her inform
Pitching your business eloquently and effectively isn't a skill reserved just for reality TV shows, it's crucial if your business is to succeed.
IF RICHARD BRANSON SAT next to you on the aeroplane would you be able to sell your business to him in three minutes? If this thought stops you stuttering in your tracks, you can rest assured your business pitch is far from perfect. The Bright Ideas Challenge, run by Grow Wellington, is all about
providing people with the connections and support they need to take their business idea to the next level; this includes giving people the knowledge and skills to effectively pitch their idea in 100 words. A skill that Grow Wellington's General Manager Business Growth, Mary-Anne Webber says is invaluable. "A winning pitch is crucial to a successful business," says Mary-Anne. "However for something so vital in the recipe of success, very few people do it well, when it should be one of the first skills that people nail when setting out in business". Helen Joronen, CEO of Greenkeeper Systems Ltd and winner
of the 2011 Bright Ideas Challenge, is someone who understands that if your pitch is too long or too boring, it's simply forgotten. "The best advice I was given through the coaching process that Grow Wellington provided came from Mark Robotham – statements in your pitch need to be between 10 and 30 seconds. It's easy to pitch your business or idea when you have 20 minutes to tell your stories – but three minutes to give a full overview is a
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real challenge!" Mark, who is a mentor for the Bright Ideas Challenge and
Principal of Growth Management Consulting Ltd, believes that it is vital to focus on what your audience needs to know, not what you want to tell them. "Avoid the curse of knowledge." says Mark. "You know your business inside out, however the person you're pitching to is only hearing about it for the first time. With successful pitching it's not about what you say, it's what they remember and even more importantly, what they can be bothered passing on." Even the most succinct pitch can be undone with a bad delivery.
"Continually practising your pitch so that you are comfortable with your words is vital," says Helen. "No chance to ad lib, no chance of going off on a tangent, and most importantly no chance of not delivering your message." Helen's success can also be attributed to her passion for what
she does, "as much as people buy my product, they buy me first, so showing passion is imperative." And her final words for nailing that Richard Branson deal? "Ten
to 30 seconds with any statement, practise, practise, practise, then just put on your perma-smile and kill them with your energy". Julia McFadzien www.growwellington.co.nz
The Power Of The Pitch
