·
Summary written by: Dianne Coppola
"To grow your business in today’s competitive
climate, you have to stand out from the crowd. That means letting go of your
preconceived notions about how to craft a pitch, learning how to distinguish
between what’s important and what isn’t when you do craft one, and training
yourself to focus on the parts that matter."
- Pitch, page 4
Hamish
McKenzie knows a thing or two about winning large contracts in a competitive
market. He’s built a successful business helping other companies win sizeable
contracts by crafting better proposals. With Pitch, McKenzie shares
his SSP methodology (strategy, story, presentation) and the pitfalls associated
with typical Request for Proposal (RFP) processes so you too can improve your
win ratio and grow your business. And the difference that apparently makes the
difference lies with strategic execution; going above and beyond the standard
cut and paste proposal documents and the mind-numbing PowerPoint presentations
you typically create. This book describes in detail the things you
are not doing when you prepare your pitch that
you should be doing if you are serious about winning more
business.
Pitch is a very readable 146 pages and McKenzie ‘walks
his talk’ by keeping the content crisp, relevant and compelling. The book is
organized into three key sections – strategy formulation, story development and
presentation preparation (to match each stage in the pitch development
process). Each section contains tactics, worksheets, case studies and stories
to make applying the methodology to your own situations easier. I particularly
liked the backdrop pieces titled ‘RFP Madness’ which identified the myriad
flaws with the current Request for Proposal process employed by most companies
and quite accurately describes it as “a nightmare, a horrific,
grueling, administrative black hole of a nightmare.”
The Golden Egg
Craft a Compelling Story
"The
right story can make the difference between winning and losing. You may have
all the assets the client needs, but without a convincing story, clients won’t
know what you can do for them."-
Pitch, page 68
Story
development is actually a phase two activity that follows strategy development
yet merited Golden Egg status in this summary for several reasons:
1.
Stories are the perfect antidote to RFP
Madness (that annoying Q&A format and cover your butt legalese)! They are
engaging, easy to follow and frequently lead to a happy ending.
2.
A compelling story will be what clients
remember most about you and your company, and
3.
Stories enable you to answer the strategic
question “Why should the client choose you?” by connecting the dots between the
client’s needs/challenges and your company’s solutions.
McKenzie
describes the benefit this way: “A story gives you control of your message
and the client a reason to choose you.” I know the power of
storytelling for businesses and I’ve experienced the
monotony of both developing and reviewing responses to RFP requirements. So
McKenzie’s suggestion to approach an RFP more creatively using a story format
made total sense to me. Assuming you’ve done your homework during the strategy
formation phase, you will definitely pique the client’s interest by using a
narrative approach to address the RFP requirements and thereby differentiate your
company from the competition.
The
key to telling a compelling story is to stay focused and avoid rambling. A
compelling pitch is no different. And the easiest way to stay focused is to
follow the advice outlined in GEMs #1 and #2 – leverage the power of three and
keep it simple!
Gem #1
The Power of Three
"With
a synopsis, your audience only has to remember three ideas. Those three ideas
tell your whole story in a nutshell."-
Pitch, page 82
We
live in what has been dubbed the information age. Technology (internet, smart
phones) gives us access to more information than we can possibly use 24/7. As a
result, we have developed the bad habit of overwhelming people with facts and
figures when trying to persuade them to adopt our viewpoint or purchase our services.
Leveraging the power of three helps to counter that tendency by forcing you to
focus on the three most critical issues or ideas you want your audience to
remember.
Once
you’ve identified your three key messages, you need to arrange them in a
logical sequence that speaks to the client’s needs while highlighting your
solution. Consider the following safety lessons as examples:
·
How to cross the street safely: Stop. Look.
Listen.
·
What to do when your clothes catch on fire:
Stop, drop and roll.
A
successful lesson would describe those three actions in more detail while
reinforcing the keywords so they become imbedded in the mind of the listener
and are easily recalled long after the lesson is over.
Have
you noticed the Actionable Books summaries follow a similar format – one Golden
Egg and two GEMs?! Leverage the power of three in your communication efforts by
remembering these three powerful words: Less Is More!
Gem #2
Keep it Simple
"A
presentation isn’t about showy handouts, flashy slides, and dancing girls. It’s
about communicating your story simply and effectively and creating a lively
experience that informs and engages your audience."- Pitch, page 122
Unless
you are a magician that relies on the power of distraction to amaze and astound
your audience, you would do well to simplify how you tell your story. Too
often, we add technological gimmicks that detract from rather than enhance our
message. I’m sure we’ve all sat through PowerPoint and Prezi presentations with
far too much spinning, fade in-fade out text and annoying sound effects (insert
animated nodding heads and fake applause here).
Take
your cues from the story itself and think about how you can best showcase your
three main messages. Consider which senses need to be heightened during the
presentation – is it sight, hearing, touch, taste or smell? How might you
surprise or otherwise engage your audience in the story? I recently watched a
TED talk where the speaker and a dance troupe worked collaboratively to bring
complex scientific concepts to life. It was far more effective than a dozen
animated PowerPoint slides!
You
might not have the resources to hire a dance troupe to bring your presentations
to life, however you can use props, photos and even plain old flip chart paper
and coloured markers to your advantage. Just remember to keep things simple to
enhance not detract from the messages you want the audience to retain.
I
thoroughly enjoyed reading Pitch and found the lessons learned
apply equally well to honing one’s communication skills in general as they do
to pulling together a winning business proposal. McKenzie’s mastery of his
craft is evident on every page of the book. He crafts a compelling story,
leverages the power of three and above all else, keeps things simple. And with
a little practice, we can too!
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