Here's the Pitch: How to Pitch Your Business to Anyone, Get Funded, and Win Clients

Here's the Pitch: How to Pitch Your Business to Anyone, Get Funded, and Win Clients

Released March 2012
Publisher(s): Wiley
ISBN: 9781118137529

Read it now on the O’Reilly learning platform with a 10-day free trial.

O’Reilly members get unlimited access to books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.

Start your free trial

Book description

Advice for every pitch situation a modern day entrepreneur will encounter

Whether you're pitching for funding, the media, or to potential customers and partners, to survive and succeed as an entrepreneur, you have to know how to deliver a high-impact pitch. Here's the Pitch reveals powerful proven techniques to get your audience to take the action you want. You'll learn the same strategies and tactics that have been used by entrepreneurs to raise millions of dollars, secure partnerships, and win big sales contracts.

Here's the Pitch provides advice for every possible pitch situation, including virtual and Web 2.0 pitches. This book:

  • Demonstrates proven, effective pitch techniques

  • Offers step-by-step advice for preparing your pitch

  • Helps you develop a confident, winning mind-set

  • Examines a range of pitch scenarios entrepreneurs frequently encounter

  • Don't lose out on your next big sale, bid for exposure, or investment proposal for lack of skills. Here's the Pitch provides a complete toolkit that will enable you to deliver a confident, engaging, and successful pitch.

Table of contents

  1. Cover Page
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright
  4. Dedication
  5. Contents
  6. Acknowledgments
  7. INTRODUCTION: Life's a Pitch
    1. Those Who Aspire Must Inspire
    2. Pitching in a Tough Climate
    3. Information Overload
    4. Pitch to Win
    5. Great Pitchers Are Made, Not Born
    6. Everything You Need to Know about Pitching
    7. Take Action
  8. Part I: The Mechanics of Pitching
    1. Chapter 1: The Power Dynamics of the Pitch
      1. Establish Favorable Dynamics at the Outset
      2. How Initial Decisions Are Made
      3. Getting Past the Gatekeeper
      4. What This Means for Your Pitch
      5. Don't Convey Neediness
      6. Be Desirable, Not Desperate
      7. Putting This Into Practice
      8. Act as if
      9. A Question of Judgment
    2. Chapter 2: Stand and Deliver
      1. Energy
      2. Body Language
      3. Vocal Delivery
      4. Use a Conversational Style
      5. Slow Down
      6. Power of the Pause
      7. Vary Your Vocal Delivery
    3. Chapter 3: Engage and Inspire
      1. Tell Them Timing
      2. Brevity Is Best
      3. Start Strong
      4. Keeping Your Audience's Attention
      5. Deliver an Unforgettable Moment
      6. Think in Threes
      7. Win With Words
    4. Chapter 4: The Power of Stories
      1. Benefits of Using Stories
      2. The Story Creation Process
      3. Decide on Your Theme
      4. Essential Ingredients for Your Story
      5. Bringing Your Story to Life
      6. And They All Lived Happily Ever After
    5. Chapter 5: Handling Questions
      1. Welcome Questions
      2. Handle Questions Like a Pro
  9. Part II: Forms of Pitch
    1. Chapter 6: Attention-Grabbing Pitches
      1. Hail the High-Concept Pitch
      2. Why Keep It Simple
      3. The Multiple Benefits of a High-Concept Pitch
      4. Crafting a Great High-Concept Pitch
      5. A Picture Can Paint a Thousand Words
      6. Remember the Purpose of Your High-Concept Pitch
      7. The Elevator Pitch
      8. Delivery Matters
      9. Be Adaptable
      10. Structure
    2. Chapter 7: The e-Pitch
      1. The Twitpitch
      2. The Virtual Pitch
      3. The Problem With Virtual Pitches
      4. Making the Technology Work for You
      5. The Pitch
      6. Using Your Webcam
      7. Rehearsal and Preparation
      8. The Video Pitch
      9. E-mail Pitch
    3. Chapter 8: Pitch Materials
      1. The Executive Summary
      2. Less Is More, but Not Easier
      3. Appearances Matter
      4. Content
      5. The Pitch Deck
      6. Different Documents for Different Purposes
  10. Part III: Specific Audiences
    1. Chapter 9: The Sales Pitch
      1. It's About Them, Not You
      2. Sales Pitch Structure
      3. Knowledge Equals Sales
      4. Give Your Audience the Solution
      5. Think Conversation, Not Presentation
      6. How to Encourage Questions
      7. Bring Your Pitch to Life
      8. Levers
      9. And Now, a Few Words About You
    2. Chapter 10: The Investor Pitch
      1. Angel and Venture Capital Pitches
      2. Before the Pitch
      3. The Sweet Spot
      4. The Warm Introduction
      5. Nondisclosure Agreements
      6. Who to Bring to the Party
      7. The Content of Your Pitch
    3. Chapter 11: Crowdfunding
      1. Crowdfunding Historical Contribution
      2. The Crowdfunding Pitch
      3. Selecting the Right Crowdfunding Platform
      4. The Three Components of a Successful Crowdfunding Pitch
      5. Converting Visitors to Backers
      6. Name and Description
      7. Project Video
      8. Inspire With Your Story
      9. Rewards
      10. Be Transparent
      11. Prelaunch Pitching
      12. Pitching When Your Project's Live
      13. The Future
    4. Chapter 12: Pitching the Media
      1. Why Most Entrepreneurs Fail to Get Media Coverage
      2. Think Laser Targeting, Not Mass Mail Out
      3. Building Relationships With Journalists and Bloggers
      4. Transitioning to the Pitch
      5. Some Useful Resources
  11. Part IV: Preparation
    1. Chapter 13: Develop a Winning Mind-Set
      1. Confidence
      2. The Myths and Science of Confidence
      3. The Power of Belief
      4. Identity
      5. Discarding Your Limiting Beliefs
    2. Chapter 14: Prepare to Win
      1. Time
      2. Peace
      3. Brainstorm
      4. Distill
      5. Research
      6. Structure
      7. Script
      8. Customize
      9. Rehearse
  12. Bibliography
    1. Introduction
    2. Chapter 1
    3. Chapter 2
    4. Chapter 3
    5. Chapter 7
    6. Chapter 13
  13. Index

Product information

  • Title: Here's the Pitch: How to Pitch Your Business to Anyone, Get Funded, and Win Clients
  • Author(s):
  • Release date: March 2012
  • Publisher(s): Wiley
  • ISBN: 9781118137529