How can you make your pitch emotional?

Knowing your audience's pain points is essential for any speaker. There are many ways to do this. You can start by asking them! But the funny thing, many of our clients may not give you a complete answer so some additional research is in order. Check out their industry blogs, associations, partners, and competitors. Ask CHATGPT to provide you with a list of pain points and then ask it to elaborate. Doing all this will help you craft the best presentation your audience will relate to.

Not understanding your prospect pain points but pitching your deal anyway is like a doctor prescribing medicine without knowing what is making you sick.

Nothing connects faster than a story and music. Both genres access the emotions. Once you know the pain points, build a story that speaks to that experience. Neuroscience demonstrates that when an audience hears a story, their brains sync with the brain of the speaker. But the delivery is as important as the story. A master storyteller uses strategic pauses and vocal variety. They've mastered the timing and length of the pause. In order to feel an emotion, there needs to be time for it to get in.

Creating an emotional connection with an audience always starts with empathizing with the audience's pain points. It is important to understand their emotional experience. An in-depth research and analysis of your customers is always an essential element in a pitch process that cannot be ignored. Gather as much information as you can to better understand their pain points to showcase the impact of their problems.

Great point here: so often people make the mistake of sharing why they care about something. But the truth is while we might interested about why you care, we won't be motivated by it. We're only truly motivated by the things we care about. Your job is to figure that out and talk about those reasons.

Alignment is like getting on the prospects side of the table, and collaborating on a solution. It conveys that it's about the solution, not the sale.

The best, most consistent, and most powerful way to engage emotion is through story. Imagine is an okay 2nd, but it really is 2nd. Instead of imagining, take your audience to that same place through actual story and your impact will soar.

Authentic use of the right emotional words is essential. Be sure you are reading the other person right or it may not resonate. I like to describe a mental image of what it could be like if the prospect makes the change.

Among my favorite words to stir emotions: --what if --picture this --put yourself in this situation --consider this --what's really unique about you?

I agree on the usage of the emotional words and phrases and it should also show from your body language, facial expressions, vocal variations as well. Thw way you'll express a happy moment is going to be very different from how you express a sad or fearful moment.

I agree; using this type of language makes your product/solution/story more memorable. In my experience, it really is a slam dunk if you can get all senses working throughout the presentation. Usually starting with "feel/touch" then moving along into "see/visualize", "hear", "taste", and "smell". Taste and smell are interchangeable in the order for me - they are also the hardest to get the audience to imagine so if you are able to land that, you will be one of the most memorable pitches to them.

I agree; presentations are a way to tell stories. Of course, logic is important, but we all know that what sells best is people buying because we triggered some emotion or need. Even if your presentation isn't about selling a product or a service, you are always selling something - an idea, a dream, yourself...and you want the other side to buy into them. The best way is to trigger those emotions using every sense possible, but smartly, not all at once. You want a buildup, and once they are at the peak of their emotions, all they need is a little nudge, and they are yours for any Call-to-Action (CTA) you decide.

Your Passion and enthusiasm are crucial in any presentation. But as with anything, it's important to be balanced and avoid doing it. The principles of Logos, Ethos, and Pathos will provide you with some guidance. Logos: It’s about logic, so make sure your pitch is structured well and has relevant content for your audience Ethos: It’s about establishing yourself as a Subject Matter Expert (SME) in the eyes of your audience. Use stories to share what you’ve done and how you helped others. Pathos: This is about emotionally connecting with your audience. Make them feel important, valued, and liked. Pathos is powerful and requires you to access and leverage your emotions.

Share personal experience stories that authentically explain the “why”. There is no better way to connect with your audience.

Tread carefully here. Sometimes an explicit clear CTA is the right thing, but sometimes it just comes across as salesy and you have just ruined a great presentation. Consider other options: Sometimes an ITJ (invitation to join) is better, sometimes offering possibilities of what someone could do, and sometimes just leaving it unsaid and trusting the power of your presentation and the impact you had on the audience is the best path. PS--As example, If I finished what I wrote here with a CTA to follow me on linkedin how would that change how you felt about my contribution?

Be human! If you want people to connect with you, you need to show them parts they can relate to. Be authentic, be approachable and show them you care about them. That this is more than a marketing or sales game you are playing, but that it actually matters to you.