The Outside Edge: How Outsiders Can Succeed in a World Made by Insiders

9Learning to Pitch

Hmm, sharing. It's a tough one for outsiders. It's asking outsiders to be judged by insiders – something certain to raise our defences. Yet forging an edge as a disadvantaged outsider requires some compromises, probably the most important of which is the need for others to invest in our output.

Painful as it is, the only way to make our creativity profitable is to present our work to those that hold the keys to our future. Whether it's funding, resources, knowledge, distribution, publicity – or something as mundane as a job – behind their door lies what we need. And it's usually via the ‘pitch’ that we'll get across the threshold.

However termed, a pitch – which can include a job interview – is a sales meeting involving ...