To Win a Pitch, Show How Much You Care.

There’s a saying among sales people that goes, “No one cares how much you know until they know how much you care.”

But when you’re one of two or three firms delivering a presentation for a big piece of business, I don’t think it’s quite right.  I think it should read, “In a beauty contest, no one cares how much you know.  They only want to know how much you care.”

In other words, when you’re on a short list competing for an opportunity, your expertise is irrelevant.   Everything in that final presentation needs to be focused on one thing: showing that you care about the client.

Your Expertise is Irrelevant in a Beauty Contest Presentation

Let’s say that you’re an architect that has made the short list to present for a chance to design the renovation of a major hospital.  The cost of the renovation will be $50 million.

You should not include in your presentation a discussion of your experience designing these types of renovations.

“You don’t even get in to see us, if you’re not qualified,” one hospital administrator told me.  “In the final stage, we want to know who we like the best.”

And to make your prospect like you, every move should say “We care.”

Speak directly to the client’s key issues

The first way to say “we care” is to customize your presentation around your client’s challenge.  If you’re competing for a chance to build or design a hospital, show your plan to design or build it. 

If you’re competing for a chance to represent a bank in a major lawsuit, every word of your presentation should be about your plan to help this client win.

One general counsel told me about hearing several presentations from firms competing for a chance to represent the company. The winner presented a detailed, heavily-researched, litigation strategy. “They told us their plan for winning our lawsuit,” she told me.

By contrast, the firm’s long-time counsel took the client for granted and only presented a list of qualifications. The general counsel told me that, “When they left, I looked at my colleagues and said, ‘Well that sucked.’”

Giving a detailed plan for the prospect takes work. But it shows that you care.

Your passion for their work needs to show in your voice.

“Our work should speak for itself. How we say it shouldn’t matter.”

I hear comments like that all the time. But it’s not true. Great firms look the same from the prospect’s perspective. Passionate delivery can separate you from the competition by showing how much you care.

I once watched four construction firms compete for a chance to build a new elementary school in Boca Raton, Fl. One project manager talked about growing up down the road from where the new school would be built.  He seemed excited about the chance to build a school in his old neighborhood.

The listeners could see that he truly cared for the project. His firm won.

How much you care should show in your rehearsal.

Your actual performance during the presentation screams whether your care or not.  To perform well, you need to rehearse.  Did you care enough to rehearse transitions between team members? Did you care enough to keep your presentation tight?  Did you care enough about your listeners to leave enough time for Q&A?  Did you care enough to make sure that everyone sticks to a common theme?

If you really want to win, show you care.

Joey Asher is President of Speechworks, a selling and communication skills coaching company in Atlanta. He has worked with hundreds of business people helping them learn how to communicate in a way that connects with clients. His new book “How to Win a Pitch: The Five Fundamentals That Will Distinguish You from the Competition” is available on Amazon and at www.speechworks.net.   He is the author of “Selling and Communication Skills for Lawyers” and “Even A Geek Can Speak.” He can be reached at 404-266-0888 or joey@speechworks.net.