Pitch Anything

Organize your 20-minute pitch time

Instructions

Introduce yourself in two minutes.
Start with sharing your background in a particular way: share your success track record and big wins for only two minutes.
Introduce a “why now?” frame in two minutes.
Explain why your big idea has to happen now. Use frames of economic forces, social forces, and technology forces. Share the origin of your idea, how it evolved, and how it can solve the current problem. Explain the most important changes to the business, how this affects customers and costs, and how these trends open a new market window. Spend two minutes sharing this.
Share the big idea using the “Idea Introduction Pattern” in one minute.
Spend one minute sharing your big idea using the following formula: “For [target customers] who are dissatisfied with [the current offerings in the market]. My idea/product is a [new idea or product category] that provides [key problem/solution features], unlike [the competing product]. My idea/product is [describe key features].”
Keep the audience's attention.
Insert novelty, such as a product demo, a good metaphor, a sight gag or joke, something visually stunning, or something that moves or changes shape. If attention drops dramatically, you may add tension or recommend packing up the pitch. Avoid creating only pleasure and instead add moments of dramatic tension. Watch Don Draper’s pitch in Mad Men for a masterclass in this technique.
Explain the budget in ten minutes.
Focus on sharing your executive skills at budgeting rather than projected revenue. Demonstrate how difficult it would be for competitors to jump in and how difficult it would be for customers to switch to a similar product. Share your “secret sauce” or the unfair advantage you have over other products. Keep it to ten minutes.
Offer the deal.
Describe what they will receive by doing business with you. Share exactly what you will deliver to them, when it will arrive and how it will arrive. If they play a part, share their responsibilities. Be brief with high-level details. Remember that the best deliverable they can get is you.