Jon Samsel

Now that you have your new project idea–whether it’s a book, video game, or some other type of creative project, you will want to go out and sell it so you can get the money and support to bring your project to life. You’ve made your cold calls and leveraged your LinkedIn connections to set up your first pitch meeting. You have one objective: impress those in the room enough to warrant another meeting. Here’s how you do it.

First, size up the room. How many people are there? If there are only one or two individuals, your job will be much easier. Create an intimate space. Make eye contact. Remember, they need to feel your passion. What are people wearing? The gals in suits tend to like statistics, facts, and demographics. The guys dressed in blue jeans and T-shirts with want the creative stuff. Adjust your pitch accordingly.

Second, beware of small talk. Sure, you’ll need to be friendly so people in the room but watch out for conversation traps. Many of those who pitch projects have fallen into a seemingly innocent exchange of pleasantries, then, the trap.

Allow me to demonstrate:

SUIT BEHIND THE DESK: “What do you think of our multiplayer game, Rebel Conquest?”

Panic strikes. You’ve never even heard of the game, much less sampled it. You quickly improvise.

YOU: “It’s great. Very state-of-the-art. Kids seem to really like it.”

SUIT BEHIND THE DESK: “What I meant was, what’s the buzz? The product doesn’t roll out ’til March. Perhaps you’re confusing our game with some other product.”

OOOOPS! Somebody just put their foot in their mouth! Let’s try that scenario again.

SUIT BEHIND THE DESK: “What do you think of our multi-player game, Rebel Conquest?”

Panic strikes. You’ve never even heard of the game, much less sampled it. You answer truthfully.

YOU: “If it’s anything like your last online game, Crash Test Kids, I’m sure it’ll be a winner. But to be honest with you, Mr. So-and-So, I don’t know anything about Rebel Conquest.”

SUIT BEHIND THE DESK: “We have high-hopes for the game. Multiplayer experiences are the future of Super Duper Game Company. I’m anxious to see what you have to show us today.”

Two rules of small talk:

1. If you don’t know the answer, admit it. You won’t look stupid telling the truth. You will look stupid if you get caught in a lie
2. Keep pre-pitch conversation to a minimum. Restrain yourself from gabbing. Don’t loose sight of your objective!

Blow your audience away with a passionate , solid pitch. This takes lots of practice. I repeat, lots of practice. Keep your presentation brief and to the point. Be animated when necessary (flap your arms, grit your teeth, bark like a dog). Use visuals sparingly (your oral pitch should stand on its own).

How to Improve Your Pitch

• Start off with a teaser (hook the audience, then reel them in)
• Highlight unique elements that will compel audiences to ask for for more
• Pitch with conviction and passion (your idea must be infectious…the design team must share your enthusiasm throughout the development cycle)
• Humor helps (just use it sparingly)
• Pitch from a common frame of reference (use of terminology)Show your ability to create hybrid entertainment that can be franchised to other mediums such as television or books
• Sell the sizzle, not the steak
• Concentrate on the most exciting aspects of your project, rather than all the minor details (long-winded, unfocused presentations can kill a room)
• Never resort to reading notes (if you can’t eat, sleep and breath the pitch, you’re not ready to deliver it)
• Identify at least one emotional element that drives your idea forwar
• Take command of the room (always deliver a pitch standing up…unless it’s a small room, and don’t invade the personal space of others)

This entry was posted on Friday, September 26th, 2008 at 10:17 am and is filed under Creativity, E-Business, Management. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.