Pitching for a product

Pitching for a product is a make or break for many. you make a slide deck, explain your credentials, your successes, capabilities. It is very important to understand what you are pitching and who you are pitching to.

A few lessons that were drawn from a survey done to seek insights from managers.

• Be a master of your facts. For an executive/ senior manager your experience matters most. For the senior audience, you register your relevant experience sooner, listen to their queries and map your knowledge and experience to what you hear. For junior audience establish your mastery over the subject early.
• Avoid pitches when only 1 person speaks: It is better to have a team with a good understanding rather than a senior person speaking. Do not bring persons who say nothing or have no clear expertise. Use the team to amplify your expertise. 
• Be passionate about the problem, not the product: Passion is very important. the audience likes to feel the energy for the pitch and the mastery over the product. This should not be superficial and come from within and should be perceived by the audience.
• Listen closely and respond carefully: The person you are pitching to wants you to listen to them, ask questions, understand their point of view before hearing the solution. the more senior the audience, the more they want you to listen to their conversation and to hear what you think of their challenge.

For winning a pitch your mastery of facts and experience are essential and must be established early, as decision-makers want an expert to win the pitch. But this alone is not sufficient. Its paying attention to other factors that makes the difference.

It is the empathy for your audience, your passion for meeting the challenge together with them, your ability to listen, speak directly and apply your expertise. It is also the tone you set in the room, knowing how to surprise, delight your audience with your unique way of relevant experience, problem-solving, live. 

It is important to know your audience, read the room when you first walk in and adjust your pitch to what the audience wants and values.

What Makes a Great Pitch by Michael Quinn HBR May 06, 2020