You are at your computer. Someone just referred you to a contact who they think needs your products or services.  You need to write an email to introduce yourself.  How do you start?

You run into a contact of yours in a store.  In the first few moments of your chat you remember that this person’s work could actually dovetail with some aspect of your business. How do you bring it up?

You met someone at a networking event and got their business card.  A day later, you are trying to think of what to say to follow up.  You had a great conversation at the meeting, but now that momentum seems to be entirely gone.

Does this sound like you?  I guarantee you that you are not alone.  The idea of giving a pitch makes a lot of business owners nervous, and this is a tough place to start from.  What do you need to say to make the perfect pitch?

The perfect pitch comes from a place of knowing your audience.  As much as you can prepare what you want to say about your product, service, or business, the only thing that really matters is what the person you are talking to cares about.  If what they care about relates to what you do, then this can work!  If what they care about is unrelated, better to find that out quickly.  The perfect pitch means that you get to the root of your mutual interests.  But you already know what is important to you – it is the other person you need to learn about to see if there is opportunity.

The perfect pitch means that you get to the root of your mutual interests. #mktg #smallbiz #smb Share on X

The perfect pitch starts from research.  Sometimes we have the luxury of getting to know who we are talking to beforehand.  This could mean doing a Google search before you give the presentation or write the email.  Looking up a list of speakers or other attendees before the networking event.  This could even mean going back to the person who made the referral and asking why this particular contact came to mind.

The perfect pitch starts from research. #marketing #smallbiz #smb #smallbusiness #salestips Share on X

In many cases we do not have the luxury of advance research, but that doesn’t mean that getting information about the person you are speaking with isn’t important.  Very often the best networking can happen unexpectedly and out of context.  In these moments, your best friend is asking questions.

Asking questions gives you the flexibility to adapt your pitch.  Rather than launching into a prepared 30-second summary, see if you can get started with some open-ended questions.  Learn a little more about the person you are communicating with.  Listen.  Instead of thinking about what you are going to say, listen.  Let them give you clues on if and how they might be good customers, collaborators, investors, employees, etc.  In an email, you can pepper in your research questions so that you are inviting a dialogue rather than dropping a fully-formed pitch that they either have to say “yes” or “no” to.

Asking questions gives you the flexibility to adapt your pitch. #smallbiz #smb #sales #business Share on X

When you can sense moments of connection – either in person through body language or by email through what they focus on – you will see what part of the topic is of mutual interest.  That is the new center of your conversation, regardless of what you have rehearsed.

The perfect pitch is about perfectly reading the situation and what it calls for.  The perfect pitch is about looking for the mutual interests and not just what you hope are mutual interests.  The perfect pitch comes from listening, adapting your conversation, and still getting your core points across.

Still stuck?  If you need some ideas on how to craft the perfect pitch, check out my Marketing Outreach Guide here!  This includes templates for how to reach out to tell people about your business, invite new partnerships, contact previous customers, prospect with leads you are trying to hook, and break the ice with cold leads.