Have a great idea but not sure how to sell it? Investor and teacher Mar Hershenson has you covered. Whether it’s sharing a new product with a client or vying for a promotion, these three steps will help you tell an irresistible story and get the “yes” you’re looking for.
Watch the video:
and choose the correct answer A)-D) to the questions below:
1. What is the speaker’s role in the pitching process?
A. They invest in companies.
B. They create compelling pitches.
C. They work with company founders.
D. They listen to 2,000 pitches a year.
2. According to the speaker, what is a crucial aspect of pitching?
A. Following a standard format.
B. Focusing on storytelling.
C. Knowing your audience’s motivations.
D. Making people feel obligated to say yes.
3. What should you focus on if you’re pitching to a venture capitalist?
A. The size of the market opportunity.
B. The social impact of your idea.
C. The needs of the philanthropist.
D. The goals of the people at work.
4. How does the speaker suggest structuring a pitch?
A. By introducing tension and conflict.
B. By highlighting the hero’s journey.
C. By focusing on the resolution.
D. By addressing the weaknesses first.
5. According to the speaker, what should you do with your weakest point in a pitch?
A. Skip it altogether.
B. Gloss over it quickly.
C. Face it directly and provide a solution.
D. Hide it from the audience.
6. What is the purpose of showing the strengths and weaknesses of your story in a pitch?
A. To inspire confidence in yourself.
B. To make the audience lean forward.
C. To encourage the audience to say yes.
D. To demonstrate your storytelling skills.
7. What do the best storytellers do, according to the speaker?
A. Live in the future and show steps to get there.
B. Tell stories about the past.
C. Hide weaknesses in their stories.
D. Skip the resolution in their pitches.
Key: 1.A; 2.B; 3.A;4.B; 5.C;6.A; 7.A
Glossary
- compelling – forceful and persuasive
- slick – smooth; operating or performing skilfully and effectively, without problems and without seeming to need effort
- to draw sb in – to make someone become involved in something, especially when they do not want to be involved
- to flip – to move something with a quick sudden movement so that it is in a different position
- to swoop – to sweep through the air, as a bird or a bat, especially down upon prey; to come down upon something in a sudden, swift attack
- to gloss over – to give only superficial or perfunctory attention to something
Practice makes perfect
Seven sentences have been removed from the text below.
Choose from the sentences A-G the one which fits each gap.
A. On the other hand, do feel free to pitch if you aren’t a member of the choir I just preached to.
B. if you can’t be bothered to do that, you don’t really want publicity after all.
C. No offense, but it really isn’t.
D. same thing, different day does not.
E. I don’t want to know what you do
F. Never waste time by explaining how this could be a win-win relationship or
G. The best products can be described in a few sentences, and so can the best pitches.
How to Pitch: 6 Things You Must Know
(…) Here’s what to do and what not to do:
Don’t tell me your story is unique. 1. ……………………….. There are thousands of Ramen noodle stories. There are thousands of 3 a.m. “Eureka!” stories. There are thousands of maxed-out credit cards, relatives won’t return your calls, last-minute financing savior stories. Your story is deservedly fascinating to you, because you lived it (…) if your story truly is unique, I’ll know. You won’t have to tell me.
Don’t tell me how much a little publicity will help you. 2. ……………………………….. , worse, by claiming you want to share your wisdom because you simply want to help others. I know you want publicity, and I know why. I get it. We’re cool.
Know what I’ve done recently. It’s easy to think, “Hey, he recently wrote about mission statements… I should pitch a story about how we help companies develop their mission statements!” Um, no. (…) Don’t assume one article indicates an abiding fascination with a particular topic.
3. ……………………………………………………. For example, I wrote this Twitter post and one reader took a very different point of view; her email resulted in another post where I recognized I was wrong. Different points of view catch my attention; 4. …………………………. .
Know my interests. You certainly don’t need to know I enjoy late-night walks on the beach. (…) But skim a few posts and you’ll know I like cycling, like books, know some professional athletes, (…)
So if you really want to attract attention, don’t use the tried-but-in-no-way-true “mention something the writer recently wrote about and how you really enjoyed it” approach. Instead put your effort into finding an angle that may appeal to my interests; 5. ……………………… .
Forget hoping for a profile piece. Straight profile pieces that tell the story of a business are boring. (At least I think so.) 6. ……………………….; I want to know what you know. If you started a company, share five things you learned about landing financing. If you developed a product, share four mistakes you made early on. If you entered a new market, share three strategies you used to steal market share from competitors.
(…) The best articles let others learn from your experience, your mistakes, and your knowledge. Always focus on benefitting readers—when you do, your company will get to bask in the reflected PR glow.
The more you feel you need to say, the less you really have to say. (…) I really don’t want to read a 1,000-word pitch with a comprehensive overview of the topic and every semi-relevant statistic. 7. …………………………………………………………………………….. .
In order to read the whole article/check your answers, go to: https://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/how-to-pitch-6-things-you-must-know.html
Key: 1C; 2F; 3A; 4D; 5B; 6E; 7G
Fill in the gaps with the words in bold below:
angle swoop abiding gloss over basking
1. She holds an ………… affection for her old school.
2. We had to do the scene over and over again, from different ……….. s.
3. She closed her eyes, ………….. in the sound of that single word.
4. The eagle …………ed down to snatch a rabbit.
5. This is a controversial point that many seem to want to ………….. .
Key: 1. abiding; 2. angles; 3. basking; 4. swooped; 5. gloss over
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