How make your pitches emotional

Who would have thought that whether you use exclamation points would be a subject of office chatter? Yet female managers “tread a thin line.” Too few exclamation points and they’re perceived as cold, and too many suggests they “lack gravitas.” 

The fact is that we all buy emotionally and justify rationally. No matter how logical your prospect seems, most humans buy with their hearts. Buyers–especially business owners–like to believe that purchases are based on logic, data, and necessity. Actually, purchasing decisions are one of the most emotionally-charged choices that humans make.

So, when it comes to pitching your product, you need to appeal to the heart, not the head (unless its the part that creates emotional neurotransmitter intermediaries). Here are some ways to do that:

1. Make it personal, just don't take it personally if you don't win the Shark Tank competition.
2. Tell a story. Here are some ways to do it wrong.
3. Every speech should be a call to action. The same is true for your pitch.
4. Tap in to the psychic needs of your audience, like fear, greed, ego, love, altruism, envy, FOMO (fear of missing out) and shame.
5. Use third party testimonials
6. It's the benefits, stupid
7. Address the emotional roadblocks to technology adoption and penetration
8. Use words that evoke four base chemicals we crave to experience: dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, and endorphins. Confused? Just think D-O-S-E: Dopamine, Oxytocin, Serotonin, and Endorphins.
9. Deliver your pitch with emotion
10. Make your audience laugh and cry

Here are some examples

You can probably do all this with 5 slides and one 30 second video in 8 minutes. If you don't see Kleenex on the floor, try again. Emotional stories help innovative ideas attract attention—and get funded.

Arlen Meyers, MD, MBA is the President and CEO of the Society of Physician Entrepreneurs