In class, Professor Sweet covered the art of pitching an idea. Personally this is one of my favorite parts of Entrepreneurship because there are many different ways to pitch an idea and it is all about honing in on which way is best to be convincing and make a sale.
Below are 6 different ways one could pitch an idea:
- The Question Pitch – Ronald Reagan
- The Rhyming Pitch – Johnnie Cochran
- If it doesn’t fit you must acquit
- The Subject-Line Pitch – Email formats – Make them useful or curious
- Twitter Pitch – 140 characters or less — Engages + Encourages Action
- The Pixar Pitch – 6 statement Story line — narrative
In my experience, I have found that “The Pixar Pitch” seems to work best. If you can tell the story of your product and relate it to your customers it can make the actual sale go effortlessly. While I worked at Pella Windows, it was difficult to figure out how I could turn windows and doors into a great story. Once I figured that piece out, I saw an increase in success when pitching.
Ethan David
I definitely agree with you on the excitement of the pitch. It’s obviously essential for any entrepreneur to be able to do — and do it well. As you pointed out, every pitch needs a good story. Professor Sweet has talked about the importance of the story as it relates to the pitch. I think sometimes even telling the story of yourself (e.g. educational background, family, cultural experiences, etc.) in order to develop a personal relationship with whoever you might be selling to can be an effective replacement for a more ‘boring’ product pitch.
Being comfortable and practiced in a pitch is key for a new business. Knowing that pitch well in the different forms, whether that is a story or a short pitch, can be make or brake when talking with a prospect.
One thing I want to focus on is actually in regards to emails. I feel like the people in our age group are terrible at writing clear, concise subject lines for emails. I often receive emails with blank subject lines even. Writing a good subject line gives the reader a snapshot of what they are going to be reading later in the email. It is a formality that has gone by the wayside and really needs to be brought back.
I agree with the importance of being able to communicate through emails, that skill also allows for a solid follow-up. I personally prefer the twitter pitch, because I feel that it does a good job of engaging your audience.
In my internship my mentor spent about one hour teaching me how to professionally email. Definitely an invaluable skill.