When asked “What do you do?” most of us get that deer in the headlights look and then start our answer with “I…”.
The thing is, people don’t really care what we do. They want to know what we can do for them, or for their mother, brother, child or best friend. They want to know how we can make their lives easier. Beginning our answer by talking about ourselves means we’re not telling them what they want to know. Most people are listening with “What’s in it for me?” ears, which is why we belong at the bottom of our pitch instead of at the top. If you only have a minute to have a conversation, you want the person you’re interacting with to walk away with a clear picture of who your clients are and the benefits of your work.

Keep the focus of your pitch away from yourself and when you’re done, let there be empty space. Leave room for people to reply, react and ask you questions. If it gets awkward, ask them about themselves, don’t launch into a detailed description of what you do. Make sure they know that you’re in it to make the world a better place, not just to make a living. Remember what you say doesn’t have to be complex, it just has to open the door to a deeper conversation.

Them + You = A Better World

Trust me on this one. It works.

Click here to sign up for International Freelancer Day, a free all day conference, including a FREE Pitch Perfect™ workshop from me for YOU on Friday 9/23.

Book yourself a session or do it yourself and let your pitch fly free.

———

Help your friends talk their walk and cut, paste & post these insta-tweets:

What do you say when asked “what do you do?” @DyanaValentine has ideas http://bit.ly/qDtJNF #IFD11

What should you do when things get awkward? @DyanaValentine sez: http://bit.ly/qDtJNF #IFD11

Do you go all deer in the headlights when asked what you do? @DyanaValentine suggests: http://bit.ly/qDtJNF #IFD11

Keep it Simple sign created by mamasinsanity and available here.

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Here is an annoyingly long list of questions to help you figure out if your pitch, bio, elevator speech or hi-how-are-you intro are working:

How do you feel when you deliver your spiel? Does a bullsh*t warning bell go off inside when you’re talking or are you having a blast and feel great?

Do you hesitate when someone asks what you do? You’re the only one who knows but if you’re feeling awkward, you can bet the people you’re talking to are picking up on it. NB: we are all beasts. Don’t let the technology fool you. Our inner beasts get to talking–if you yawn, I yawn. If you are freaking out like a chipmunk who stumbled into a street racing rally, so will I.

Do their eyes glaze over, or is your pitch leading you into meaningful conversations? Do people ask for more information or do they suddenly need to go to the restroom? Pay attention to the feedback coming your way, and USE IT.

Are you getting the clients you want? This is a great indicator of whether or not you’ve nailed your pitch. At one point in my business I was saying something that, in my head sounded important and professional, but in reality was incredibly dry. All of a sudden I ended up with 3 or 4 referrals who were just.not.my.people (and let’s leave it at that). So, I rephrased and started to get the fabulous creatives and high-level performers I work with now.

Are you confident your pitch is working? Fantastic. Don’t change a thing. Ever feel like you could use some help and a hand to hold? There’s no reason for you to be anything but fabulous. Here are two options to get your pitch fancied up:

Click here to sign up for International Freelancer Day, a free all day conference, including a FREE Pitch Perfect™ workshop from me for YOU on Friday 9/23.

Book yourself a session or do it yourself and let your pitch fly free.

Your turn: put your (short) pitch in the comments and I’ll give you some feedback. Thanks!

——–

Help your friends talk their walk and cut, paste & post these insta-tweets:

Do you see glazed eyes and polite smiles when you say what you do? @DyanaValentine has ideas http://bit.ly/rjNbq0 #IFD11

Is a bullsh*t warning bell going off inside when you talk about yourself? @DyanaValentine sez: http://bit.ly/rjNbq0 #howlive

Love your clients? Then your pitch is perfect. If not–check out what @DyanaValentine suggests: http://bit.ly/rjNbq0 #IFD11

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Sometimes we get so fired up, passionate and excited about what we’re doing that we ramble on and on (and then some) about our mission or project or business and we just can’t stop, even when we see our audience slowly dying of boredom. This video answers this question (submitted by an awesome fan): Do you have any suggestions on how to rope in The Dreaded Ramble? In order to be a socially responsible grown up, you gotta reel it in. Check out Pitch Perfect to get clear and clean language rocking.

Watch this:

I’m excited to be with oodles (on the order of 3,000) creative folks at the HOW Live! Conference in Chicago. Stop by one of my talks or say hello on the escalator. If you are tweeting, be sure to use the #howlive hashtag.

All-righty, you tell me–when do you ramble and how can I help? Leave your stories in the comments.

