Tag Archives: pitchcoach

Federer vs Nadal, the ultimate pitch.

We, that’s some thirteen million of us in the UK, have just seen the greatest ever tennis final. That is the almost universal view of commentators. The two best (ever?) players in the world, playing unbelievable tennis, in the longest final ever, with unbearable tension, where only a couple of points separated winner from loser.

By any measure, an amazing contest but the outstanding skill alone does not explain the way it captivated the imagination of sport and non-sport fans alike.

What made this so special, so compelling was the spirit, the body language and the demeanour of both Nadal and Federer. There was no playing to the audience, no exaggerated macho arm pumping, no screamings of “come on!” no lengthy disputes over line calls and yet the intensity never let up.

Here were two people so utterly focussed on themselves, and on each other, that nothing outside was allowed to distract or enter their zones of pure, unadulterated concentration. Watching them, apparently oblivious to us spectators and viewers, compounded the drama.

In the final scene, barely minutes after the final point, each talked to camera. Grace in defeat and grace in victory have never been better expressed. Two remarkable winners.

Putting principles into practice.

It’s a truism I guess, but principles aren’t worth much if they are not put into practice. This is where the Best Practice Guides come into their own.

The latest guide is Staging and Content. In effect, it looks at practical ideas to address the principle that ‘it’s not what you say but the way you say it’ that matters in pitching.

Another fundamental principle is that the better you manage available time, resource and, most of all your energy, in the lead up and during the pitch itself, the greater your strike rate. The Perfect Pitch Process guide looks at ways of achieving this.

Decisions are rarely taken on rational grounds alone. ‘People buy people’. This principle so easily forgotten in the often feverish last minute attempt to improve content. The Rehearsal guides and Chemistry Lessons are intended to help make people, not content, the heroes and heroines!

The guides, copyright of parkerinc , are easily downloadable for reference at the appropriate stage in any pitch. If anyone has, or knows of, other guides that might be shared please let us know

1 Reply

Aliens. “Jaws in space”.

PITCHES AND TROUGHS. 100 BEST STORIES.

Recently, I was involved in an informal rehearsal with a team preparing to pitch a powerful concept to go into production. There was no doubt that it was a strong concept. However, in the course of the rehearsal it became clear that lack of a single minded and compelling expression of the idea would hinder the sell.

This experience reminded me of a great pitch story that I cannot personally verify ,but it is so good it has to be true!

This is the story of how the creators pitched the concept for the film Aliens to the studio bosses.

They said think of it as ” Jaws in space”.

if anyone knows of examples anywhere near as good, please tell…

London 2012. A triumph of emotion.

PITCHES AND TROUGHS. 100 BEST STORIES.

The battle to host the 2012 Olympics was the pitch of the decade. The general sense of euphoria then felt at London’s win is now somewhat muted as the pitched cost of £2 billion plus is now around £9 million and rising! Nevertheless, it was a brilliant pitch and one that has been written up by many, including an excellent chapter in Jon Steel’s book Perfect Pitch.

From a long list of nine, five candidate cities, New York, Moscow, Madrid , Paris and London, invested many millions developing their technical submissions (the exaggerated equivalent of the pitch document). All five were approved by the scrutineers. Paris was assumed to be ahead at this stage but in reality any one of the five could have won in the live pitch in Singapore. This is where the right to be a “Best 100″ story starts.

How did London win the hearts of the 110 members of the IOC, voting anonomously, average age late sixties?

Shortly after the announcement, I asked Alan Pascoe, a deputy chairman of the Bid team, what was the single factor that, in his opinion, lead to success? His immediate reply ,” we kept on and on asking ourselves the question, from the individual IOC members viewpoint,-What’s in it for me?”

The answer was not about the delivery of a successful Games. It was all about the benefit of the Olympics in terms of its legacy, particularly among the young. It was this insight that determined the winning strategy in a pitch which demonstated that London , and the people running the bid, understood the IOC best.

Many elements during the pitch reinforced this insight. However, the most astonishing dramatisation of the strategy came in the video. The four other cities, using world famous directors, showcased their cities and stadia in all their glory. As you would expect.

The London film did not show the city at all. What it did show was heart rending footage of young children, in different parts of the world, nervously competing and ‘dreaming’ of taking part in the Olympics in London . The final words over ” To make an athlete takes millions of children around the world inspired to choose sport”.

A few months ago at a dinner I asked Seb Coe to sum up the success. His response ” it was all down to the emotional connection”

3 Replies

Pit(ch)fall 6. Playing second fiddle to the charts.

I am not alone in saying beware of ‘death by powerpoint’. It is the seemingly inevitable first port of call for most presentations. It is inexpensive, efficient, easy to create, can be the basis of a leave-behind and, properly used, can aid communication.

For these reasons you find that at rehearsal, assuming one takes place, (mandatory says pitchcoach!) people automatically turn up, powerpoint poised. It’s only at the rehearsal, and not always then, that discussion takes place on what would be the best form of communication to create impact. And, surprise, powerpoint is not always the answer.

Two stories illustrate this. Some years ago, with a high quality powerpoint presentation, I delivered a platform speech at a conference. It seemed to go ok but it was blown away by the next speaker, a famous academic and skilled lecturer. He used a single scruffy acetate on an overhead projector ( remember them?) and mesmerised the audience. It was the way he said it! I felt foolish and lost the powerpoint habit.

Recently, I was involved in a pitch workshop. One excercise called for six teams to take the brief, with 60 minutes to prepare and then deliver a ten minute pitch, using flipcharts or powerpoint. To add challenge, ‘rules’ altered at last second. One team only was told they could not use any of their prepared visuals. It was this team that scored highest on the “communicated best” measure. They had no charts to ‘vampire ‘ them, and talked directly to their audience.

People buy people, not their charts.