Top ten tips for a winning pitch 1. ?Hook? your audience Make your audience want to listen by giving a strong hook at the beginning. Active listening is hard work and without this motivation to listen your audience will switch on and off randomly. Some examples include an opportunity e.g. to make money or grow their business, fear factor e.g. the consequences of not taking action. Others include a killer fact or engaging rhetorical question. See Presenting To Win's top ten attention grabbers. 2. Show enthusiasm for winning the business Showing that you are keen to win the business is viewed positively so tell your audience you are very excited about the prospect of working with them. It is often the case that when there is very little to differentiate presenting teams that the audience select the team who ?really wanted the business?. 3. Give relevant information only In terms of content the biggest mistake presenters make is ?information dump?. Successful presenters are selective about the facts and information they present sticking to the most important and relevant for their audience. 4. Use the ?You? factor It is important that you make your content relevant. Therefore, the term ?You? should be used throughout. This way you can state benefits very clearly and demonstrate that you understand the audience's issues and problems. 5. Give examples for credibility There is no point telling your audience you are innovative or experienced unless you can prove it. So, use relevant examples to back up your case. 6. Be clear about your USP's Your USP's are your unique selling points i.e. areas where you add value over and above your competitors. It is important that your audience know how you stack up against the competition but avoid naming your competitors in your pitch. 7. Use rhetorical questions to engage Rhetorical questions are very powerful as they make your audience think about your proposition. They can also be used to emphasise your USP's e.g. ?Given the ratings of our analysts, who else could put over a more credible story to the investment community?? 8. Deliver enthusiastically Make sure your body language is open and use your hands to make gestures supporting your content. Vary the pace and pitch of your voice and scan everyone in the audience. 9. Put strap lines on visuals These are key messages along the foot of your visuals. You should have three key strap lines, which are your three key messages, i.e. your three strongest reasons for being appointed. That way your audience take in the messages using two senses instead of one. 10. Anticipate questions and prepare answers Many business pitches fail in the question and answer session, especially when a team is pitching. Therefore, it is vital that you anticipate questions and prepare the answers, deciding who will answer each question.
YOUR BIKE
It sounds obvious, but you'd be surprised how many people set off on a long tour without making sure that their bike is in the best possible condition it could be. Having your motorcycle serviced before a long tour could save days of heartache, especially if you are planning a trip abroad. In some countries,garages aren't always as motivated as you are, when it comes to getting your bike back on the road. Sometimes, the whole holiday can be taken up waiting for repairs. Don't forget to carry spare bulbs.
YOUR CLOTHING
Make sure you have the right clothing. Even in summer months there is a possibility that mountain roads can be subject to inclement weather. It could be forty degrees or it could be less than ten, and it's a guessing game that you would be wise to avoid. This is when a guided tour with a luggage-carrying back-up vehicle comes into its own. Another advantage of a back-up vehicle is the access to water if it does become very hot.
DON'T BITE OFF MORE THAN YOU CAN CHEW
Don't try and cover too much ground in one day. Many people who set out on their own, forget to allow time for refreshment stops. There's nothing worse than arriving at your planned destination in a state of exhaustion, then quickly eating and climbing into bed. A few consecutive days of this will see you wanting to ditch your bike and catch a bus. Be reasonable with your itinerary.
RIDE WITHIN THE LAW
Is it a race or a motorcycle holiday? Another downer that could happen whilst on tour, is being pulled by the local police and hit with a huge speeding fine, and in some countries I mean huge. Always, but always respect the traffic laws and speed limits, and this applies if you're touring in your own country too.
PLAN YOUR ROUTE SENSIBLY
When planning your route, make sure you go somewhere interesting. It's all very well spending the day on fantastic country roads, but when you wash up in that one horse town and you're sitting in a bar all by yourselves, you'll wish you'd put a little more thought into the route. Again, if are travelling with a guided tour, someone else will have done all the homework for you.
WHEN ARE YOU GOING?
What time of year are you planning to take the tour? Bear in mind, especially if you are travelling to a mountainous region, that even when the sun is shining on the coast, it can snowing in the mountains. In summer, you're probably going to be fine if you remember to carry the right gear, but be careful in spring and autumn, or you may just have to pack a snow shovel.
DRINKING?
I know that you've been set free and are determined to enjoy yourself, but believe me (here speaks the voice of experience), it's no fun crawling to your bike with a raging hangover, a mouth that feels like a monkey slept in there and a splitting headache. For your own sake and the sake of the people you are travelling with, go easy on the booze.
HOW ARE YOU?
We've talked about the condition of your bike, but what about you? You owe it to yourself to feel as well as you can during your tour. I'm not talking about launching into some kind of marathon training before you embark on your trip, but the better you feel, the more you'll enjoy yourself, so if it means shedding a few pounds, it's well worth it. Besides looking after yourself, it's also a good idea to keep an eye on your travelling companions during the tour. It's always worth asking how someone feels, especially if you know them well and feel they're not quite on the ball.
DON'T FORGET YOUR CAMERA
You're in an incredibly beautiful mountain pass, the high peaks have a coating of pure white snow punctured by the most graceful pines you've ever seen, and guess what; you forgot you camera. This scenario is not as uncommon as you might think. Before you set off, and I don't mean in the hour leading up to departure, make a list of all the things you're likely to need on your trip. I know you want to travel light, but you can always cross things off the list, but you can't magic them out of thin air once you've started.
FRIENDS
This could be the most important one. Go with friends who'll understand when you get lost, tired or irritable. Better still go with a specialised tour company.
Both Jennifer Mckay & Alan Liptrot are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Jennifer Mckay has sinced written about articles on various topics from Small Business, Management and Forex Guide. Find out more about how to and. Jennifer Mckay's top article generates over 2400 views. to your Favourites.
Alan Liptrot has sinced written about articles on various topics from Travel and Leisure, Real Estate and Recreation and Sports. Alan Liptrot is the founder of The Company offers guided. Alan Liptrot's top article generates over 6120000 views. to your Favourites.