De klassieke uitdaging: je hebt een goed idee. Maar hoe krijg je het onder de aandacht? Pitches blijven lastig.
Toevallig kwam ik dit essay van Scott Berkun tegen: How to Pitch an Idea. Het is uit 2005, maar dat maakt niet uit. Zoveel is de wereld niet veranderd. En het herinnert scherp aan een aantal belangrijke elementen, die je stiekem toch vaak vergeet.
Wat quotes:
“Even if your idea is undeniably and wonderfully brilliant, it will force someone, somewhere to change how they do something. (…) Know anyone exhibiting the curious behavior of being obviously miserable in their job, their city, their relationship, but still refusing to make changes?”
“The most powerful person in the organization might share none of your philosophy, but the 3rd or 4th most powerful person might. The later is going to be a better place to start.”
“Always formulate 3 levels of depth to pitching your idea: 5 seconds, 30 seconds, 5 minutes (…). The 5 second version, also known as the elevator pitch, is the most concise single sentence formulation of whatever your idea is. Refine, refine, refine your thinking until you can say something intelligent and interesting in a short sentence. ‘My idea? It’s a way to make car engines twice as efficient, and 5 times as powerful.'”
“Always leave failed pitches with an understanding of what went wrong. Which points didn’t they agree with? Which of your assumptions did they refute? In many cases, you might learn there are criteria for green lighting ideas in your organization that you didn’t know about.”
“Business can be started on small business loans or second mortgages. There is always a way to do it if you are sufficiently compelled by your ideas to take on risks, and make use of your own (unpaid) time.”