Fake It If You Have To
Recently I was part of a new business pitch for a technology company. My agency was one of several invited to present our A-to-Z strategy and ideas on how to take the company to the next level, and we spent a lot of time putting everything together.
The big day arrives, we walk in and get started. Within minutes we knew that the company had fallen in love with one of the earlier presenting agencies, and was only going through the motions with us. No, it didn’t actually say so, but after you’ve been at this for a while you can tell. And the occasional yawns and other stuff that came later simply solidified the team’s initial impression.
Yeah, you win some and you lose some. Happens all the time, and the sooner you get used to that the better. But here’s the deal: Even if a company’s already picked a favorite, there’s no need to be obvious about it until everyone’s finished — there’s time enough later to make it official.
Barring genuine interest, at least fake it until we’ve left the building.
Tags: business pitch, public relations, PR
Well, maybe if your firm started with a “B” instead of a “V”, you’d have been further up the line instead of near the end of the presentations.
Welcome back. Your dreams were your ticket out.
Not related to this post one bit. Drop me a line and give me some tips about traveling to Europe, would you? I’m going to Stockholm to host PodCamp Europe, and I’m nervous about what I won’t know that everyone else will say, “Well, duh!” I’ve got the Passport. I have a power adapter. I heard to use my ATM and not buy cash through those places.
What else?
Oh, and people who aren’t polite during your pitch deserve your ire. : )
What matters is what you wore - it is all about fashion.
@Ike, thanks buddy.
@Chris, I direct-messaged you. Have a safe trip.
@ BecauseGuy, only you would say that
I totally agree. That’s so disrespectful and rude. These companies have put forth time and effort to give a error free presentation the least you can do is entertain them by paying attention.
This just shows me to keep it all about business and never make it personal. I have to realize that my best will please some and be overlooked by others. It’s how the world works.