You had me at “Hello” ….
You may be wondering “how do I start my pitch in a way that encourages my audience / prospects to listen and engage with me from the “get go”?”
I have had the privilege of listening to MANY pitches – some are good, some are OK and some …. Not fabulous!
What I have witnessed time and time again through observation is HOW you start your Perfect Pitch can have a direct impact on the end results!
Today I will share 3 tips that you can apply to create an opening that gets your prospects thinking “You had me at hello!”
1) Your name and what you DO:
When I teach The Perfect Pitch this is where I start with my delegates. It is easy to do and gives you confidence. By starting off with confidence and not having to second guess yourself you have set yourself up for success. “My name is Sarah Bauling and I work with you to create your Perfect Pitch”.
You know your name, you know what you do, you cannot get this wrong. If you struggle with confidence or simply “hate” pitching THIS is the technique to start with. As you gain confidence and see positive results you will then be able to apply the tips below going forward!
2) Asking a Question:
When asking a question your prospect automatically starts thinking about what you have said. As an example “Do you wake up and STILL feel exhausted despite having 8 hours of sleep?” The prospects in the room will immediately, in their mind, answer YES or NO. Those that are answering YES are IN – they are listening – and I believe that anyone who is exhausted will want to know more! This question should relate directly to what you do – so in this case it may be health and wellness products that can assist with sleeplessness, it may be around a service of physio where one doesn’t sleep well as they need to be realigned; or perhaps it may be around stress management.
You may be wondering “what if they say NO – I don’t wake up exhausted”? Simply put – they may not be the client you are looking for – AT THAT time!
A question is a great way to engage with your prospects right away.
3) Take them on a journey:
One of the most powerful words when pitching is “Imagine”…. This word literally takes your audience where you want them to go. This needs to be a positive place! So not “Imagine the stress of running a business with staff who do not hold themselves accountable to their work” this goes to a place nobody wants to be and chances are if they have this problem, they don’t need to imagine it, it HAPPENS!!!” They are likely to shut off right away. However “Imagine having a work team culture where everyone is on the same page in the same book heading for the same goals”… do you agree this is a far better place to take them? It gives them an idea of what you could potentially offer them!
Today I challenge you to consider how you start your pitch? Your name and what you do; With a question; or with the word “Imagine”
These tiny changes can have a huge impact on your first engagement with your prospects.
