Why Conservatives won the conferences pitch.

The recent party conferences are the last before the election. As such, they are the closest we get to a ‘formal’ pitch for the (our) business and it is interesting to see how good practice contributed to their success!

1. Understanding the key decision criteria.

Decisions tend not to relate to lots of policy content, but to the answers to more emotive issues, well expressed by Polly Toynbee. “..What kind of people are you and do I like your leader? Do you lift the spirit with hope for a better world? What’ s the difference between you”?

2. Teamwork.

Labour came across as a loose knit group of individuals with differences less well concealed. The Conservatives, as anticipated, had a dodgy Boris moment but placing him at the start of proceedings lessened its impact. The serried ranks seated behind Cameron, whilst somewhat reminiscent of a Red Square parade, reinforced sense of team.

3. Individual performances.

For Labour only Mandelson stood out. (post dated Sept 30th). Boris was charismatic and entertaining, but it was the newly mature, restrained and ‘sober, honest, unflambuoyant’ performances of Osborne and Cameron which made the telling impact. Brown was same old.

4. Core theme.

Labour didn’t have one, the Conservatives did. “Brown launched a battering ram of policies, so many that his arguments were obscured. In contrast Cameron’s case was clear…” (Independent) Most commentators reflected his core message, ” there is such a thing as society but it’s not the same as the state”.

5. Leadership.

This in the newly friendly Sun, ” The Tory leader’s body language sent out a clear message: ‘I mean business’. Smiles were rare and he used few hand gestures. He was relaxed throughout and made good eye contact. His body language supported the serious tone, saying, ‘ I have grown as a leader’. It helped him come across more effectively than Mr Brown did”.

6. Use of visual aids!

Both parties exploited the wives. Personally, I preferred Mrs Brown’s unabashed flaunting of topend design to the demure M&S numbers of Mrs Cameron (whose own bags retail for around £950). Quentin Letts on Cameron, “I suppose this was a manipulation of the wife every bit as blatant as Gordon Brown wheeling out Sarah…”

A final thought. It is never much fun pitching as the incumbent. The decision is, probably, going against you. To combat this it is no good defending the past. You must promise a better future. You will have to pitch more powerfully than the opponents. You will need to introduce new blood into the team and its leadership!!

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How Osborne pitched to be taken seriously.

Leading into the Conservative conference, George Osborne had an image problem. He was seen as the ‘weakest link’, dismissed as ‘a boy doing a man’s job’. He is not yet to Cameron what Brown was to Blair.

So, for him, not only was it vital that he delivered the courageous realism that his party policy called for. It was even more important that his performance, on this very public platform and this last Conference before the election, transformed perception of him. After all, it was a single platform speech in Blackpool three years ago, that did it for Cameron.

The consensus is that he succeeded. ..”an indisputable step forward in his development as a political figure”. What worked for him?

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The content, of course. “Mr Serious gains credibility with painful message” and, ” His honesty in the face of the facts means that he grew in stature”. All this was reinforced by his repeated mantra, “We are all in this together”!

So, the words were strong, very strong, and he may well have written most of them himself for the autocue!

For me though, what gave him new stature was his delivery. Not simply the strong, serious, sober tone most have commented on. This undoubtedly helped the new maturity.

Not commented on but, to my eyes, the most powerful element, was his non-body language. His stillness, his lack of flambouyant gesture, his resistance to milking applause all signalled the confidence of someone who knows he has arrived.

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How Rio ‘lived their passion’ to win.

So Rio won it and blew the other cities, particularly Chicago away. How did they do it ?

First obstacle was the technical evaluation which let them down four years ago. This time, and with acknowleged advice of Mike Lee of the London bid, they learnt from experience and arrived at Copenhagen as favourites. This was the position of Paris four years ago.

Unlike Paris, they, like London, pitched ‘heart and soul’, brilliantly. They were best on the day, a day when political manoevering takes a back seat since the IOC members vote anonymously. Based on reports from Copenhagen, these are some of the things Rio did best.

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They cemented the personal relationships. In the few days preceding the final, IOC allow direct solicitation of members. It looks as if President Lula, who had been deeply and personally involved for years, was known by each and every one of them! (Four years ago Blair’s big contribution was meeting separately some 40 members).

