Pitch Anything: An Innovative Method for Presenting, Persuading, and Winning the Deal Hardcover – January 26, 2011

Pitching is highly valued today. It is an ‘art form’ requiring knowledge of human nature, how the brain receives information, communication skills, courage and a lot of practice.Pitching is essential to leadership in all aspects of life – motivating others to act, gaining traction for an idea, raising capital, landing the job or promotion you seek, raising children, and reaching consensus on key issues with your spouse.Pitching for me is integral to my work which is creating new companies in health care. Primary tasks include developing a core value proposition, creating a team – executive team, board of directors, advisors – and raising capital. I know the value of effective pitching firsthand and have had many great teachers – Charan, Gallo, Duarte, Weissman – who have helped me shape my pitching style. I can now add Oren Klaff and his “Pitch Anything” to the list. Klaff who is the Director of Capital Markets at Intersection Capital has written a gem of a book on pitching.“Pitch Anything” from my point of view is a must-have for novices and those seeking to improve their “pitching method.” Its’ subtitle, “An Innovative Method for Presenting, Persuading, and Winning the Deal,” describes perfectly what you will gain from this book.I have learned in my work with start-ups that many entrepreneurs and inventors build their pitch around what they want their audience to know, rather than what the audience needs to make a decision. There is a big disconnect between the way the pitch is given and the way it is received by the “target”. Entrepreneurs and inventors have incredible knowledge about their subject and make the most important points clearly, but despite being well organized and passionate, their pitch is not convincing and they lose an opportunity. First impressions are lasting.The book begins with an overview of Klaff’s preferred and proven six-step method for pitching, STRONG.1. Set the frame2. Tell the story3. Reveal the intrigue4. Offer the prize5. Nail the hook point6. Get the dealHe has used this six step method to raise tens of millions of dollars for his clients.He continues with two excellent chapters on the importance of frame control (who owns the frame/power) and of status. Understanding and managing these contextual issues will influence the receptivity of your audience.' Frame control - Everyone brings a frame to his or her social encounters. Only one frame will dominate and it will crowd out the weaker frame. This happens below the surface in every business meeting, every sales call and in every person-to person business communication. If your frame wins, you will enjoy frame control.' Status - How others view you is critical to your ability to establish the dominant frame, and then to hold onto power you gained after taking control. Status is not earned by being polite. It is not earned through small talk. Neither according to Klaff will serve you well as they only reduce your status. Klaff shows how to create situational status so you can positively alter the way people think about you.Klaff then outlines a good pitch and uses a case study to underscore each of the keys to success. Several key takeaways include:• Let the audience know how much time you will take to put the “target” at ease. Why? They do not know how long they are going to be stuck listening to a stranger. This will help in keeping their attention.• Introduce your idea in one minute without details. The idea introduction pattern – “for _____(target customers who are dissatisfied with the current offerings in the market)…my _____is a _______(new idea or product category) that provides _______(key problem/solution features). Unlike _______(the competing product), my idea/product is ______(describe key features).” Then let them in on the “secret sauce” and the budget.• Make sure they know that the most important deliverable is you.• Use frame-stacking and hot cognitions (a whole chapter is dedicated to this) to lead them to a positive decision. Most major decisions are not made by cold cognitive processes such as evaluation analysis, but instead by hot cognition. Data is generally used to justify decisions only after the fact.This is only a snapshot of what Klatch describes. You will find much more detail with ‘how to” guides that are extremely helpful in crafting and delivering a successful pitch.Another key subject area that is covered in the book is ‘neediness’. Pitching or selling does not come without rejection no matter how skilled you are in the art form. The disturbing thing about rejection is that you really never get used to it. It’s natural and unavoidable to become disappointed when you get a “no”. You are human. If you let it, though, it will lead to validation-seeking behavior which is the number one deal killer.Klaff provides several key sources of neediness that come from within. We fall into validation-seeking behaviors when:1. We want something that only the target can give us2. We need cooperation from the target and can’t get it3. We firmly believe that the target can make us feel good by accepting our pitch4. The target seems uninterested in our pitch, begins to withdraw, or shift his or her attention to something else.The formula for thwarting this deal-killing behavior follows the rules of Tao:1. I want nothing – eliminate your desires2. Focus only on the things you do well – be excellent in the presence of others3. Announce your intention to leave the social encounter – withdraw at crucial moment when they are expecting you to come after them.Success here will make them come after you.Those who pitch MUST consider that the brain has limited focus and capacity. For most, 90% of the message will be discarded. “Pitch Anything” provides a guide to pitching so you can get and keep the attention needed to own the room, drive emotions, and “hook ‘em” to the conclusion you seek.

