Business Advice

Which Pitch?

18/07/2012

By Alexia Leachman

The idea of having A PITCH is a bit outdated now. By that I mean one single pitch. A bit like the idea of your elevator pitch; that one-liner that is usually delivered in well-rehearsed but wooden manner. Some networking organisations still encourage this approach and force everyone to take turns in humiliating themselves in this manner. What they fail to realise is that we are in the age of relationships, connections and conversations. So a one-pitch-fits-all approach is not going to work. Instead, you need to think about your pitch in conversational terms. For me, this means...

...that it needs to include a narrative and sound like YOU speaking, even if it’s written. But more than that, it’s worth preparing for the various types of conversations whereby the opportunity to share your pitch may arise. I recently attended a fabulous event about becoming a Key Person of Influence and they too talk of these different pitches.

Social pitch

Imagine you’re at a wedding, or some other social event where you may be meeting people from all sorts of walks of like and where the focus is fun and laughter rather than collecting business cards. In these situations, it is very likely that at some point you’ll be asked what you do. In this context coming out with a pitch that sounds overly sales-y or in your face probably won’t go down well.

However, if you can share what you do in a way that engages and intrigues then you are more likely to be in a position to be starting a conversation, rather than a simple exchange of job titles. The longer the conversation continues, the more likely you are to be able to share more fully your story, but also to build a meaningful... continued on page two >

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