Pitch, Please!

Pitching is probably the part of selling that is most associated with sales. People tend to picture this aspect of sales when they think to sales.

In reality, it is one small part of a larger picture. However, we talked about several different styles of fast pitching, and some really resonated with me.

The Question Pitch

This pitch was expertly used by Ronald Reagan in his campaigning. He left his people thinking and reflecting:

“Are you better off now than you were four years ago?”

That question won him the election. If you are going to make a pitch, make it something meaningful. Make it powerful and impactful. Leaving a potential sale with a question to mull over is a brilliant way to make a lasting impression and allows people to fill in the blanks however they feel they need to.

The Rhyming Pitch

Johnny Cochran was OJ Simpson’s lawyer during his trial. He used the rhyming pitch to get the “not guilty” verdict:

If it doesn’t fit, you must acquit.

This technique is all about being remembered. Something like this rings in your head, it comes up even when you don’t want it to. It’s like those jingles that are so catchy they drive you crazy. Your rhyming pitch could pop up in your prospect’s mind every time they are in a frustrating position and know that your product could be their saving grace. Rhyming helps me remember all sorts of things, why not use a technique like this to your advantage?

Pixar Pitch

The last style that really impacted me was the Pixar Pitch. You tell a story through your pitch. We are naturally a story-telling species. We connect through stories in a way that few other things can connect to us. Mastercard does an excellent job of this when they talk about their cards:

Diapers: $15 Toys: $50 College Tuition: $20,000 Seeing your Kids be all they can: Priceless

They told a story in very few words and connected with their customers on a deeply personal and emotional level. People say to not make business personal, but making it personal is how you reach people. Be about people, people.