cutting edge communicationtammy: you are very good at pitching and you are very inspirational....

CUTTING EDGE COMMUNICATION57. Pitching and Influencing

Video Guide and Script

CUTTING EDGE COMMUNICATION © Seven Dimensions www.7d-tv.com

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PROGRAM 57: Pitching and Influencing video 10 minutes

Prepare and pitch with passion. Be clear and determined to influence.

Synopsis Tammy (who wants to manage the Chinese branch of Cutting Edge) flatters Carol that she’s good at pitching and influencing. Carol knows this; meanwhile she is unimpressed with Sherry’s attempt to pitch for improved work conditions. Sam advises the importance of succinctness and rehearsal before going in front of people, while not sounding robotic and looking out for people’s verbal and non-‐verbal cues. Carol invites Tammy to pitch her idea, which Tammy does timidly, then too forcefully. Dion seeks the advice of trusted colleagues and doing research as part of his preparation. Steve and Barney discuss the value of making a presentation inspiring and memorable. Both Dion and Casey wow the cautious Sam with their respective pitches – demonstrating that energy, enthusiasm and charm are key to selling the customer.

Key Learning Points Pitch and Influence

Don’t Do

Don’t wing it Be clear and confident

Don’t overlook research Impress with knowledge

Don’t be humdrum Make it memorable

Don’t bore Engage and inspire


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Discussion Questions 1 Discuss Tammy’s various attempts to pitch?

2 Compare Casey’s and Dion’s pitches to Sam. Identify what they did well and what they could improve.

3 How much charm is needed to successfully pitch a proposition?

4 What else is needed? What is most important?

5 Discuss interesting recent decisions made in your team or organization.How did they come about? Who pitched the ideas, who was key in influencing the outcome?

6 The ever-‐rational Sam believes that good research is essential to the success of a pitch. Which matter most: research or persuasive skills? Think back to successful pitches you’ve done / witnessed.

7 Where do people go wrong with pitching? Is this what’s problematic for Sherry (who has a good idea but an unreceptive audience in Carol)? How would you have convinced Carol?

8 Consider and list the best pitchers / influencers you’ve come across. What do they have in common?

9 Compare great influencers from the past. Were they different?

10 Nominate influential campaigns (whether on social media or elsewhere) you’ve seen. Why did these succeed?

11 How do YOU reach the person with glazed eyes and a bored expression?

12 Discuss the value of alliances in influencing.

More to Discuss Discuss this quote. Find other key points to discuss in the PowerPoint Slides.

Prepare and pitch with passion Be clear and determined to influence

Psychologist Eve Ash


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Activities Activity 1 DEVELOPING PERFECT PITCH • Divide into teams. Each team gets half an hour to prepare a short pitch on a product /

campaign idea / slogan of your choice. Pitch it to the rest of the group.

• Vote on the best presenters and discuss why they succeeded. Then vote on the best pitch. Are

best pitcher and best pitch always synonymous?

• Once you’ve done this, mix the groups up and have a go with another product / campaign idea

/ slogan. Repeat the exercise, and vote on who has improved, and why.

• Repeat a third and last time (in order that every participant has had at least one turn).

Activity 2 YOUR ELEVATOR PITCH Discuss the meaning of an elevator pitch. Then have everyone create an elevator pitch about

himself or herself. Allow each person 1 minute only to present these elevator pitches. Do them all

one after the other. Then at the end discuss which ones really impressed the group and why. List

the reasons on the board and learn from them.

Activity 3 SCORING A GOAL Sometimes there are challenges ahead when trying to pitch and influence a decision. Discuss best

ways to overcome them.

• Sam is habitually uninterested in whatever Casey has to say. How does she succeed in

engaging him? How would you engage Sam?

• Discuss situations where you’ve encountered a passive or hostile audience. What steps do

you take to disarm them?

• Where should the element of surprise come in? (Is it essential to an inspiring presentation?)


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Activity 4 IMPROVING YOUR AIM Film yourselves pitching an idea for your company to management. Play back to the group and

discuss strengths, plus where there is room for improvement.

• Pair people with those who have what the other lacks. Prepare a joint pitch lasting five

minutes, and deliver to the others.

• Swap around so that everyone gets to work with each other.

• Summarize for the group what you learned from each person.

Activity 5 THE PROFESSIONALS • Invite one or two experienced pitchers from different areas of the business, or from a supplier,

to present to your team in the office. Give them something very difficult to pitch (not their

usual product) and see what they come up with.

• Have the group workshop with your guests how they succeeded and why.

• Then each have a go, with the guests becoming a selection panel making the decision to

accept what you offer. Invite them to offer further tips.

