The Pitch, and All Its Iterations

As an aspiring entrepreneur, mastering the pitch seems like an instructive thing to do.  The proverbial “elevator” constraints provide a great framework for starting: thirty seconds with an influential person in a confined space – GO!  The challenge, for me at least, comes in balancing between detail and brevity, and each audience receives a different mix of the two.  

The skilled entrepreneur has adapted versions of their pitch at the ready no matter the audience, but what about varied conditions?  While the elevator mentality can be applied in scenarios absent an actual elevator, I have recently encountered a few situations where I have had to adapt my pitch, sometimes entirely.  Some scenarios certainly border on the comical side, but others on a far more practical side of what entrepreneurs can expect to face in the  development of their concept.

Scenario One: The I-Can’t-Stay-But-Still-Want-To-Hear-More Pitch

I went to a happy hour last week with some former colleagues of mine.  I shared my business venture with a few folks privately, but one particular colleague did not get to hear much about it until we were walking away from the restaurant.  She was about to leave on a trip for two weeks for business, but she was adamant that I give her material for her to read through while on her flight out to Shanghai the next morning. 

This scenario asked that I translate my pitch into email form, which is easier said than done.  Any built-in wit or humor is essentially gone, and it is hard to communicate your sincerity or seriousness without appearing melodramatic.  Perhaps most importantly, you lose the ability to answer follow-up questions on-the-spot, which lets doubt linger longer than you might prefer.

In this case, I let my materials do most of the talking.  I wrote only about eight lines in the email and attached a more formal document to explain the structure of the business.  Given that I had now inherited a longer window for her to learn more about my business, I gave her a few pages to sift through and simply invited her to write back with questions.  My sense is that this approach worked well, and she did follow up with questions and an offering of her future support.

Scenario Two: The Wait-For-The-Suction-Tool Pitch

I have recently switched dental offices, and this day happened to be the first time I met this particular dental hygienist.  We exchanged pleasantries regarding where we live and what we do, at which point she mentioned her husband was a higher education administrator (an important audience for my business).  When she heard I was starting a student debt financing business, she was intrigued.  So much so, in fact, that she continued to ask questions of me as she cleaned my teeth.

 

As you can imagine, having metal implements in one’s mouth keeps a fair bit of content from seeing the light of day.  I can remember one moment in particular when I was asked if I was excited about the business as some significant scraping of my teeth was occurring.  I hope she believed my excitement despite a clear grimace on my face.

My suspicion is that very few entrepreneurial courses prepare you to complete a pitch while minor surgery is being performed, so I give myself a pass on this one in general.  But the point stands – oftentimes you only have someone’s divided attention.  In those moments, I might recommend sharing only few details and saving conversation for clear breaks in activity (in this case, right after the suction-tube got shoved in my mouth).  We exchanged cards so that the conversation could continue absent face masks and rubber gloves.     

Scenario Three: The Less-Than-Helpful-Sidekick Pitch

I have a very well-intentioned friend named John from college that wants to see my business do well.  So much so, in fact, that he will at times try to introduce me to people he works with or knows personally that might want to invest in my business.  We all need those people in our lives – the ones that cheer you on from the sidelines, funneling opportunities your way.

Unfortunately, those people have very little knowledge of the best way to position your product.  As I picked up the phone with one person my friend recommended I speak with, I was greeted with the following question: “so, John tells me that you are going to fix the college debt problem in this country?”   I would say nearly half of the phone call was spent walking back John's statement and contextualizing it properly.

Now, hyperbole aside for a moment, it is a good thing that my friend got the overall premise correct.  And he put me in touch with an interested consumer, which is always great.  Unfortunately, the tone in this potential investor’s voice insinuated that John had effectively neutered my pitch of its foundation in reality.  It is difficult to overcome mixed messaging, especially at an early stage when the wrong introduction to an idea might mean losing the attention of some otherwise helpful people.

The lesson here is that sometimes your pitch is predicated upon residual pitches that you lack control over.  I have now asked John and others like him to say only certain things about my business.  If they find someone who has interest beyond the script, John now knows to say “you know, you should probably speak with Mark directly, because I won’t do the concept justice myself.” 

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I have a long list of other pitch permutations, but these anecdotes explain some common issues a starting entrepreneur may encounter.  The largest lesson of all?  Expect your pitch to look slightly different, perhaps entirely different, every single time.

In what ways have you had to adapt your pitch to accommodate an unforeseen condition?