Pitch Anything: An Innovative Method for Presenting, Persuading, and Winning the Deal Hardcover – January 26, 2011

Pitching is highly valued today. It is an ‘art form’ requiring knowledge of human nature, how the brain receives information, communication skills, courage and a lot of practice.Pitching is essential to leadership in all aspects of life – motivating others to act, gaining traction for an idea, raising capital, landing the job or promotion you seek, raising children, and reaching consensus on key issues with your spouse.Pitching for me is integral to my work which is creating new companies in health care. Primary tasks include developing a core value proposition, creating a team – executive team, board of directors, advisors – and raising capital. I know the value of effective pitching firsthand and have had many great teachers – Charan, Gallo, Duarte, Weissman – who have helped me shape my pitching style. I can now add Oren Klaff and his “Pitch Anything” to the list. Klaff who is the Director of Capital Markets at Intersection Capital has written a gem of a book on pitching.“Pitch Anything” from my point of view is a must-have for novices and those seeking to improve their “pitching method.” Its’ subtitle, “An Innovative Method for Presenting, Persuading, and Winning the Deal,” describes perfectly what you will gain from this book.I have learned in my work with start-ups that many entrepreneurs and inventors build their pitch around what they want their audience to know, rather than what the audience needs to make a decision. There is a big disconnect between the way the pitch is given and the way it is received by the “target”. Entrepreneurs and inventors have incredible knowledge about their subject and make the most important points clearly, but despite being well organized and passionate, their pitch is not convincing and they lose an opportunity. First impressions are lasting.The book begins with an overview of Klaff’s preferred and proven six-step method for pitching, STRONG.1. Set the frame2. Tell the story3. Reveal the intrigue4. Offer the prize5. Nail the hook point6. Get the dealHe has used this six step method to raise tens of millions of dollars for his clients.He continues with two excellent chapters on the importance of frame control (who owns the frame/power) and of status. Understanding and managing these contextual issues will influence the receptivity of your audience.' Frame control - Everyone brings a frame to his or her social encounters. Only one frame will dominate and it will crowd out the weaker frame. This happens below the surface in every business meeting, every sales call and in every person-to person business communication. If your frame wins, you will enjoy frame control.' Status - How others view you is critical to your ability to establish the dominant frame, and then to hold onto power you gained after taking control. Status is not earned by being polite. It is not earned through small talk. Neither according to Klaff will serve you well as they only reduce your status. Klaff shows how to create situational status so you can positively alter the way people think about you.Klaff then outlines a good pitch and uses a case study to underscore each of the keys to success. Several key takeaways include:• Let the audience know how much time you will take to put the “target” at ease. Why? They do not know how long they are going to be stuck listening to a stranger. This will help in keeping their attention.• Introduce your idea in one minute without details. The idea introduction pattern – “for _____(target customers who are dissatisfied with the current offerings in the market)…my _____is a _______(new idea or product category) that provides _______(key problem/solution features). Unlike _______(the competing product), my idea/product is ______(describe key features).” Then let them in on the “secret sauce” and the budget.• Make sure they know that the most important deliverable is you.• Use frame-stacking and hot cognitions (a whole chapter is dedicated to this) to lead them to a positive decision. Most major decisions are not made by cold cognitive processes such as evaluation analysis, but instead by hot cognition. Data is generally used to justify decisions only after the fact.This is only a snapshot of what Klatch describes. You will find much more detail with ‘how to” guides that are extremely helpful in crafting and delivering a successful pitch.Another key subject area that is covered in the book is ‘neediness’. Pitching or selling does not come without rejection no matter how skilled you are in the art form. The disturbing thing about rejection is that you really never get used to it. It’s natural and unavoidable to become disappointed when you get a “no”. You are human. If you let it, though, it will lead to validation-seeking behavior which is the number one deal killer.Klaff provides several key sources of neediness that come from within. We fall into validation-seeking behaviors when:1. We want something that only the target can give us2. We need cooperation from the target and can’t get it3. We firmly believe that the target can make us feel good by accepting our pitch4. The target seems uninterested in our pitch, begins to withdraw, or shift his or her attention to something else.The formula for thwarting this deal-killing behavior follows the rules of Tao:1. I want nothing – eliminate your desires2. Focus only on the things you do well – be excellent in the presence of others3. Announce your intention to leave the social encounter – withdraw at crucial moment when they are expecting you to come after them.Success here will make them come after you.Those who pitch MUST consider that the brain has limited focus and capacity. For most, 90% of the message will be discarded. “Pitch Anything” provides a guide to pitching so you can get and keep the attention needed to own the room, drive emotions, and “hook ‘em” to the conclusion you seek.

I read this book in one day. Couldn't put it down. It is engaging, fun to read and practical. I found it viscerally satisfying and fulfilling.If you've been involved in copywriting, advertising, or selling, you're already familiar with the adage "first aim for the heart, then go for the mind" or "people buy for emotional reasons and then justify their purchase rationally". The interesting information bits that Oren shares from neuroscience about how the brain processes incoming information fit like beautiful pieces of a puzzle.Oren begins by pointing out how when we prepare pitches we are creating them in neocortex, whereas the listener is first processing the message through his reptilian or, as the Oren calls it, croc brain. While neocortex processes complex information and is involved in problem solving, the croc brain deals with the basics of survival. It just wants to know whether what we are facing is good for us, or a threat to us - should we eat it or mate with it.Oren then delves into frames. A frame is a perspective from which you look at the situation. As you change the way you look at something, different solutions become possible and when you communicate with others, different frames enable you to engage people in different ways, from different positions. Oren explores power frames, time frames, analysis frames, intrigue frames, and morality frames. You learn how to play with frames - how to create or bust them, how to deframe and reframe them, and how to collide and stack them. The more skilled you become with flipping frames, the better you are able to create conditions that are conducive to obtaining your desired outcomes. Near the end of the book, Oren gives suggestions for practicing frame games so that you can become a frame master.After you've set the stage with frames, Oren shares ideas on controlling different elements of the pitch - how to create and maintain the attention of your listeners, how to elicit just the right balance between desire and tension to hold one's attention; how to change your situational status, and how to construct your pitch - from the point of introducing yourself and the big idea, explaining the budget and the secret sauce, offering the deal, and then stacking frames for hot cognition. He points out what to do to make it all easier on yourself and to get faster results.Throughout the book, Oren illustrates the points he is making with many instructive and entertaining stories.Oren uses the acronym STRONG to sum up his formula: setting the frame; telling the story; revealing the intrigue, offering the prize, getting a decision. As he guides you through each stages, he points out the most likely places where you may stumble or trip yourself, and tells you what to do to recover, so that you can create the perfect pitch.