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The Definitive Business Pitch

The Definitive Business Pitch

How to make the best pitches, proposals and presentations

Angela Hatton

Dec 2006, Paperback, 216 pages
ISBN13: 9780273708261
ISBN10: 0273708260
£26.99
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Good ideas don't sell themselves.

In today's business world it's no longer just sales people who are responsible for winning business. Many people, from TV producers to landscape gardeners, consultants to builders, need to employ convincing communication skills to win clients and commissions. Even managers within a business have to ‘sell’ their ideas, proposals and plans as they compete for support and scarce resources.

With increasingly competitive markets the norm, your customers and clients are almost certain to have a choice. It's not just what your business can do that matters - it's how you pitch your offer that determines success. Poor preparation or presentation at the pitching stage will lose the business to a competitor. Getting the basics right is not enough: you have to get ahead of the competition.

This guide is packed with practical ideas, tips and checklists that will ensure you are ahead of the crowd. It takes you right through the process, from deciding whether or not to pitch, getting to know the client, doing the essential preparation and then pitching for success. Unlike most of the titles available, this book covers both written proposals and oral presentations, showing you how to harness effective business communication skills to make the perfect winning pitch.

The Definitive Business Series will ensure you get up to speed fast with all the business essentials you need to be a success. With their guided step-by-step approach the latest practical business techniques and concepts and their easy-to-read style, The Definitive Business Series cover every aspect of the topic from the business basics to the essential skills needed to progress in your career.

The Definitive Business Series. Your fast-track to business success.

About the author

Preface

Symbols used

Acknowledgements

Introduction

1 Good ideas don’t sell themselves

Persuasive communication – a life skill

Building a better mouse trap – the basis of competitive advantage

What is a competitive advantage?

What is a sustainable advantage?

The pitch – the missing link

It’s not my job

2 Spotting the pitfalls

The value of auditing

A simple communication process

Roles in the buying process

Delivery format

Understand the decision-making process

The message

Noise and feedback

Troubleshooting

3 To pitch or not to pitch

Saying ‘no’ needs bravery

The facts and the figures

Metrics matter

But who do we say ‘no’ to?

The challenge of profiling

Profiling the successes

Screening opportunities

Do we want the business?

Manage the volume

How to say ‘no’

4 Getting to know the market

Real customer focus

The sector context

The role of marketing

Build the big picture

A market checklist

Set up competitor watches

Where does customer information come from?

Digging for detail

The brief – the information starting point

Organisingyour research

Meeting the decision-making unit

Success lies in preparation

5 Putting on the customer’s shoes

A source of competitive advantage

Understanding empathy

Turning features into benefits

Interpreting research with empathy

Establishing the parameters

About you or about me?

Look and listen

Body language clues

Summarising empathy options

6 Preparing to pitch

From building blocks to business

Setting the scene

Setting the strategy

Preparing the team

Who does what role?

Know your team

Briefing the team

Structuring the pitch

Added value and the bottom line

Timing

Using support materials

Practise, practise, practise

7 Pitching with punch

Just another pitch!

First impressions count

Managing expectations and time

Working alone – the salesperson’s pitch

Choreographing the pitch

Involve the audience

Presenting complex data

Adding the price tag

Watching body language

Tackling questions

Don’t be surprised

It’s a question of money

Remember – a strong finish

About that impact

Next steps

8 Winning proposals

What are they?

The problem with proposals

Proposals as physical evidence

Start with the brief

The proposal

Building a persuasion sandwich

The value of templates

Notice the sales message

Written not spoken

Sending your proposal

A legal footnote

9 Preparing to present

Communicating

Pitching – selling

Scoping your presentation

Factors that make a difference

Technical resources and support

Selecting strategies

Structuring presentations

A presentation checklist

About support materials

Presenters and presentation skills

10 Presenting with panache

It’s the quality that counts

Expertise rather than impact

Nailing those nerves

Supporting each other

Relate and empathise

Troubleshooting

Handling disruptions

Dealing with questions

Adding the sales message

Post-purchase dissonance

11 Keep getting better

Keep moving on

Metrics matter

Comparative performance

Test and measure

Debriefing performance

Feedback

Continual improvement

A final word

Index

  • If you are a freelancer, starting up your own business, need to win business, or simply want to gain more budget for your project, knowing the tips and techniques to successful pitching will put you steaks ahead of your competitors.
  • Pitching is at the sharp end of business and yet it is 'the missing link' in many people's repertoire of business skills.
  • The Definitive Business Pitch will show you how to present and write a winning business pitch every time.

Angela Hatton is a specialist in marketing strategy writing, consulting and training. She has more than 16 years' experience of pitching for training and consultancy for her own marketing and management business; 'Tactics'. Over the years, her core clients have included Lloyds TSB, Norwich Union, IBM and BT. She has facilitated workshops on successful pitching and presentations for clients such as the BBC and IPC Media. Hatton is author of The Definitive Guide to Marketing Planning (0273649329).

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