Is Your Pitch Motivating Action?

We will all deliver our pitch hundreds of times during a job search and networking. The question is whether it’s effective to get someone to commit to taking action on your behalf. After hearing hundreds and giving hundreds of pitches, here’s my take: The best pitch is one that is understood. 
 

The most effective pitches I’ve understood are as follows:

·         Short

·         Uses simple language (or the language of experience)

·         Emphasizes the ‘promise’ of what you can deliver to the hiring company

·         No more than three key points, so I can remember in my head
 

Unless you are a clever copywriter, I’d pass on trying to craft a snappy tag line to describe yourself. I’ve only heard one or two that did not make me want to roll my eyes. All these lines were well-meaning attempts to make you memorable, but it’s usually just dead air.
 

Here’s what makes you’re the ‘message’ in your pitch truly memorable

·         You have practiced and can deliver it in a confident voice

·         Targeted the pitch to what the listener will “hear”
 

A pitch is the starting point to get the other person to commit to act on your behalf (provide contacts, move you along in the interview process, etc.) If your pitch piques their interest, then they will want to learn more about you. If it does not, then no need to pile on the details of your background, as it will be dead air as well.   This is why you want to make sure you include the information that will interest the listener  
 

You are seeking different actions from each contact to move you toward the hiring manager – either to “Connect” to an insider, “Learn” about the company or “Influence” the hiring manager. (Please see “Roadmap to the Hiring Manager”). To motivate them to learn more, may require a slightly different pitch that includes information that will be important to them.
 

Always ask yourself “What will they want to ‘hear’ to trigger them to take action?” For example, if I want my contact to introduce to a company, I may want to pitch my industry knowledge to help them feel more comfortable.

Here are a couple of ways to test your pitch effectiveness:
 

The Elevator Test: Does your ‘elevator pitch’ require a 150 story building to get through it? If so, time to shorten it.
 

The Independent Observer: After giving your pitch, ask the person to repeat the top 2-3 items they remember. If it does not match your 2-3, then shorten your pitch.
 

The Language Test: Write out your pitch. Circle any words that you don’t use in everyday conversation (e.g. evangelist, etc.) if you have more than one, then it’s too many. Try this “Buzzword Bingo” at LurkerTech.com - okay, you won’t use all these terms, but a good starting place for overused words.
 

Repeat Their Expectation: What would you expect from someone in your role (e.g. ability to work with clients, specific technical skill, etc.)? If you have held a similar role, then they would expect you possess those skills. Don’t burn time repeating. Focus on what you can DO with those skills.
 

Lastly, I will borrow a recommendation from Guy Kawasaki’s “Art of the Start” chapter called “The Art of Pitching”: Rewrite from scratch.   His advice is sound, because we puts parts from different pitches and try to incorporate feedback, only to end up with what Guy often sees “a Jeep with a Chevrolet engine”.
 

Good luck today.
 

Mark

www.candidateschair.com – Tools and Advice from a Candidate’s viewpoint to help get past job search roadblocks and keep your spirit strong. Please take a visit.