When Dom Périgno invented champagne he shouted to his fellow monks ‘Come quick, I’m tasting stars!’. What an irresistible pitch. No matter what you do, a core life and business skill is your ability to pitch an idea.
So here are my top tips for a power pitch:
- Pointy: You should be able to pitch your idea in 30 seconds or less. If you can do this, you have it nailed. Set the timer on your phone and speak for 30 seconds. You can then prepare a 2 minute version, a 5 minute, 20 minute and even a 40 minute version. The 30 second one will be the hardest to do.
- Passion: Let your passion show. Nothing like a pitch where the pitcher doesn’t seem convinced or passionate about the idea. Most venture capitalists who fund start up companies say they buy the founder as much as the idea and a passionate founder will win every time.
- People first: Make it about people. Most pitches that make their central idea about technology, can fail to engage the audience. The 30 second pitch for AirBnB which lets you rent other people’s homes simply says ‘travel like a human’.
For pitch inspiration check out www.pitchenvy.com and their own 30 second pitch is Showcasing the best start up pitch decks. Nailed!
I would love to hear your favourite pitch ideas, please share.

Power Play
Great leaders are mega influencers, but could their tools of influence be out of date? To influence today, you need more than just the traditional approaches of yell and tell (coercion) and sell (persuasion). With this book, learn new and commercially savvy alternatives that will help you deliver outstanding results in the modern workplace. Influencing others isn’t magic – it’s a skill that you can make work for you.
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