Can You Pitch Without Learning To Throw?

Tim Smith / Aug 10th / Comments

I’m not a huge baseball fan. Sure, I played Little League growing up but really only because I lived in a very small town where there wasn’t much else to do in the summer months. When I played, my preferred position was second base. Outside of the occasional line drive, most of the balls that came my way were grounders that if I kept my head down and eye on the ball I usually could snatch up and easily get it to the first baseman in time to get the batter out. Pitching – that was a job I left to others. It was definitely not one of my talents.

Its funny how life works. I haven’t picked up a baseball or softball in a few years; however, one of my favorite activities as I grow older is pitching. The type of pitching I love is sitting down in front of a prospect and delivering a message on how and why my firm fits into their needs.

A couple of weeks ago, I had an opportunity to “pitch” Talstone to a rather large prospective client that was putting its marketing work out to bid. Sure, I get to routinely pitch our services to prospects; however, this one was a little more formal and to a larger group of executives than normal.

So what made this so special that I took time to write my very first post on The Pulse? The process we went through to prepare is one that every organization should do to make sure they always put their best foot forward in their sales efforts.

The Warm Up
As every pitcher does in pre-game preparations, before our big pitch we took time to research the other firms that were going after the client. We evaluated everything from how big they were to what type of capabilities they touted. We then looked at our prospective client and determined how our capabilities met their needs as they looked to position themselves in a unique specialty marketplace.

The Right Pitches
Fastballs? Breaking balls? Change ups? Once the research was completed, our team strategized on what we needed to say to build on our strengths and differentiate us from our competitors. Was it size? Specialization? Experience? Knowing who we are and conveying that clearly is key in a sales setting.

The Motions
Overhand? Sidearm? As we developed our key messages, we realized very quickly that our method of presenting had to be different than the expected. We ditched the traditional PowerPoint and created an innovative way to display our capabilities in a manner that addressed some of the needs of this prospect. As well, we looked at our printed materials/leave behinds and made sure they reinforced our brand and what our prospect needed to know about us to make a good decision.

The Delivery
While anticipating every dynamic of a pitch is impossible, we walked through the presentation and prepared back up plans for the audiovisual needs as well as thought through potential questions that could be asked about our firm. Fortunately, no technical problems occurred and the questions asked were ones we had prepared to address.

Every healthcare organization has opportunities to “pitch” their services every day. It’s important to step back routinely and take time to work through a simple process to make sure you are putting forth your best foot when you step up to the mound to deliver the messages necessary to put your team in a position to win the game.

Off to the next pitch … Play Ball!!!