Pitching Perfection

The pitching landscape has become much more competitive in the business world. Once upon a time, convincing a client that you had a workable solution was enough to win the business. However, these days, the "rational" elements of a proposal (the solution and the costs) only make up 28% of the decision making process according to the 2008 rogenSi Pitching Survey. Today, it's generally assumed that your company will be able to deliver a good solution once engaged, so companies find that they have to invest much more into a pitch to win.


What else can you do ensure you're pitching perfection?


- Demonstrate a good understanding of the client's business - everyone knows that you're an expert in your niche but you'll need to know a lot more to win new business; the rogenSi survey found that the largest factor that influenced an engagement decision was feeling that the business had a good understanding of the client's business. However, it's not about whether actually you have a good understanding of the business or not, but rather whether the client believes that you do.

- Develop a good rapport and have good chemistry - like interviewing for a job, clients evaluate the businesses they work with by how they'll "fit" in the team. Chemistry and the values behind a company are pertinent, accounting for as much as 23% of the decision making process.

- Understand the politics involved - meanwhile, politics outside of your control will also affect the decision making process, up to 16%, according to the survey. Something to keep in mind when you've done everything perfectly - sometimes it really is attributed to luck.


Meanwhile, businesses need to work harder and be innovative in making sure their pitch stands out from the crowd. Presentation skills training will get you so far and you can get more insights on the pitching landscape from white papers or read a rogenSi case study - learn how to develop and deliver the perfect pitch for today.


Learn more about presentation skills and how to win new business - rogenSi has training sessions and corporate coaching programs to help your business reach excellence - visit our website to learn more.