5 Ways to Rock a Pitch Meeting

Pitch  meetings can be really intimidating. But they don’t have to be scary – especially if you’re prepared. Follow these pitch meeting tips and you’ll be signing contracts in no time!

Believe in yourself.

You can’t “sell” someone on an idea if you don’t believe in it yourself. If someone sees your enthusiasm and that you truly stand behind your ideas, they’re more likely to believe you and buy what you’re selling.

Dress appropriately.

You should always bring appropriate clothing. Do your research ahead of time so you know what kind of style the potential client would consider appropriate. Do they dress in business attire, business-casual, or do they wear athletic clothing to the office? Find out what their office culture is and mimic this style. Know whether to wear a suit and tie, a suit without a tie, a sport coat, polo shirt with casual pants, etc. If you are pitching to a financial services company, you may want to err on the side of formal. If you’re going to meet with a surf wear clothing company, you might want to sport your best aloha shirt, linen pants, and sandals.

Stay connected.

One of the simplest  yet most crucial pitch meeting tips is to bring a laptop and tablet with internet connection. Make sure that your mobile phone can serve as a hotspot in case of a wi-fi error or if internet access is otherwise unavailable.

Bring business cards.

Make sure to grab a stack of your business cards. This may sound like it is a no-brainer, but in the chaos of preparing materials, printing documents, and prepping with your team, it can be easy to forget to include a few of your business cards in your wallet.

Work as a team.

Always bring great ideas! The best way to rock a pitch meeting is to tag-team with a colleague, so when one person is speaking, the other can focus on reading the room, picking up on cues that you may not be noticing while presenting. While formal presentations can be helpful, showcasing your great ideas is done best through generating an energizing conversation and listening to the potential client’s feedback.

What are some of your pitch meeting tips?