Compiled
BY Nabin Shrestha
WaterComm

At some point in our lives, we all need to pitch something; to convey your message effectively, whether it’s a sales pitch, a lecture, or some new idea you’d like to present, you need to deliver your content with mastery. That means you need to know how to present your ideas most powerfully and persuasively possible. Unfortunately, most people do not know how to do this.

There is a big difference between what we are trying to tell our audience and what people really understand the message.

NEANDERTHAL BRAIN

Klaff says that a great pitch is not about procedure. It’s about getting and keeping attention.” Our brains as they are today have evolved in three stages, leaving us with three levels to process stuff.

• The croc brain, or crocodile brain, was the first part of the brain to develop. That is your brain’s primitive part. It is simple, automatic and focused on survival. It is responsible for emotions such as fear, which alerts, for example, that they should get away from predators.

• The midbrain is the second layer of the brain. This part allows us to understand higher levels of complexity, and deal with social interactions and family relationships, for example.

• The neocortex is the most advanced part of the brain, which gives us the highest degree of intellectual distinction compared to other animals. Thanks to the neocortex we can reach a higher level of thinking, rationalise facts, and make analyses to understand complex phenomena.

When you are pitching someone, you usually try to explain all these awesome, but complex features of what you are selling. You are using your neocortex to communicate – but this is not where your message first lands. Your target will first pick up whatever you’re presenting with their croc brain, which is why what you say must first of all be simple.

FRAME CONTROL

A frame is a perspective; it is merely giving someone a lens to see what you see. Everyone uses frames, whether they realise it or not, and every social encounter brings frames together. In business and sales, you cannot crack a deal if you have two different perspectives for the same product or service. It is evident that when people come together, their frames collide, with one eventually winning over the other. In the words of Klaff, you have to Own the Frame, to Win the Game.

The Power Frame: When you deal with customers, who have an ego or are least interested in listening to you, these are usually people who have big titles or feel some entitlement. Unfortunately, this kind of person is inevitable in business. A defiant and humorous approach is the only way to bust a power frame. 

The Intrigue Frame: When you deal with customers, who have an ego or are least interested in listening to you, these are usually people who have big titles or feel some entitlement. Unfortunately, this kind of person is inevitable in business. A defiant and humorous approach is the only way to bust a power frame. Let the story be triggered by various emotions, like risk, fear, tension, uncertainty, etc. Do abide by the time pressure.

Analyst Frame When the target is only worried about hearing analytics, figures, and numbers, they are using the analyst frame. If you get trapped, you will waste your time spitting out numbers and projections that most people will not be interested in listening to. The most effective way to overcome the analyst frame is with an intriguing story. Tell them a compelling story, a personal narrative that involves you. Just Remember, when you own the frame, you control the agenda, and you can only determine the rules under which the game is played.

The Prizing Frame Position yourself as the prize and someone who the client would be privileged to work with you. You make the buyer qualify himself to you. Just remember that if you do not value yourself, no one else will. Don’t hesitate to walk away if the other side doesn’t give you what you want.

The Moral Authority Frame The key here is to protect yourself with a strong moral character. Klaff writes that “Show the brain something that society values, and you won’t just be hitting hot buttons, you will be stomping on them.” Tie your sales pitch into a more significant issue that the buyer will value.

One should create pitch on a neurological level; people’s brain should positively perceive everything and not anything that works against you.