5 Simple Concepts to Win More Pitches

The ability to pitch effectively is an essential skill in winning new business.  The most successful deal teams don't follow a "paint by numbers" approach to pitching but rather concentrate on the client experience they will provide. By re-framing the pitch from a discussion about "us" to a focus on what is possible for "them" the most successful deal teams win more business.

Whilst working with many bid teams on pitches globally, as well as on our own pitches, we have seen first hand what techniques the most successful deal teams have employed, what follows are five of the best. Some of these may seem common sense but are often not common practice. The real challenge is having the wherewithal to adapt to every client situation and tailor an approach for every client. 

They Are Authentic

"Be yourselves-more-with skill."  - Rob Goffee

A big step in winning new business is knowing more about yourself. People who are able to bring more of themselves into the pitch have a remarkable advantage, as that authenticity fuels buy-in and support from clients and colleagues alike. Being authentic let's people see who you really are. 

The best presenters in pitch team situations are the one's who allow the client to see their passion, vision and knowledge. They connect with the client because the client can see and feel how passionate they are about the solution. According to Daniel Goleman "self-awareness is the first component of emotional intelligence." In a pitch situation it is critical that the presenter connects with each member of the audience in a way that makes them feel that they are talking directly to them.

When deciding on who will be pitching we always think about who we are pitching to first. Pitch teams are rarely chosen solely on seniority (although this does play a role in some cultures) or technical ability. Rather they are determined by who is representing the client and who in the pitch team is most likely to make a connection with them. The the way in which we help clients determine members of an external audit pitch team is very different to how we approach choosing the right combination for a creative marketing team. In some instances technical skills will be required on other occasions it might be technical skills plus creative capabilities. The final mix is determined by ensuring that each member of the pitch team can be themselves and can connect with a key member of the client's team.

They Make an Emotional Connection With the Client

As customers' relationships with a brand deepens, they move along the pathway toward full emotional connection."                 - Scott Magids, Alan Zorfas and Daniel Leemon

Recent research by Scott Magids, Alan Zorfas and Daniel Leemon  "The New Science of Customer Emotions", published in the Harvard Business Review (December 2015), has demonstrated that "emotional-connection-driven opportunities exist across the customer experience, not just in traditional brand positioning and advertising." 

In banking for example, customer's want to feel that they can "trust" their adviser. But the more banks say "trust us" the more customers don't. We were recently commissioned by a financial planning client of a major bank to re-position their Customer Value Proposition (CVP). As part of the project we produced a video that re-orientated their pitch from "trust us" to something that enabled the viewer to see themselves in the video. Not an easy task given the issues currently being faced by the industry. The video would be used by the bank in pitch situations with customers, internal staff and key referral partners. The final version of the video had no voice over from a banking executive, did not seek to demonstrate any of the bank's products or services and did not end with a toll free number asking customers to get in touch with a local planner. Rather the video contained footage which showed people living life to it's fullest potential at each stage of their lives and the importance of understanding each person's journey. The response to the video from both planners and customers alike has been overwhelmingly positive. Why? The reason is that everyone who watches the video can see themselves living part of the story. All of us have a different story so it is important that during a pitch situation the audience connects emotionally with the team presenting and that the proposed solution/product is tailored specifically to them. 

They Are Great Storytellers

Taking time to research the client is an essential part of preparing for a pitch. Knowing about the client's industry, business, personal and professional background are all important elements of a successful pitch strategy. But in many industries this is expected and is considered "table stakes." In order to really connect with the client during a pitch we must know them as people, as individuals, not just a person with a title. By knowing more about them as people we can better determine the most appropriate stories to tell them.

