How To Be Successful At The Perfect Pitch

Pitch Perfect Competition

Friday March 17, 2017
Started at 9:30am

At the conference I participated in the Pitch Perfect Competition. I'm not going to lie, I did horrible. I'm not going to make excuses for my failure, I was unprepared. I didn't sign up for this competition at first because I wasn't really comfortable pitching myself to someone (later I learned it was a panel of someone's). I believe personally that you shouldn't have to pitch yourself, it should be a conversation, but I digress. I volunteered last minute before we departed for the conference for a friend of mine that was overbooked that day. I thought, how hard could it be, just tell them your great and walk out. Well I'm here to tell you that it is not that easy, for me at least. So since I was unprepared and the conference doesn't really give you the right material to be prepared. I'm taking my failure and giving you tips and information on how to not be a flop when you enter that room.

When You Register

If you're not like me and you signed up for this competition because you enjoy pitching yourself/items to people, than I give you kudos. So when you first sign up, they say congratulations and all that jazz, but they give you a link to a couple pages long summary of a made-up/real company and what that company is looking for. They don't tell you, but that is not the practice material. Some other competitions at the conference give you practice material and when you register the day of the competition they give you the real material, this is not the case with this competition. The summary they send you is what you use to write your pitch. I didn't know this going in, if I did, I probably would of been a little bit more prepared. 

The Pitch Instructions

You have 90 seconds to pitch yourself to this company for a job. They say in the summary that they recommend telling a story, examples or whatever you feel comfortable doing. They tell you a better summary of what the competition is on the AMA conference app that I didn't know existed till we got their (download before you get there, couldn't of gotten through the conference without it). They say "...your goal is to provide 2-3 key selling points why you are an ideal candidate and then supporting these qualifications with exemplars. And of course, the end goal is to get hire (close the deal)." This is a way better explanation than what they first give you, I would follow this format. 

Writing The Pitch

You should have your pitch written a week before you leave for the conference and have been rehearsing it to the point that it is memorized. Why? Because I didn't do that and I failed, also because you can't have note cards or paper in the room so you have to have it memorized. So when I was writing my pitch (half and hour before I was suppose to go into that room, bad idea) I looked at the summary they give you and I picked out all my strong suits. Then I picked 2-4 skills that I could give great examples for. So as you're writing all this done, remember your goal is to get the job, so you need an opener and a closer. Your pitch should look like this; opener, 2-4 skills, examples of skills, closer. Then you time yourself to make sure your not over 90 seconds. If your under, elaborate more on your example/stories for your skills. Then practice in front of people. You will be in front of a panel of judges and you will have to pitch to them. Practicing in front of people before will help tremendously!

Pitching The Pitch

So in the email they send you with the summary, they give you a time when you check in and when you enter the room. So on the day of the competition you check in and wait outside the door of the room that the panel is going to be in. Try to stay calm, and just keep saying your pitch over and over again in your mind. When you walk into that room make sure you smile and introduce yourself. Then give your pitch. This is where the practicing in front of people and memorizing comes in handy, because I got halfway through my pitch and blanked. I blanked because I was nervous but also because I was unprepared. 

I hope by writing this and giving you a better process than what the conference gives you, that when you do this competition you knock it out of the park! 

Please learn from my unprepared mistakes and go prepared to this competition.