Why ditching bad habits needn't be mission impossible

We are creatures of habit. And not all of these are in our best interests. Consider jaywalking, and Tom Cruise movies. But with knowledge, determination and support, almost any bad habit is kickable. (It’s just a pity we can’t unsee some things: Days of Thunder, Far and Away, Eyes Wide Shut, any running scene...)

Here are a few bad habits we identified at a series of pitch training workshops last year. If you recognise any, your mission this year, should you choose to accept it, is to destroy them before they destroy you.

1. I'll just use what I used for…

Preparing for a pitch is hard work. It’s tempting to grab one you prepared earlier, replace a few words and hey presto, you’re ready to go. 

Not only is this approach short-sighted and lazy; it might mask a bigger problem:

Your head’s not yet in the game!

Surely your next big idea, new client, or career-defining job opportunity warrants more than a tired retread? Where is the 18” low profile sex-machine alloy mag wheel with spinning hub cap? The glam and playful stilettos with the signature red soles?

Always start with your structure and consider the desired outcome you are after. Chances are you will see the need for some original thinking and problem solving. Then you are on your way.

Feel free then to draw on previous work, but only once you know where it fits.

2. I’ll wing it. They are too busy to answer my questions…

For some reason, too many of us think other people’s time is more important than our own. We are reluctant to call them before a pitch and ask what they, or others in the meeting, are wanting from us on the day.

Sure, that might mean weathering some uncomfortable moments talking to people you don’t yet know or who might occupy intimidating leadership positions, but that’s no reason for self-sabotaging paralysis. Consider the upsides:

a) The worst they can do is refuse, and then it’s on them. At least you have made the effort and acted professionally.

b) If they do say yes (and in my experience they often do — subject matter experts love talking about their subject matter), you will know what they need from you. You will also have built some rapport that might give you a more receptive audience on the day.

Great start, Maverick!

 3. I’ll get to it tomorrow.

Procrastination is the inexperienced pitcher’s ugly enemy. It robs them of time and opportunity and sets them up to fail. And it is totally avoidable.

If you sense yourself procrastinating, do two things:

1. Prioritise.

Consider how important this pitch is to you.

Where does it rank amongst the other tasks you have coming up? Then allocate the time you are prepared to spend on it. Sometimes, all you need is a little clarity.

2. Diarise.

Now that you know the time you are willing to allocate, diarise your preparation into the meaningful chunks you need to complete the task.

Then, using your structure to keep you on track, establish the key point you want to make and work through the evidence you need to prove your point. Use what time you have left to be as creative with your delivery as you want, and then rehearse.

 4. This is how I’ve always done it.

A Pitch Camp hero, the American thinker and doer W. Edwards Deming, argued that every organisation and system is perfectly designed to get precisely the results it is getting. I bet he would have said the same about pitchers.

If you were happy with the results you or your team members are getting, you wouldn’t be reading this blog, so you are most probably looking for a better way. If you sense a weakness in your offering, or a weak link in your team, nothing will change until you (or they) do. Ask yourself these questions:

• Am I/we using a good structure?

• Do we each know our stuff and what’s expected of us on the day?

• Are we all on the same team? With the same aspirations and purpose?

• Can we collaborate for a compelling outcome?

If the answer to any of these is no, there’s room for improvement. Our Freebies resources can help.

Pitching your ideas doesn’t have to be risky business, but it does require leaving your self-sabotaging bad habits behind. Good luck! I’m off to the movies…

If you have some more bad habits to share, or questions about some you are having trouble kicking, please email me. I’d love to hear from you.

Happy pitching!