Activity 6 PRESENT OUR BRAND This is a challenge for a creative team. Create a short video or slide show, about the benefits of

working for your organization. Show it around and get feedback. Make it good enough to feature

on your website.


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Activity 7 PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITY ANALYZE THE KEY MESSAGES AT THE END OF THE PROGRAM

For each item, write how you might improve your own performance.

PITCH AND INFLUENCE

• Don’t wing it

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• Don’t overlook research

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• Don’t be humdrum

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• Don’t bore

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• INSTEAD: Be clear and confident

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• INSTEAD: Impress with knowledge

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• INSTEAD: Make it memorable

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• INSTEAD: Engage and inspire

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SCRIPT 57: Pitching and influencing 9 minutes 55 seconds Opening animation and Cutting Edge Communication logo SUPER:


Eve Ash

Psychologist FULL SCREEN TITLE: PITCHING AND INFLUENCING SAM: One skill that people often have trouble mastering is pitching and influencing. TAMMY & CAROL TAMMY: You are very good at pitching and you are very inspirational. CAROL: Thank you. Yeah. TAMMY: It made me want to be like you. CAROL: Everybody wants to be like me, Tammy. FULL SCREEN TITLE: 1. Be clear and confident SAM: What really helps me when I'm pitching an idea or trying to influence somebody is I really try to keep it succinct. I try to keep it to 30 seconds or less literally the elevator pitch and for that to be fairly well rehearsed. SHERRY & CAROL CAROL: A mistake I've seen people make is (VO under Sherry talking with Carol) not being prepared. SHERRY: I have a few things that would make me happier here and value this company more. Everyone needs respect. CAROL: Are you reading? SHERRY: I… Uh… I… No, I just made some notes to make sure I get all of my points across. CAROL: OK. You can just talk to me. Vision of Sherry trying to talk with Carol continues CAROL: (VO) Now, not all of you are as brilliant as Carol and (100%) can keep everything in the memory bank up here. SAM: Practice it thoroughly. I'll probably say it maybe three or four times (VO under Sam talking to Carol and Steve) before I'll actually go in front of the person, which is not to say that you memorize the pitch, (100%) because then it can come across rather robotic and that you're not really connecting with the person. SHERRY & CAROL SHERRY: A mentor. I would really love a mentor to help develop my skills. Vision of Sherry continues SAM: (VO) Because then you're just searching for these words and (100%) not really understanding their cues – verbally or nonverbally. SHERRY & CAROL CAROL: I have to go. There's a meeting with everybody in the office right now, so … SHERRY: Oh, well … CAROL: (Walking off) I'll see you tomorrow! Rotate to TAMMY & CAROL CAROL: So, why don't you try to pitch me something now? TAMMY: Um, OK. (Quietly) Um… I could, uh, manage the Chinese branch of the company.


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CAROL: I'm... I can't hear you. Your voice dropped. It shows me that you're not really believing the message that you're trying to sell me, in a way. Slide to TAMMY & CAROL TAMMY: I was thinking that I think that… that maybe I could manage the China branch. What do you think? CAROL: You said the word 'think' too many times. You said, "I was thinking that I think" and then you asked me what I thought, and then you used the word 'maybe'. "Maybe this would be a good idea." If you don't think it's a good idea, how am I going to believe it? Slide to TAMMY & CAROL TAMMY: (Forcefully) I should manage the Chinese branch of the company! CAROL: That was a little too strong. TAMMY: OK. CAROL: So… And not friendly. Like, you want to have… TAMMY: Oh, smile. CAROL: A little bit of a charm. Yeah. And know what you want to say before you walk into the room. What you're pitching. If it's an idea, you want to maybe A, B and C. And be concise and be clear with your message. TAMMY: So don't speak too much. FULL SCREEN TITLE: 2. Impress with knowledge DION: (VO) When I first got here, (100%) I was afraid that I might mess up, (VO under team meeting) so I wouldn't pitch my ideas and (100%) I wouldn't tell people what I was thinking. I would just stay quiet. SAM: What I find really works well is to have research and facts to be able to back up my assertions. TAMMY & CAROL CAROL: You have to come across as very knowledgeable so people believe you and they trust you, what you're saying. DION: I started writing down some of my ideas and (VO under footage of Carlos and Dion) I would take it to somebody I trust and got their opinion. (100%) Once I got enough confidence to take it to the group, (VO under Dion entering office with Marcus and Carol) I started taking those ideas to my bosses. (Dion presents his ideas to Carol and Marcus) CAROL, DION & MARCUS IN THE OFFICE DION: Ready for my big presentation? CAROL: Cannot wait! DION: Oh, yeah! CAROL: So pumped. DION: I've got my markers, so where's the whiteboard? CAROL: Always be prepared. I thought you said he was a Boy Scout at one point. DION: You know what? I was a Boy Scout. Dion pulls out the whiteboard from behind and begins his presentation. DION (VO): Using research is (100%) a strong tool when you're pitching. Whenever I have a new idea for the team, I like to make sure I get all the facts. (Dion is presenting his ideas to Carol and Marcus) Then when you come in, you can answer any question. CAROL, DION & MARCUS IN THE OFFICE DION: So what we would like to do is get down in here, which is the third region, and that's incentives. (Marcus nods) Now, if management could bring incentives towards the employees, we actually get in that sweet spot again. (Marcus nods) CAROL: Once in a while, one of my staff members (VO under Carol listening to Dion present) will actually surprise me.