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Time for a little shameless self-promotion — for you, and for me. It’s a triple-whammy set of audio interviews about perfect pitches. Enjoy!

The Reflex Blue Show: Podcast

Here’s a podcast interview from The Reflex Blue Show, a fantastic podcast covering the graphic design industry. We recorded the podcast just before I spoke at the inHOWse Design and Creative Freelancer Conferences in Denver, CO. Hosts Donovan Beery, Nate Voss and I talk perfect pitches, creative freelancing and Scrabble. Y’know — the usual.

Pitch Perfect: Rock Unemployment

Melanie Orndorff is the brainy beauty behind Rock Unemployment — a site that offers “job search tips, cheap fun ideas, and inspirational articles & interviews for gigging creatives.” In our podcast interview, we talk about selling yourself with passion and mobilizing your network. Stream the podcast right here, or download it here.

Here’s Melanie, looking gorgeous (as usual):

The Perfect Pitch: Freelancer Forum

Here’s your chance to listen to me make a few brilliant folks work on their pitches. Colleen Rice Nelson from Freelancer Forum on Blog Talk Radio is a force of nature, and I was giddy to work with her and several others to create introductory pitches that aligned with their personal and professional style. If you are feeling fussy and not in the mood for the background portion, scan through to 20:05 to listen to the live work. Check it out here.

Here’s Colleen, looking fierce & ready for podcast action:

What’s your pitch? Lay it on me in the comments.

UPDATE: If you are ready to rock your pitch, head on over and check out my Pitch Perfect Pack and Sessions:

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My adaptation of Colleen's questions are:

What is one challenge your clients struggle with. Buy Metoclopramide Without Prescription, Describe one characteristic that makes you right for them.
What’s one product you offer or specific method you use to help them?

Fill in the blanks for yourself, El Paso, Texas. Washington, D.C. Seattle, Washington, Metoclopramide samples, your business or your product and you have the beginnings of a great pitch. Once you have answered the questions, where can i order Metoclopramide without prescription, Chicago, Illinois. Houston, Texas, then comes the creative part. Write a two-sentence summary of the answers and this is your draft pitch, købe Metoclopramide online, αγοράζουν online Metoclopramide. Baltimore, Maryland. Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Play around with it.

After I used Colleen’s process, I developed several pitches, Buy Metoclopramide Without Prescription. BUT it didn’t stop there—I still really struggled with delivering my pitches and, Detroit, Michigan, San Jose, California, Boston, Massachusetts. Charlotte, Carolina, for a while, nothing felt right, farmacia Metoclopramide baratos, Metoclopramide online kaufen. Order Metoclopramide from mexican pharmacy, SO, I looked into WHAT REALLY WORKED for me, Metoclopramide for sale, Austin, Texas, Memphis, Tennessee, and in my style. I came up with these 6 principles for a Perfect Pitch as an add-on to Colleen’s excellent strategy:

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Have you ever gone doe-in-the-headlights when someone asks, “what do you do?” We’ve all had that moment of GULP! when describing our business or a particular project. Well–here’s your chance to get your pitch perfected. Listen in Friday, 7/17, 1pm, Pacific and be a doe-no-more!

{UPDATE: click here to listen to the show recording while you read}

I’ll be a guest on Colleen Rice-Nelson’s blogtalk radio show (you have to set up an account quickly to participate–sign up and my workshop are free!)

I will be teaching listeners how to set up their perfect pitch–whether it’s a 30 second blurb or a longer pitch to a prospective client. My goal is to help folks get their point across clearly, succinctly and with their own personal style.

This will be an interactive session and several folks are going to volunteer to work on their pitch LIVE on the radio! Invite a friend and have fun!

Don’t have an hour to spare? Can’t make it? No problem, check out the 2:35 minute version or gimme a jingle and set up a free 30 minute session to polish your pitch or get your project rocking!

Comments? Tools you use to build a perfect pitch? Add ‘em in the comments below!

Photo by flyfshrmn98, used under a Creative Commons license.

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Click here to view the embedded video.

Pitch Perfect: 3 Steps to your perfect pitch

Ever find yourself in a panic when someone asks, “What do you do?” Here are 3 easy steps to take to create a perfect pitch, elevator speech or blurb. Please make comments and let me know your ideas for creating a perfect pitch. Ideas in this video are adapted from a tool developed by Colleen Wainwright and used with permission. Find out more about how fabulous SHE is at communicatrix.com.

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