"THE best way to conduct business, hands down." "Sun Tzu Channeled into Business"This review may sound like I was paid to do this, but that's because the results of Oren's approach have paid me back in spades. This is simply my honest impression.You may be reading this because you are considering buying Oren's book, maybe you find yourself selling a product, looking to secure orders, or pitching a deal of some kind, real estate, venture capital, what have you... and you've come to the right place! God's honest truth, this book made me realize I've been doing business backwards, literally, for years. You're concerns probably run along the lines of impressing buyers, and informing investors, running them over with a school bus full of numbers charts and graphs. More than likely, you find yourself calling people who never call back, asking for contracts, and thats why you need to get into pitch anything, so you can cut all that out, and get on the right track. In hip-hop, this is called "flipping the script" and that's exactly what Oren's done with this book.Not too long ago I was there in your shoes, trying to bring investors into a deal that carried a large risk/reward basis, and I came to Oren's writing through a long hunt for material on selling that wasn't the same tired methods, which typically break down to brow beating a buyer till they submit. From the material in this book I was able to create a pitch that highlighted the innovation of the investment, and as such, investors were more interested in being a part of what we were doing, than the ROI. This paid off for them, and my company at the time.What sets Oren and his methods apart, and for me is the most critical point of the book that may escape you on the first read, is integrity. I know it isn't as sexy as talking about frame busting methods, or closing huge deals, but for me, it's most important. As Oren points out, selling or investing happens "from the gut" for your clients, and as such eradicating "neediness" is key. This eradication of neediness is a natural steroid for confidence, and as such, will build up your self esteem in the process of getting that check, and he will also make you realize that the check isn't 100% of your goal, rather, your priority in any deal is to find the best client, investor, or customer, and as such build a relationship.This integrity factor is what stands out the most for me since in most scenarios I've been in, the person making the offer becomes the supplicant, and the investor/buyer the dominant. By injecting this integrity into the structure of what we do making deals happen, as well as in our everyday lives, we can become better purveyors of our services, treat clients better, and create an opportunity to grow that is smooth, and lacks the trials and tribulations of buyer's remorse. Once you apply Oren's methods, you will find yourself more confident, better performing, and more efficient, and no this is not a Viagra commercial, it's the truth, he doesn't want to make you confident, but he will anyway. This is presenting and business as it should be, I don't know how else to say it.And I haven't even scratched the surface in terms of the STRONG process itself, its efficiency and clarity are unmatched. Suffice to say that we need to recognize the value exchange in every situation as Oren explains. Though frame control is critical to the process, the value delivered is just as critical in my experience, stuff all the value you can into everything, making your sales process or presentation border on an education for your clients and customers, and it will be returned to you.I'm the type of person who reads everything, you know all that small print at the bottom, I've read it. As such I've read many, many books on selling, creating, developing, and Oren's book hits the nail on the head in a way that is unique to the man himself. If you can even imagine a story better than the Airport presentation, I would challenge you to send it to me personally for verification, I'm trying myself ;)Bottom line is that if you do any business that deals with sales, investments, presenting of any kind, you need to read this, and while you're at it, get yourself a seat in Pitch Mastery, and get schooled on these techniques, because honestly, until you do you are losing money.Oh and did I mention that Oren's the real deal, not some motivational speaker guru guy, this man is closing deals daily, and this book is how you can take notes!