Testing Pitch Chemistry:
Do You Have a Winning Score for New Business?
In the countless hours of research, strategizing, developing creative, production, and rehearsals preceding the pitch, there is one thing pitch teams often forget. To convince a potential client they can deliver their product, pitch teams must first deliver themselves as product. The better you can make your group chemistry, the greater your chances of winning a new piece of business. No matter what fancy footwork or strategies you put forth, a key ingredient in winning pitches is your group itself – the energy, cohesion, vitality, and passion your team shows.
The energy your pitch team puts behind their words creates a significant impression on potential clients. One well documented study goes so far as to suggest that nearly all of the impact you make on another comes from nonverbals. This University of California study, conducted on the effect people have in face-to-face communications, showed only 7% of your impact and impression on another in a communication comes from your words – the content of you delivery. The body language, voice tone, vitality, warmth, openness, and enthusiasm make up a major impact on your prospect; this becomes crucial in a “shoot out” when your competition also has a viable approach.
The hidden impact a pitch team has on a prospective client comes from the energy behind the group’s expression, which is derived from the feelings the team has about themselves, each other, the client, and the authenticity of the team’s enthusiasm and conviction. These qualities drive the presentation. Great group energy – the communication impact showing up through body and facial language and voice tone --cannot be faked. It emanates directly from the group’s teamwork and chemistry.
Rarely do teams draw upon their fullest potential. But there are ways of tuning up the team and really maximizing its potential beyond the content of your presentation. If you look at the amount of staff time, finances, and other resources you put into a pitch in proportion, there is usually scarce attention paid to developing the team itself. Turn up the juice on your pitch group’s teamwork and you energize your growth engine.
Test Your Pitch Team Chemistry
Rank your pitch team on a scale from 0 (never) to 2.5 (a little) to 5.0 (partially) to 7.5 (mostly) to 10 (always).
1) Pitch Team Members are Aligned
There is a strong agreement and shared focus on the agency’s marketing strategy and style. The new business approach is supported by the entire team, such as agreement on the positioning of the agency in the marketplace.
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2) Open Listening.
Members of the group feel heard by each other. There are few interruptions. Team members put aside personal agendas to take in another’s perspective.
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3) Ongoing Positive and Constructive Feedback.
Exceptional performance brings genuine acknowledgement from the group. When someone needs to recognize areas which they need to improve, constructive feedback is given in a supportive, not attacking manner.
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4) Relationships are Free of Unresolved or Hidden Conflicts.
Your team handles misunderstandings and conflicts so they do not remain barriers to the group’s cohesion. There is no unresolved past history in the group.
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5) Participation within the Group.
In meetings there is a give and take of ideas and discussions, regardless of the roles. Active involvement by everyone within the group is solicited by the more dynamic or senior members of the group.
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6) Clarity of Responsibilities.
There is agreement about the roles and work assignments within the group. Everyone understands how each team member is contributing to the pitch preparation and presentation.
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7) The Group Leadership is Respected by All Team Members.
The leader(s) of the group has the trust, confidence, and support of the entire team. The team genuinely looks up to the leader(s).
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8) High Level Trust.
All members of the pitch team trust the intentions of the other members. There is no “holding cards close to the chest”. The team stands behind one another in their faith in their abilities.
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9) Cohesive Interpersonal Dynamics at Pitches.
At pitches, the presentation ball is passed smoothly around the team in a flowing, mutually supportive manner. No one dominates the pitch unless that is the group plan.
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10) Rehearsals and Debriefings.
Beforehand, your team plans and practices the pitch presentation, striving to improve on previous pitches. Following the pitch, the group takes concentrated time to debrief, celebrating successes and honestly discussing what needs improvement.
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Paul Deslauriers has over twenty-three years experience as an organizational development consultant, management coach, and workshop facilitator. He has employed his innovative, new-paradigm concepts for “high energy group performance” with such clients as Hoechst, Ringling Brothers/Barnum and Bailey Circus, IKEA, and over seventy TV broadcasting companies and advertising agencies. He authored IN THE HIGH-ENERGY ZONE: The 6 Characteristics of Highly Effective Groups.
Paul has a unique educational and work experience that gives him acute sensitivities to how energy manifests in organizations for both the good and the detriment of the group dynamics. An eco-scientist turned business consultant, Paul has a master's degree in mechanical and oceanic engineering. He taught yoga and personal growth programs at Kripalu Center. He has conducted research in ocean and coastal ecology for MIT, and has worked as an environmental consultant for the U.S. Coast Guard, NOAA, and the EPA. Contact: Paulnrg@aol.com; 413-232-788