How to pitch in the big leagues (of business)

Pitch drafting is something that I went into thinking I knew a lot about, but I was certainly proved wrong. A proposal is supposed to prove your competency to your client or audience, which means that you need to go above and beyond. That idea was not really on my radar because I figured expectations were a little more relaxed, but my groupmates assured me that this needed to remain professional. I found 5 different things that were important to have in any presentation, to build client and audience confidence.

NUMBER ONE: ESTABLISH CREDIBILITY

Establishing credibility starts with telling your client who you are. That could be demographics like age or where you’re from. Then you want to talk about your strengths, particularly skills relevant to the task at hand. If you can, spin your identity and what you bring to the table into a little miniature story to give your audience a way to connect and resonate with you.

NUMBER TWO: OUTLINE YOUR OVERARCHING GOAL

Outlining your overarching goal is the simplest of the four steps. Think of it like a mission statement for your proposal. For my original project with John Lewis , that was to tell John’s story and highlight his mission to bring Texas Barbecue to the South. For my group project with Triune Mercy Center, that was to bring awareness to the Triune Mercy Center with younger generations. Don’t overthink it, keep it simple.

NUMBER THREE: OUTLINE YOUR DELIVERABLES

This is the real meat and potatoes of your proposal. This is where you say what you’re going to make for your client. Each deliverable should be thoroughly explained. Some key things to touch on for video deliverables is length, orientation of the camera, and what is going to be in the video. Also for video, always remember to mention who you’ll have on camera, whether in A-Roll or B-Roll. For me, that’s going to be John, (see right), but  for you, it could be anyone. For audio deliverables, just like video, don’t forget to include your expected duration and content.

For still deliverables, like a photo essay, be sure to cover the content of your deliverable in as much detail as possible. While photo essay can be candid and spur of the moment, as much specificity as possible regarding your vision will put your client at ease. If there are any varieties of deliverables I have not covered, I can personally guarantee that at least a handful of my suggestions will still ring true for your proposal.

NUMBER FOUR: ESTABLISH YOUR DEADLINES

Now establishing your deadlines may seem cut and dry but trust me it is not. This is where you’re telling your client when your deliverables are getting “delivered.” This really is not as simple as “x date your client will have the finished copy in hand.” Making these deliverables is a multi-draft process, where your client is involved every step of the way so you can help them realize their vision through you. Make sure to provide at least one date to provide a draft for them to look over. This will outline your expectations with timeliness, and they will understand the windows they have to work with to send back their edits.

NUMBER FIVE: MAKE THE PROPOSAL LOOK GOOD

Now that you have learned what the proposal process entails, it’s time to make one. Your pitch deck should be easy on the eye, while also communicative. Include details wherever possible, but too much text on a screen can overwhelm a viewer. Try and keep each line to seven words or less and speak out your ideas rather than write them. By easy on the eye, I also mean no standard PowerPoint theme that is black on white and Arial. Give your pitch some character and color, ideally ones that will be thematically present in your final work. For me, I knew that dark gray was going to be a prominent color in my work, based on all the pictures of smokers I had seen when researching John Lewis. I can’t put my finger on why exactly, but I knew that Rockwell had to be the font for titles in my piece. Something about it felt rustic, and a little cowboyish, which was a natural fit for a piece on barbecue. With all these tips and ideas for how to make your pitch, go out there and make one for yourself. Maybe your pitch will be a home run!