Your Pitch is Everything.

Ever start talking to someone about an idea that you hold dear to your heart, only to find that when you say it out loud it doesn’t come out *quite* the way you want? Your pitch is the difference between a million dollar idea and, just an idea.

I recently had the opportunity to do 100+ pitches in a day at a conference, and I heartily recommend the practice. No one *wants* to talk all day long about what you do (sure, it’s really exciting the first 5-10 times, but by the end of the day the first thing you want to do is not to craft the same pitch).

So here are a few tips to make your pitch memorable:
Understand the “What is my …” question and make it part of a 30 second pitch. You need to own this and pitch it cold out of a dead sleep. (As in “What is your product or service and why would I use it?”

Tailor the “What Is …” question to the audience at hand, understanding the problem that they have and why your product or service solves that problem. If you’re talking to software engineers — you’d better know how they think — and if you’re talking to business people in a specific field, you’d better know something about that field as well.

Finally, smile. Really. Smile. You’re supposed to be having fun. Once you get through the initial pitch to someone, now you can talk about the things that matter to them, and share your expert knowledge about your product or service in a way that really makes their day.

What’s been your experience and what tips do you have to make your pitch memorable and effective?