Obama’s fleeting visit may have impressed but it would not have wooed .

In his presentation Lula employed the ‘killer visual’! A map of the world highlighting host cities showed how his continent had been ignored. (30 in Europe, 12 in North America and 5 in Asia). There were some ‘killer’ words too. “It is time to redress the balance. It will serve to inspire the 180 million young people on this continent…. You will see for yourselves the passion, energy and creativity of the Brazilian people”.

After the London bid Seb Coe said to me that their historic win was down to them making an “emotional connection”. That is what did it for Rio. As Jacques Rogges said about their emotional approach and pitch film, ” Live your passion struck a chord with my fellow members”

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“Mandy’s command performance”.

Whilst it is unlikely, certainly if the Sun has anything to do with it, that the day will be saved for Labour, his Conference performance on Tuesday was an object lesson to all who pitch.

Not surprising was some very clever content. Labour needed to fight and think “like insurgents, not incumbents”.

Also, not surprising but telling, was his use of personal anecdote. “I did not choose this party. I was born into it. It is in my blood and in my bones”. And most quoted, “If I can come back, we can come back!”(thunderous applause to this)

Not surprising either was the time spent on rehearsal. “I don’t know how many mirrors Peter Mandelson broke practising his speech but it was worth it”. (Times). “They listened to his rehearsed mea culpa…”( DMail).

What was surprising, particularly for one not known as an orator, was his theatricality. Unafraid, he went for the emotional jugular. With dramatic gesture, facial expression, oddly varied tone, but very much in command. It was pure performance!

“Mandy the magician stole the show”. “Everyone, absolutely everyone, was spell bound…we were all riding an emotional rollercoaster”. “He was bold, he was big, he was bravura”. “It was pure Vegas showman…it lifted morale, entranced and enflamed”.

As Quentin Letts wrote about this ‘piratical’ performance from the podium, ” What was striking yesterday was the theatricality of his oratory. And yet, on the day it worked. The delegates gorged themselves. At last they had heard something surprising, something confident”.

An earlier post on, June 16th, was headed ‘Mandelson. A Lesson in Confidence’. It concluded, “love him or hate him but learn from him. Know your brief and ‘ooze’ confidence. And this you can achieve through rehearsal, lots of it”.

A special pitchcoach award to Mandy!

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Pitch winning:E for ENERGY

For energy, you can read all the e words – enthusiasm, emotion, exuberance, excitement and enjoyment. Teams who exude energy are more successful than those who don’t. Simple as. They are more attractive to potential clients, who are only human after all, and who will be seduced by an engaging (another e word) smile or upbeat personalities like the rest of us.

The energy teams win more often.

Paul Arden in his ‘world’s best selling book’, “It’s not how good you are, it’s how good you want to be”, wrote “energy is 75% of the job. If you haven’t got it, be nice”.

When it comes to pitching, even the sleepiest of teams will be energized by the spirit of competition and the adrenalin in the room, so generating more energy, winning energy, should be the challenge. Not as most teams believe, the charts, content et al. The issue is one of harnessing and managing it.

The notion of ‘energy’ is more than the sensible project timing plan that most will put in place for any pitch. Don’t just think time, think energy. Here are a couple of practical energy amplifying ideas.

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First, the concept of ‘morning energy’. Most of us are fresher and have more energy at the start of the day so early morning time will produce better thinking, faster. Particularly is this true in the team context. As the day wears on, client issues distract! Give the pitch preparation morning priority.

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Second, avoid the ‘macho’ energy trap, the one that says you have never failed to deliver on time because everyone worked till midnight the day before the pitch. People put off rehearsals till the last minute, when they are too tired to care, and it shows the next day.

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Don’t waste energy. Do the worst thing, first thing. Start with a ruthless timing plan which keeps the energy up every day and, most important, in each rehearsal meeting. When the team are each given their responsibilities, make them think Carpe Diem.

Make the content watertight, which is the rational part of the presentation, but remember the winning ingredient will be emotional. Does the client want, need and love you. This will only come with the E word.

(This bit of energy now also on www.gorkanapr.com)

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