Perfecting Your Marketing Pitch
Are you targeting large corporate firms, and yet unable to break in? Try these Top 10 Ways to Perfect Your Pitch, as prescribed by Count Me In expert Nancy Michaels of Grow Your Business Network.
Nancy Michaels is an expert on helping women business owners, coaches, consultants, independent professional service firms and sales representatives on ways to effectively connect and work with Fortune 500 companies. Go to her website to learn more at for details.
Disclaimer: This resource is not affiliated with Count Me In. Count Me In cannot confirm the quality or reliability of the information presented.
Read this article below.
Top 10 Ways to Perfect Your Pitch When You’re Pitching Yourself to Corporate America!
I hear it all the time. “Nancy, how can I work with Fortune 500 companies so I can get a bigger share of the market and focus on a few primary targeted organizations?”
It’s not impossible and my work with corporate sponsors came about as a happy accident. I had no strategic plan in place to target large companies to do business with. My core market or “ideal client profile” were women business owners who were interested in growing their businesses. That was it. Then it occurred to me that by contacting large corporations who’s “ideal client profile” was similar to mine – I might be knocking my efforts out of the park, so to speak.
Turns out, for me, it was true. My first corporate contract was with Staples and from there I moved on to Office Depot, UPS, Merrill Lynch, AT&T, Xerox, Cendant (Avis and Budget Car Rental), Alcatel-Lucent, Wal-Mart, and Microsoft. I then, wrote a book called, Perfecting Your Pitch based on the processes I used to attract and retain corporate sponsors to fund the programs, coaching and information I wanted to provide to my ideal client profile, who may not be able to afford my services or invest in themselves and their businesses that way. It was a win-win-win and it can be for your business as well.
Here’s my 10-Step System on Corporate Sponsorship Programs and Working with Fortune 500 Companies!
1. Develop Your Unique Selling Proposition (USP) to Identify and Attract Your Top Prospects: First, visualize your ideal client. Then, come up with your USP. You need a statement that clearly demonstrates the unique product or service only YOU can bring to your client base. A Freelance Writer’s USP might be, “I work with non-fiction authors who want a guaranteed-to-sell book proposal.” Then fully research your prospects. Most information can be found on the Internet, but also consider developing a comprehensive database, being a secret shopper, subscribing to essential publications, and becoming meaningfully engaged in professional organizations where you ideal client profile prospects are hanging out. From the information you gather, you will be able to determine how to best position yourself when making a pitch to your prospects and to tell them what they want to hear, in order to sell yourself.
2. Build Your Reputation and Relationships: See and be seen in your prospects’ networks. Be able to clearly and succinctly describe what your company does, so people you meet can easily explain it to others. Identify the industry leaders in your prospects and client’s field. Learn from the best and practice, practice, practice. Look at their website, logo, new product name, speech topic, anything for inspiration. Surround yourself with success by creating an advisory board or mastermind group.
3. The Approach—How to Connect with Decision Makers: The success of your pitch ultimately comes down to one person, the decision maker. Start at the top—the CEO if you have a connection. Find a referral and send a promotional kit and a cover letter by mail before the initial phone call. CEO’s don’t answer their phone typically, unless you call very early in the morning or early evening. Get the meeting you want by making friends with the decision maker’s assistants, associates, fellow board members, etc. Understand the capabilities of everyone on the team.
4. Pre-Meeting Checklist: Once you’ve set up a meeting, send a thank you note. Then, review and update your marketing materials. Call everyone you know to hear his or her comments and get helpful information. Prepare an agenda, play 20 questions, and design a clear and concise visual presentation. Rehearse and plan your appearance (look professional and pulled together). On the day of the meeting, arrive early and don’t forget your confidence!
5. Knock a Prospect’s Socks Off: First, you need to look the part. Your personal appearance, as well as that of your presentation materials should be impeccable. Bring copies of handouts for everyone who will be at the meeting and prepare a PowerPoint presentation that contains visual images to illustrate your points and make them more memorable, accompanied by bulleted text. Your presentation should be customized with your company’s logo. It should include background information, your personal story, numbers, statistics, diagrams, relevant press clippings, references with contact information, and of course, a detailed description of your pitch and how it will be of benefit to the company. Be prepared with your own laptop and projector. Finally, respond to any questions and concerns.
6. Submit an Outstanding Proposal: Show your potential client that you have heard them by implementing their suggestions and making necessary changes to your initial plan. Flexibility is important. Invest in your materials and have them professionally prepared. Your proposal should include details on the program you are pitching, benefits of hiring you, the expected cost, a timeline, stories of satisfied customers, your bio, relevant media you’ve been featured in, and references.
7. Don’t Peak too Early—The Art of Gentle Persistence: Create a focused follow-up plan. Establish your desired reach and frequency of contact. Become a valued and trusted resource by offering your prospect something they haven’t paid for…yet. If you are a consultant, offer some free advice on another aspect of their business. Be persistent without being obnoxious (build on your strengths).
8. Close the Deal: Be willing to negotiate. You don’t want to give your services away, but know a reasonable offer when you hear one. Assume the deal and have the contract ready to go when they say yes. If they say no, try, try again. Ask what would make your pitch more appealing to them. Implement their suggestions and go back to bat with a fresh new proposal.
9. Don’t be Shy—Showcase Your Expertise and Professionalism: Write something that demystifies conventional thinking. Getting published or featured in a publication instantly gives you expert status. So does public speaking. Public speaking is marketing, so get over your fears and get out there. Finally, throw your prospects a party. Publicity breeds publicity and polishes your reputation.
10. Turning Clients into Advocates—Take the Testimonial One Giant Step Forward: You’ve earned their respect, now maintain it by continuing to be a resource and contributing in any way you can. Stay in the limelight in a positive way by celebrating something that brands you. Invite satisfied customers to tell their story, in their own words, to your prospects through an endorsement campaign. Satisfied customers are a great source for referral business, so encourage, welcome, and appreciate it.
Nancy Michaels is an expert on helping women business owners, coaches, consultants, independent professional service firms and sales representatives on ways to effectively connect and work with Fortune 500 companies. She is hosting an event in Boston on June 27 – 29thw 2008 on how to Generate Corporate Sponsorship Programs. Go to her website to learn more at www.growyourbusinessnetwork.com for details.
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