Last time we talked about understanding the true audience for your pitch. In most cases this is your clients’ customer. We also spoke about how, if we can get that customer down to one person, you will then in a position to empathize with them and figure out what makes them tick. It is from our understanding of the audience that all creative ideas flow.

Once we are clear about the audience, we need think about the benefits we are offering in the pitch.

Here are some examples of what other businesses offer their clients.

 It is highly likely that the benefits we offer are likely to be the same as our competitors. In a post-scarcity economy most businesses resemble each other so thoroughly that differences only exists in the mind of people who work there. So how can we differentiate ourselves?

I believe there are two ways to achieve this. First, find out what the client wants. This sounds obvious, but often there are two briefs. The brief they send out to prospective clients and the “real brief.”

The real brief is what the client really wants. This is often conditioned by the clients’ past experiences. They may be terrified of making a mistake, or concerned the process runs smoothly this time. They may want you to make them look good as they are about to seek more investment or be sold. Each of these hidden agendas was on the mind of past clients’ of Furthr’s.

There will always be a hidden agenda behind the public one, and before you pitch you must find out what it is. I’d suggest face to face meetings with the client and some subtly searching questions. You need to find our what they are thinking.

You also want to leverage your advantage. If you are a small outfit, make clear the client will be dealing with the top dogs, not understudies. If you are inexpensive, make that a factor. If you have brilliant designers, make your pitch look fantastic. We will talk about this more in the “designing your deck” post coming soon.

Posted in: Infographic of the day