Many PowerPoint users don’t like to use the prefabricated layout choices for slide headlines and text that come with the program. Rather than change their attributes (font, font size, style, position, borders, and so on), these users simply ignore them, adding a new text box every time they need a place to put their...
I always cringe a little when I’m listening to a pitch team from a medical agency refer to physicians as “docs” — as in, “These docs say they’re only interested in efficacy”. How about, “physicians”? “Medical professionals”? Or even, “doctors”? What’s wrong with “doc”? To my ears, its lack of professional respect and specificity...
Let’s all ban the phrase “yes, but” from the English language. Remember how you felt the last time someone yes-butted you? Didn’t really feel like a “yes” in any meaningful way, did it? Rather, it probably felt like your concerns or interests were being pushed aside so that someone else’s could get more airtime....
Once your prepared remarks are over, it’s your client’s turn. How your team answers tough questions and challenges – and how it behaves when answering – can make or quash the sale. Prospective clients often put more stock in things they hear during this part of the meeting than in any other. That’s because...
“Not everything than can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted.”
CBS News is catching up with decision scientists who recognize that emotions drive decisions more powerfully than logic—and that too many choices may dissuade consumers from choosing anything.
Here’s surprising, even shocking news from neuroscience that may sadden many a new business presenter: Unless your pitch evokes strong emotion among your audience, it’s likely to be almost instantly forgotten. “Emotionally competent stimulus”, or ECS, is just one of the gems I found while reading John Medina’s Brain Rules (Pear Press, 2008), a...
I have a modest proposal I’d like to make, in the interest of making your pitches more successful (and your celebrations more festive). As both a successful former creative director and an effective New Business director, I trust I have the credentials and experience to support the merits of this. Here’s the idea: Ban...
The agency team was smiling as it left the client’s wood-paneled conference room and headed to the parking lot. Once safely out of earshot, the team leader burst out with a “Yes!” and a fist-pump. “We nailed it!” said another, patting his team-mate on the back. “We were awesome!” shouted a third. Meanwhile, back...
Dear PitchSmarter: What’s a useful New Year’s resolution for an agency manager to make if he or she wants to increase the new biz win rate in 2010?-Optimistic in Orlando Dear Oppie: Repeat after me: “I will rehearse my pitches. I will rehearse my pitches. I will rehearse my pitches.” Too many agency people...