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CAROL, DION & MARCUS IN THE OFFICE DION: Now, what we want to avoid is being out here. Now we're in no type of position to communicate, no type of position to find a middle ground. Makes sense, right? CAROL: Hmm. FULL SCREEN TITLE: 3. Make it memorable STEVE: (VO) You have to be inspiring (100%) and you have to be memorable. CASEY & SAM Casey is wearing heart-shaped glasses CASEY: I came up with a new sales strategy. SAM: OK. CASEY: H.E.A.R.T. SUPER APPEARS VERTICALLY: H E A R T then follows each word on word cue Heart Expectations Ask Remember Timing CASEY: (Cont.) It stands for...'Help'. You have to help your customer. You have to ‘Expect’ that your customers are going to want stuff and you have to create an expectation for yourself that you can do that for them. A is 'Ask'. SAM: Yeah, it's a little bit more complicated than that. But yeah, asking questions. CAROL: (VO) A little bit of Carol Davis is rubbing off on Casey because she's getting a little bit more confidence. CASEY & SAM CASEY: You need to 'Remember' things about your clients. 'Timing'. You've got to time everything perfectly. And you know what's even better? Is if you deliver something before you say that you're going to. SAM: Under-promise and over-deliver. It's not bad. CAROL: She came up with her own acronym – H.E. A.R.T. CASEY & SAM CASEY: Are you kind of saying that I had a good idea? SAM: Yes. Yes, that's what I'm saying. CASEY: That's awesome! Rotate to DION & SAM Dion holds a poster of Marcus with “It’s Time” on it. DION: So, our plan now is we're going to put billboards across the country (The poster is a billboard in the midst of the desert, then at baseball game) – at football games, baseball games. SAM: It is an image that is lively and… DION: It's powerful. SAM: It's… powerful. DION: Imagine this poster on all the monuments in the United States. I already got it on the (Poster hangs from the arch in St Louis) archway in Missouri. It's going to go on the Statue of Liberty in New York, and I might even put it on a few trains. I'm still working that out. SAM: The one thing I'm a little concerned about is this poster on the Statue of Liberty, because they represent different things. DION: Well, I already talked to the President and he said… (Imitates Barack Obama) "You know what, Dion? "That's a great idea and I like it." SAM: I'm just not sure that that sends the right message for all those places. DION: Over the past 48 hours our site has gone viral. We went from 48 Facebook followers yesterday to 48,000 today.


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SAM: Great. I mean, Dion, this is really impressive. 48,000 in a 24-hour span is really astounding. And even though I wasn't consulted about this in the policy, it's… it's OK, because the greater good is for Cutting Edge. DION: I've already created an algorithm. I just need you to sign off on it. It's ready to go today. SAM: Oh, OK. Great. I'll just have to look at it in detail and make sure that it's good to go. DION: I've only got two words for you. It's time. SAM: That's actually three words 'cause "it's" is a contraction for "it is"… time. DION: If it was Jeopardy, it would be one word. SAM: Yeah. This isn't Jeopardy, though. DION: Alright. Sounds good. SAM: Alright. Great job, Dion. (They shake hands)Yeah. Yeah. DION: Thank you. FULL SCREEN TITLE: 4. Engage and inspire SERENA & DION SERENA: (VO) I think we all need to (100%) approach everything feeling like we have an answer. We are going to help you. DION: What I do is I try to think of ways that they need my idea. So, for instance, you like wearing scarves. Imagine if I told you I have a scarf organizer that would help you organize all your scarves. SERENA: I want it! DION: See? She's already interested 'cause it's something that she needs and is important to her. DION: Another tool when pitching is to (VO under Carol is pitching ideas to Marcus) be enthusiastic. If you have great energy and you show that you really care, (100%) you'll get other people on your team. BARNEY: But the catch is to make it exciting, to make it fresh, to make it new, to make it not boring. CAROL & MARCUS CAROL: You're going to be excited. I developed a new system to rate suppliers. (Marcus excited and his mouth wide open) I've given two IT suppliers exclusivity in exchange for a discounted rate. MARCUS: Wow. That's...that's brilliant, Carol. CAROL: I know. Rotate to TAMMY & CAROL TAMMY: We definitely should go into the Asian market. Our name is Cutting Edge, so we want to be there early and first and get all the connections. They have the most people, which means the most customers. More customers means more money. I am also Chinese, so they will trust me because I am one of them. I understand the language, and so many business deals can go wrong if you don't know the culture. TAMMY: I want to do a lot of research to find interesting facts so that when I pitch things to people, they will be, "Wow! "I did not know that!" They will be impressed. TAMMY & CAROL TAMMY: And that's why I should represent Cutting Edge in the new Asian market. CAROL: (Clapping hands) Bravo, Tammy. I have to say, you sold me. BARNEY: You have to be able to put a little pizazz onto that page. You have to be able to make that pitch be so appealing that this customer walks out of that business meeting room saying "I need that" because of your pitch. Finale with music and key points Carol and Steve listen to Sam DON’T wing it INSTEAD: Be clear and confident


