Pitching for your big idea

Have you ever come across a situation that you have a good idea (at-least you think it is good) but pitching it to your boss or a potential investor was terrifying? And, it’s because you have a lot to lose.

We human beings are very scared to being rejected. We take it so personally that we start feeling that it was not our idea that was rejected, but it was we who got rejected. Its a very uncomfortable situation be in. I recently went through this experience last week when I encountered questions that I was not prepared with and thought that it was the end of the project. It was sickening to see someone reject something that I was in love with.

It was then I gathered myself and reminded myself from a recent development course that I attended where we are taught the art of communication in a way that it “touch, move & inspire” people that we communicate with and “enrol” them in our ideas. But what is even more important is the process of preparation and the fact that we cannot be stingy in devoting time in planning.

I then sat down and started writing down what is important for me to create an effective pitch. Some of the things that came to my mind were:

Who are you pitching to?
Identifying the right person whom you should be pitching to is the key. Does the guy you are pitching to have the authority to decide or is he the expert in the domain to judge. Once you have identified your target, find out about his / her personality, his views or any information you can know about the person. When you pitch to this person, your job must be get him to understand why your idea is doable.

The idea is the reason why you are pitching. Prepare your pitch well.
We must master the art of trying to summarize our idea and then create a story. And this summary must be able to grab the targets attention in no time. Once you grab the attention then begin your story. Don;t be afraid to share your concerns and difficulties you envisage, no one got businesses rolling without facing difficulties. Identify the challenges that are faced today and how your idea can transform these challenges into making things better. The greater the challenges, more convincing will be your idea.

Create different presentations for different needs.
I have learnt that people are in their mood swings when they meet you. They can decide to even reduce the time made available to you for your pitch. I would suggest that one must be prepared with shorter pitches when you go for your meeting. Or even vice versa. The guy may get interested and may want to know more and so you must have a slightly more elaborate pitch presentation handy with you.

Be prepared for questions.
The only way to kill your brilliant idea and initial pitch is by not being ready with the possible questions. People are very interested to know what you need from them.
Also, if the pitch is rejected, be prepared to ask why your pitch has been rejected. This information and explanation can help you polish your next pitch.