PITCH PLEASE!

Before you scroll up again to confirm the heading just know there's no spelling error and it's about business.

Life is a continuous pitch. Just picture this, when we were students in school you would put efforts towards convincing your parents or guardians on why you need a particular amount of pocket at times even going to the extent of presenting budget estimates. Well that's pitching. As adulting approaches, you try convincing the parents of your better-half why you have what it takes. When it comes to political campaigns, you find candidates pitching to the masses on why the fit the bill for particular leadership positions. For business owners and entrepreneurs, every day is a pitch when you convince your prospects on believing in the value that you'll deliver. You see! Pitching is a sport that cuts across our life experiences.

Business pitching is an art that is fine tuned through practice, making mistakes and training. We can't say there's a one-size fits-all go-to guide on pitching because business is a diversity of many sectors which have their unique pitching approaches. There's no need of treating pitching as an extreme sport or teeth pulling exercise. It's crucial to know that there's no perfect pitch but there are excellent ones.

Here are some pointers to consider in your pitching journey;

• Purpose - Determine the objectives and goals of your pitch. This brings purpose to your pitch. A pitch can be used to seek capital financing for business startup or expansion and also for client sourcing. Figure out the 'why' for your pitch. This gives you direction.
• Value Preposition - Identify the value that your product or service delivers. Don't focus too much on the features but the benefits. What problem are you solving and what value are you giving?
• Outlook - Pitches can either be in the form of a slide presentation or video format. Be clear on which format you prefer based on your presentation capabilities and skills.
• Content - Keep your pitch simple and short devoid of confusing technical jargon. Your audience needs to get hooked on your value preposition and not confused trying to search terminologies online.
• Internalization - You need to understand the content of your pitch and the flow. This avoids unnecessary confusion during the presentation stage which affects credibility. There are instances where pitch design is outsourced but the owner has no idea how it is flowing as well as the content. Internalization helps you mentally and visually own the pitch.

Mastering the art of pitching is a process that cannot be solved by a single event. The art gets better with time, effort and adopting a learning mindset. The pitching journey gives you valuable lessons on handling feedback, rejection and praise. Find a way of detaching yourself from the outcomes as you keep pressing on with your value proposition journey.

I have acquired over a decade experience in helping entrepreneurs and organizations set up their pitch decks as well as product and service delivery pitch proposals. I understand the importance of pitching value over features. Welcome and let's engage on how we can set up your pitch.

Charles Muthui is a business development wingman and founding partner at Adept Advisory - Africa