The Flip Side: A Virtual Assistant's Advice - WomenEntrepreneur.com

The Flip Side: A Virtual Assistant's Advice - WomenEntrepreneur.com

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How to Pitch. Part Three.

In the first two posts about pitching, I talked about pitching on topic, keeping it simple, playing nice and talking the talk. Below is the final post of the three-part series - pitching your concept, your idea, your product.

1. Keep On Keepin' On! In other words? Don't give up. Ever. This is your business, your baby, you've got to shop it! Work it! Own it! Remember, it's rumoured that JK Rowlings pitched Harry Potter over 100 times before it was finally signed. Consider your product your own personal masterpiece and keep on pitching! Keep On Keepin' On.

2. Network, Network and more... Social Network. Do you follow the key players on Twitter? Do you get urgent queries fast, like, yesterday? Here's someone to follow on Twitter: @skydiver. He's the man in the know. He posts queries three times a day from his HARO list as well as tweeting urgent queries. Get to know him, get to see what he's about. He's got a fantastic system going. (But pitch on topic or he'll throw you off the list! He's quick like that - and serious. It's a good thing.) There's more places to network with reporters and PR folk than Twitter, but if you want news and opportunities in real time, it's a great place to start.

3. Make it personal. How are you different - what can you do differently to grab their attention. To get their interest? I had an opportunity to pitch Sarah Ferguson, The Duchess of York, at an event earlier this year. What got her interested was the fact that I'm a female with a new start up, heading down the entrepreneurial road. Make sure you know who you're dealing with, what their interests are, and off you go!

This could be a much longer list and an ever growing and ever-changing list. It's just a few ways to approach reporters and potential customers. Talk with other successful entrepreneurs. Network with them, network with PR people. Find out what has worked for others. Do your homework.

And feel free to follow me on Twitter at @scratchpad.

How to Pitch. Part Two.

In part one of our three-part Pitch series, we outlined three ways to begin to perfect your pitch. Today, we'll outline three more. Baby steps to help you on your way to the perfect pitch!

1. Jump in, the water's fine! In other words, don't be afraid to pitch. You've got nothing to lose. This is your business, your marketing initiative, your concept, whathaveyou. So pitch away! Pitch with confidence, pitch often and pitch well.

2. Don't assume anything. You might think it's pretty obvious that everyone under the sun has an email signature that includes their contact information. Because it is pretty obvious. And everyone does have an email signature that includes their contact information. But email programs are laid out differently (ie: Gmail piles them up at the bottom of all emails - very annoying when you've got a long string of messages going), and people are laid out differently. People simply may not scroll down to find your contact info, especially if it's lost in a long string of messages! Have it clearly in the body of the message somewhere. Clearly. Link to your website, link to your email, have your name standing out. Don't forget this. Introduce yourself properly.

3. Play nice. Get a rapport going with the firm/reporter/whomever you're pitching to. I'm not talking about buttering them up - they'll see right through that - but be nice. Be professional. If you see something that will fit with what they're looking for... send it along! They'll remember you. Don't inundate, but you can send along a lead or two.

Coming up in part three: Keep On Keepin' On!

Any ideas or suggestions that have worked for you? Leave a comment, we'd love to hear from you!

How to Pitch. Part One.

Ever wonder just how to pitch your concept, idea, product or service? You see people pretty much calling out to you directly to sell them, but you really have no idea how? Or you pitch like mad, but you get nowhere?

This begins a series on pitching. A "3.3" series. Three points, three posts.

1. Pitch on topic. Don't waste people's time. They're busy enough, they don't need additional emails and various other correspondence that are off base and off topic. And they'll black list you. And they'll tell their friends. Trust me.

2. K.I.S.S. Yes, it should go without saying, except it never does. Keep It Simple Stupid. End of story. Don't drone on and on. Save that for later! Write a nice and precise paragraph on why your concept/idea/product is bang on with what they're looking for. Or with what they don't know they're looking for yet! A few sentences on what your brainwave is. A few sentences on why they need it, or better yet, why they will WANT it and why they must HAVE it.

3. Talk the Talk. Speak their language. Don't go overboard with industry acronyms and jargon, that's just plain ridiculous. But do get to know them before pitching. Know their market. Know what they're after, or, what they don't know they're after yet. I was pitching a hot PR firm out of LA not long ago. I used totally different languaging than when I pitch corporations. More relaxed. More funky. More targeted. And it worked. It was a smashing success.

Coming up next in the series: Jump in, the water's fine!

Check back regularly for updates and new pointers. Feel free to leave comments with ideas and suggestions. What's worked for you? What hasn't worked for you? Fill me in!