The mere mention of the words ‘pitch presentation‘ can send the most level-headed salespeople into a state of frenzy. The very thought of standing before an audience sets the heart pounding, the stomach-churning, and the mind racing.
Let’s face it – most businesspeople are not big fans of presenting, but the anxiety goes up a notch or two when you add the phrase ‘must-win pitch’ into the mix. It goes from being a professional necessity to a delicate dance on a tightrope, where the stakes are high, and the room for error is narrow.
How do I know? Because I feel exactly the same way when pitching our business. That, coupled with the fact that our customers lean on us for the best pitch stories, supporting tools & visuals and delivery techniques, has prompted me to offer the following three recommendations:
STEP ONE – MAKE IT SPECIAL
At first glance, this may appear counterintuitive. After all, one of the reasons that anxiety levels are so high is because of the importance, right?
Instead of burning up vast amounts of nervous energy panicking, use it to prepare yourself and your material. The very fact that the stakes are high means that you’re not going to sleepwalk your way through the process – ‘pressure is a privilege’, to quote Billie Jean King. You’ve worked hard to get this opportunity, so put the work in that’s required to get it over the line.
By the same token, appreciate the value of your audience’s time – it’s the one thing they’ll never be able to buy back. Use this sense of occasion to create a powerful, engaging, and impactful presentation that represents the importance. Take your time – in fact, scratch that – SCHEDULE time to craft a compelling message and test it with an audience willing to provide invaluable feedback. Then repeat until you’re ready to knock it out of the park.
STEP TWO – MAKE IT PERSONAL
Compelling presentations do not come in a standard pre-packaged format.
This is even more important with pitch presentations. Each one must be bespoke and tailored specifically to resonate with your audience (after all, they are the most important stakeholders in any presentation). So, develop your presentation story in a way that captivates and connects by addressing the points of genuine importance to your listeners.
Remember, the power of your pitch lies in its ability to strike a chord. Focus on great personalised content and push the ‘fun’ distractions like AI-generated imagery and whizzy animations to the back of your mind. These can wait until you’re confident you’ve made it all about the audience.
Bonus tip – When in doubt, consider using ‘Audience Heatmapping‘ to focus in on the important stuff.
STEP THREE – MAKE IT BRIEF
Nobody ever complained about a presentation being too short (thank you, Ira Hayes).
Yes, of course, it’s tempting to fill your allotted time with countless slides to hammer home your credibility. In reality, you’re doing yourself a disservice by using up valuable time that could open up deeper engagement through a Q&A or conversation session. If your audience really wants to know the details beyond your key message and supporting content, they’ll ask. Just make sure you give them time to do so.
So, there you have it. Exceptional pitch presentations don’t happen by accident or because of the presenter’s natural abilities – they happen when you take them seriously, focus on the audience and stick to the valuable information.
The rest (including battling heart palpitations) will naturally fall into place once you have laid a solid foundation (but not a moment before!).
Further Reading
Outcome Based Presenting
https://eyeful-archive.eyefulpresentations.com/blog/outcome-based-presenting-unlocking-presentation-roi/
Why Presenting Is a Privilege
https://eyeful-archive.eyefulpresentations.com/blog/presenting-is-a-privilege/
Stepping Away from Stilted Sales Conversations
https://eyeful-archive.eyefulpresentations.com/blog/stifled-sales-conversations-missed-opportunities/
