How Great NonProfit Pitches Go Very

Wrong*

Erica MillsChief Word NerdClaxon Marketing

*and what you can do about it

The average adult uses 15,000 words a day.According to Matthias R. Mehl, University of Arizona Assistant Professor of Psychology, in a 2007 research study

Some of your words will be about what you do.

elevator pitch noun \ˈe-lə-ˌvā-tər\ \ˈpich\

a short summary used to quickly and simply define a person, profession, product, service, organization or event and its value proposition.*

*source:wikipedia

OK, seriously: why do we get tongue-tied when it comes to delivering a pitch?

Get nervous just thinking about delivering your pitch? Quick, look at this cute dog picture and you’ll feel better.

Anxiety-inducing Reason #1: We think a pitch is about closing a deal.

It’s really about opening a door!

The point of a pitch is to inspire action and engagement. You want the recipient to…

Show interestAsk questionsRepeat your message to others

Anxiety-inducing Reason #2: We have all experienced bad pitches. We fear sounding like a Used Car Salesman, kinda like this dude. (Ick!)

“Say it ain’t so!”

All this anxiety about closing doors and sounding like a used car salesman leads to (gasp) PITCHFALLS!

Top 5 Pitchfalls1. You sound like a robot.2. You talk about yourself.3. You talk too much.4. You use jargon.5. You sound like a talking tagline.

We’re about to fix some PITCHFALLS, yo.

Pitchfall #1: You sound like a robot

This does not compute.

Answer: #1 Your message was handed down from on high.

Question: Why the robo-speak, friend?

Answer #2: You fear rejection.

“Here’s the hand. You know what to do.”

Cruel irony alert: The more you care, the more you fear rejection, and the more you sound like a robot. Doh.

Remember…there are three components to communication

What you say (like, you know, the actual words)

How you say it, i.e. tone of voice

Body language, including (but not limited to) gestures, facial expressions, and arm crossing.

#1 Verbal

#2 Para-verbal

#3 Non-verbal

The fix for verbal robotitis?Practice saying your pitch using all three components, aka like yourself. If it’s too difficult, it’s a sign your pitch needs to be simplified. (Or it’s a sign that you are, actually, a robot.)

Me.

Me. Me.

Me.

Pitchfall #2: You only talk about yourself.

zzzz…

The five most frequently used words (written, spoken and otherwise):

#5: a#4: to#3: and#2: the

And, THE most frequently used word…(drumroll please)…

“I”

HUMAN NATURE 101: People care most about themselves*

*even really nice people

THEIR kidsTHEIR goalsTHEIR jobTHEIR beliefs

The fix: Connect what YOU do to what THEY care about

Talk about benefits instead of outcomesUse “you” and “your” (or in certain parts of the US, “yous”) We build eco-

friendly homes for people like you and your family.

BlahBlah

Blah

Blah

Pitchfall #3: You talk too much.

When you tell someone everything, they remember nothing.

I can’t believe you’re still talking. I’m thinking about what I am going to have for dinner.

“You have to understand that nothing appeals to everybody” -Gene Simmons

The fix: develop three different-sized versions of your pitch

Tall

Grande

Venti

10 words: for new acquaintances

25 words: for introductory conversations about what you do

50 words: for when you have a captive audience

So it's really about synergic abilities in the

social ecosphere.

Pitchfall #4: You use jargon

You lost me at synergic…

Over-used words lose their meaning

It was so IRONIC, it was LITERALLY

AMAZING!

The fix: Outsider editorial review

Have someone outside of your organization listen to your pitch. Ask them to highlight jargon, buzzwords and quasi-meaningless gobbledygook.

And if you say a no-no word, everybody drinks!

I work for Nike. We help you just do it!

Pitchfall #5: You sound like a talking tagline.

Taglines are read, not saidWhen it absolutely, positively has to be there overnight.Dude,

nobody talks like that

The fix: translate your pitch into something people can say without sounding weird or creepy

People reading taglines feeling both weird AND creepy

PracticePractice isn’t about perfection. It’s about progress. Test your pitch by asking:

Is it remarkable? Will people talk about you, your work, your cause to others?

Do people ask questions that will lead to a conversation that will, eventually, lead to engagement in, and support of, you, your work, your cause?

Want to be really, truly, completely free of all Pitchfalls?

Buy your own copy of Pitchfalls: why bad pitches happen to good people