Want to win more pitches? Be present while you present
Marketing trainer John Scarrott takes a look at the importance of connecting with an audience during a pitch, and why sharpening your presenting skills might be the solution you've been looking for.
When it comes to winning a pitch, what separates the winner from the shortlist? The ability to really connect with the audience.
For an agency, this means connecting with an audience on both your idea and with your team. Despite the all-round importance of this, many agencies fail to spend enough time focussing on how they will communicate with their clients in a pitch. And they go on to lose pitches as a result.
To win a pitch, it’s not enough to have the best ideas. Agencies also need to be the best at communicating in person.
Have you ever been at a presentation where the presenter didn’t seem to be fully, well, present? Yes, their eyes were open, their lips were moving and words came out. But the lights didn’t seem to be on. Something was missing.
We’ve all seen it (maybe even been the presenter). We’ve all sat through presentations where the presenter’s attention seemed to be somewhere else. You’ll notice when this happens, because that’s exactly where the audience’s attention goes.
They start distracting themselves, sending a text, checking emails, looking around. In their heads they’re thinking about a beer or glass of wine, the weekend, or something else.
And the presenter picks up on this and a downward spiral is set in motion. Sometimes the pitch is lost before the end of the meeting.
Why is this a problem? Successful agency-client relationships rely on the selling and buying of great ideas. Ideas that can have a big impact for a client with their community. If a client feels unsure about the idea, they may not go with it. They are taking a risk with their decision, both personally and professionally, and they may simply not feel confident, without knowing exactly why.
If they’re not fully convinced, they will take either one of two alternatives. They may decide that they like the idea, but not the agency. Or they may decide that they like the agency but not the idea.
Neither of these outcomes is good news for an agency.
The former risks finding their idea appearing in an adapted form having been developed by another agency. The latter risks them winning the pitch at the expense of being handed the ideas that the client wishes to see developed.
There are two ways agencies can stay present during a pitch and as a result maintain their audience’s attention and build confidence in their idea and them as a team.
Connect with your subject or audience before you start your preparation.
Before you start writing or putting slides together, explore what the subject means to you.
Ask and answer the questions: “What does this subject mean to me?” and “Why am I presenting it to this audience?” Then refer to your answers as you prepare what you are going to say.
Words first, slides second
Prepare what you are going to say first, rather than your slides. They are not the same thing. Some of what you say will appear on your slides, but prepare your words first. Then work from your words to your slides. Doing this will magically transform your slides. They will be brief, and they will complement what you say. But they won’t be your content.
The place where a client’s beliefs about an agency and its ideas are born and subsequently developed very quickly is the pitch. By staying present during your pitch, you can increase your chances of gaining the confidence of your client to be selected on both counts.
John Scarrott is a trainer and coach working with marketing, design and creative businesses on their approach to communication. Follow him @JohnDScarrott and find him at johnscarrott.com.
Whilst I agree 100% with John, surely this is just common sense and should be known by ALL sales-type people
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Yes, 100% correct. However some lazy clients – who are possibly slow readers – insist upon agencies sending them a PDF of their presentation *before* the opportunity to pitch.
Government tenders are notorious for this display of laziness.
But I’m being too kind.
The real reason is they want enough time to pick holes in the presentations of those tenderers they don’t want – who were simply there to make up the numbers – to ensure that the one already pre-determined to win, wins. The “send us a PDF in advance” message reveals that the tendering process has been corrupted, and that those managing it are ethically compromised. Best avoided.
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Perhaps the reason for this is because the presenter has been one of many working all night for the presentation. The real answer to this is not working to the last minute and sleep.
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