A couple of years ago I was working with a team in Hyderabad, India, when one member of the audience asked the presenter how he could better understand the competitive environment. The presenter, who had clearly done his research, responded with a few qualifying questions. "Am I correct in saying that you are from Madhya Pradesh?" "Yes" replied the participant, the presenter continued "from a visit to your Facebook page I noticed that you also enjoy sports and outdoor activities, is that correct?" Clearly impressed the participant responded "that's cool how you know that and yes you are correct again." The presenter went on to say, "I now know how to answer your question and will share a short story with you." His response went as follows:

"I traveled with a group of friends last year to Madhya Pradesh for a camping trip. When we arrived at our chosen destination we pitched our tents alongside many others who had stopped for the night. In the early hours of the morning the whole campsite woke to screams of "tiger, tiger, there's a tiger in the village!" People started running out of their tents in all directions. As I ran out of my tent I saw a man sitting down calmly putting on his shoes and tying his shoe laces. I asked the man what he was doing and told him that he better move quickly to get away from the tiger. The man responded "I don't need to out run the tiger I just need to out run you!" 

The presenter concluded  by saying to the participant "before you can answer a question about the competitive environment you must first decide who the competitor is." The room burst in spontaneous applause and laughter! They were hooked.

The most powerful pitches contain a story, typically a personal story. 

They Provide a Unique Experience

"We are never going to win anything by boring people to death." - Peter Coughter

A big step in winning a major pitch is ensuring that the customer accesses information that takes them from thinking about what they already know to thinking about what they need to consider. A great pitch will help the client "find" problems not just "solve" problems. We were recently invited by a global bank to work with them on a competitive pitch to win a new mandate from an Ultra High Net Worth Individual (UHNWI) though his family office. The investment team worked on the technical specifications whilst we worked on the pitch with the relationship team. The technical solution looked at how the client would benefit from further diversification across his core portfolio. This seemed like the logical but highly predictable way to approach things. But when we asked the team "who the customer was" the solution wasn't that obvious. The customer could be the UHNWI, the family office team, the UHNWI's family or indeed his many philanthropic causes. 

As part of our pitch we decided to share our thought process with the clients. We showed them a video of the journey mapping exercise that we had undertaken for each of the the various "customer types." We demonstrated that this led us through a process of problem-finding that enabled us to develop an investment solution that wasn't solely driven by expected returns across various asset classes. Instead it also incorporated ideas that helped the UHNWI overcome key pain points and moments of truth on his own journey. The family office team's response was that they liked our thinking and wanted to undertake the same customer journey exercise with our help but this time with their own teams. The outcome was that the client themselves developed a "new" way of thinking about their roles and were able to ensure that the UHNWI was considering more alternatives about future his requirements rather than just the transaction that was on the table. 

They Close With Something Memorable

"Leave them with an important thought that probably should probably sum up everything that you have already said" - Peter Coughter

When working with deal teams on the "close" we always advise them to imagine that one of the key decision makers isn't in the room. We then ask them to think about how the client's team will sell the concept or idea, on their behalf, to that person as the pitch team will no longer be in the room. Not an easy task.

In order to be successful at closing powerfully, the most successful pitch teams develop a theme that is delivered from the moment that they walk into the room to the moment they leave. This can be achieved in a number of ways including, but not limited to, the use of videos, by telling stories, providing case studies and showing data visually. To do this successfully during a pitch, the most successful pitch teams rehearse, rehearse, rehearse!!! They never "wing it" leave it to chance or talk about it in a cab on the way to the pitch. They rehearse the entire pitch. If you allocate all of your time to content and not much to selling your message or idea, then you are effectively rehearsing in front of the client. 

Leave the client with something memorable that powers home your pitch and ideas.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Andrew MacDonald, PhD

Andrew is the author of the highly acclaimed article "Why should anyone bank with you?" published by the London Business School in Business and Strategy Review in April 2015. He is widely regarded as an expert in design thinking with a particular emphasis on the customer experience. Andrew co-creates consulting services and training programs globally in financial services, high tech, telecommunications, government and retail.

Over the last 15 years, Andrew has delivered programs in China, India, Hong Kong, Korea, Japan, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Dubai, UK, France, Italy, Spain, Switzerland, The Netherlands, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ukraine and Russia.

www.miezaconsulting.com