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Dion presents ideas to Carol and Marcus with his mini whiteboard DON’T overlook research INSTEAD: Impress with knowledge Casey wearing heart shaped glasses presents ideas to Sam DON’T be humdrum INSTEAD: Make it memorable Marcus receives Carol’s ideas with enthusiasm DON’T bore INSTEAD: Engage and inspire FULL SCREEN GRAPHIC PITCH AND INFLUENCE

ü Be clear and confident ü Impress with knowledge ü Make it memorable ü Engage and inspire Dion talks to the poster DION: And you know it was my idea. I'm going to need a raise. 7D logo © Seven Dimensions


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10/21/15&

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Program 57 PITCHING AND INFLUENCING

CUTTING EDGE COMMUNICATION

CUTTING&EDGE&COMMUNICATION&©&SEVEN&DIMENSIONS&&&&&&&&&&&CREATED&BY&EVE&ASH&&&&&&&&&&&WWW.7D<TV.COM&&&


Eve Ash Psychologist

PITCH AND INFLUENCE



CUTTING EDGE PEOPLE

•  Who did you see in this program?

•  Who is good at pitching and influencing?

•  Pitching harnesses preparation, passion and a positive approach

•  A good concise pitch with great research can influence decision-makers

Good pitching takes preparation


Pitching and Influencing


DON’T wing it

•  Don’t be uncertain about your facts – it shows you’re unprepared

•  Don’t hesitate, whisper or read – as fear appears non-assertive

•  Don’t be repetitive, robotic, pushy or long-winded

INSTEAD be clear and confident

•  Value their time and make it succinct and clear

•  Practice doing an elevator pitch

•  Be warm and natural and remember to engage with a smile

•  A simple structure works well – A, B and C

Elevator Pitch or Statement


The Elevator Pitch

A&short&summary&to&succinctly&describe&an&idea,&concept,&process,&product,&service,&

organizaRon,&your&experRse,&or&event&and&its&value&proposiRon.

“I#need#that!”#Pitch&an&idea&during&an&&elevator&ride&that&is&so&&compelling&the&listener&&wants&more…&


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10/21/15&

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DON’T overlook research

•  Don’t stay quiet – you won’t influence if you’re not heard

•  Test your ideas on those you trust first

•  Knowledge really is power when it comes to influencing

INSTEAD impress with knowledge

•  Back up your assertions with facts and research, it’s a strong tool when you are pitching

•  Test your ideas on those you trust – surprise them with your knowledge

•  When you have all the facts you can enjoy answering questions



DON’T be humdrum

•  Being humdrum about a presentation suggests you don’t care much and your research is minimal

•  “Heard it all before” is not the result you want

INSTEAD make it memorable

•  Make it interesting and memorable

•  Be creative with structure and visuals and help people imagine and see the results

•  Deliver your pitch with enthusiasm and clarity



DON’T bore

•  Don’t ignore a glazed expression, or fidgeting … assume they are bored

•  Be interested in what makes their eyes light up

INSTEAD engage and inspire

•  Find interesting facts to wow and impress

•  Influence with compelling reasons

•  Show energy and enthusiasm

•  Add pizazz – make it exciting, fresh, new




Be succinct, enthusiastic and read your audience

Put in effort and rehearse so you get results


The ultimate success of your pitch is in the influence you have on your audience – you want them to get it, be sold on it and to agree to what you propose!




Don’t# Do#

Don’t wing it !  Be clear and con!dent

Don’t overlook research !  Impress with knowledge

Don’t be humdrum !  Make it memorable

Don’t bore !  Engage and inspire

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