3 Pitching my idea

There are a number of reasons why you might need to pitch (‘sell’) your idea to individuals or organisations, such as when you are looking for financial support, bidding for work, or raising the profile of your product or service with potential customers.

Many people feel uncomfortable with the idea of pitching, afraid of putting themselves out there and being rejected, and this feeling could potentially be stronger in a creative individual who has invested very personally in a product or project.

Founding Chief Executive of Creative England Caroline Norbury (no date) explains:

Although it might feel daunting to share your personal journey, it could actually work really well, allowing your USP to come across clearly and with passion.

Pitching can take place both formally and informally. You might give a presentation to potential funders (formal) or attend a networking event where you end up speaking to someone who could become a key supporter of your work (informal).

One type of informal pitch is the ‘elevator pitch’. You can find many resources online that discuss what an elevator pitch is and how to make a good one. You might like to find a few videos on YouTube to get an idea of the guidance given (here are some examples: video 1 [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)] ; video 2; video 3).

Most elevator pitch advice will recommend keeping it brief, from 30 seconds to a minute in length. Although that might seem too short to include everything that’s great about your business, remember that this is an introduction, and if you can catch your listener’s attention, they will want to continue the conversation. That’s when you can expand and answer any of their questions.

You have already been thinking about some of the vital elements of your elevator pitch in other sections of this course, such as your unique selling point and your audience so now it’s time to have a go at putting them all together!

If you’re pitching for investment or work on a specific project, you will usually have longer than two minutes to make your case. For example, you may be required to write a detailed funding application (you’ll find out more about that in Week 6) or give a presentation. There are some key things to think about when making a persuasive presentation. Watch this video from Expert Market for some useful advice.

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Transcript: Video 3

NICK BELCHER:

The best way to deliver a message is to tailor it to the person you're talking to. Now, with public speaking, you usually have a larger crowd, so you need to do some preparation beforehand and think about who's in the room. Questions like, why are they there? What are their motivations? And crucially, what's their current attitude towards the subject you are there to talk about? This will really help you to plan the best way to deliver your message.

The other benefit of knowing your audience is that you can speak to them more personally using examples that you know they'll understand and building a connection that will really help you win them over.

People are driven by emotions as well as by thoughts and ideas. So you need to appeal to their feelings as well as just to their minds. This doesn't necessarily mean you need to make them laugh or cry, though actually it wouldn't hurt. But if you show real feeling, people will absorb it. For example, if you're talking about an injustice, say, and you appear to be genuinely moved by it, then you'll be that much more able to move your audience in the same way.

And the same is true if you're trying to sell a product or a solution. The most convincing thing in the world is an enthusiastic person speaking with real conviction. So if you want your audience to be excited about an opportunity, you guessed it-- you have to feel that excitement yourself even if you choose to display it subtly.

When people present, and particularly if they're using slides, there's a real temptation to cram a lot of information and visuals into a deck and dazzle your audience with a range of powerful material. Now, unfortunately, people can't read and think and listen at the same time. So my final top tip is just to keep it simple. It's much more effective to stun your audience with a single concise fact and then pause to let them absorb it than it is to reel off 10 points at top speed.

Crucially, try to tell stories. People have been conditioned to listen to stories for hundreds of thousands of years. And it's a powerful way to command attention. Keeping it simple also means there's less for you to worry about, so you can stay relaxed, focused, and natural throughout.

If you want more tips on how to grow your business to the next level, drop us a line in the comments below. And don't forget to subscribe down here.

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What story could you tell to promote your creative freelancing business?

When you’re pitching for work in a creative environment, for example as a graphic designer, Turner (2015) offers the following top tips:

• Don’t hide your personality – clients like to see it and sometimes it will seal the deal.
• Consider the relationship – you might need to adjust your pitch depending on how the relationship started, e.g. whether it was via a referral (they may not have met you) or through networking (you may already have started a conversation).
• ‘Make ‘em sick, make ‘em well’ – Turner (2015) quotes this advice from Paramore Digital suggesting you should first tell your clients about the issues they have and then ‘cure’ those issues with your creative solutions.
• Leave a fun, lasting impression – for example, you might leave a gift item with a relevant message or slogan on it. Try to be imaginative so you can stand out from the competition.

Now that you have an idea of what you want to say and how you want to say it, you need to look for opportunities to connect with your audience.