoroughly. Some evidence suggests up to 75% of the time available needs to be devoted to the Q&A. Identify likely questions in advance and outline your answers. Plan ahead so you know who within the team will respond. Keep your answers succinct and avoid over-talking in an effort to demonstrate expertise. Gain thinking time by pausing, or by repeating the question. Give short focused answers, if possible illustrating them with personal experience or examples. Turn negative points into positive points, eg ‘It’s true that we had problems with this last year, but we’ve learned from our mistakes are confident that we’ve now got the best possible system.’

Don’t be afraid to tackle questions that arise during your presentation – but avoid lengthy answers which will disrupt the flow. If you don’t understand a question, ask the questioner to repeat it – put the blame on yourself for not understanding. Listen not only to the words and their meaning but also to whatever emotional content is expressed in the question. If the questioner rambles or is unclear, summarise the question to make sure you’ve got it right.

8 End on a high note

Make sure you finish with a flourish. Summarise the key benefits of your proposal. Add a touch of light relief at the end. And emphasise how much you would like to work with client as a partner.

If you put these tips into practice you’ll be on your way to delivering the perfect pitch. The better you become at pitching the more likely it is that you’ll knock the competition for six and win lots more business.

If you want to learn more and get some great feedback on your pitching techniques sign up for our Winning Pitches courses or ask us to come and help you on a live pitch