Hone Your Pitch

Screenwriter Michael Hauge says screenwriters have less than 60 seconds to convince the people in power to read their script. They rehearse and hone their pitches until they can respond succinctly and on cue when asked, “What’s your movie about?”

You may not be a screenwriter, but if you’re in business for yourself, you face the same challenge. You often have less than one minute to pitch what your product or service will do for the potential client you just met. How do you respond when someone says “What do you do?” or “Tell me about yourself”?

In your 30-second pitch, let your listener know what your product, service, book, idea, strategy or business partnership will do for him. What need does it fill? What problem does it solve? Wrap up with a call to action if it’s appropriate. What you’re actually doing with this 30-second pitch is summarizing your personal brand. A personal brand tells your clients, customers, co-workers or employer four things:

• who you are
• what you do
• what makes you different
• how you create value for your target market

Here’s my 30-second pitch: “I’m a ghostwriter at MMI Associates, a PR firm known for getting results. I help clients win awards and get published -- and they don’t have to write a single word.”

Knowing your pitch and being able to verbalize it is one of the basics of being a more powerful and effective person on the job, in your community, at a conference ... and especially any time you need to “work a room” full of strangers. People will remember you.

What’s your pitch? I’d like to hear from you. If you want feedback from me and others on your pitch, post it in the comments section of this blog.