Sales pitch review | The Proposition

What a pitch review is

A pitch review is somebody experienced going through what you say, how you say it and what you leave out, then telling you where a buyer will stop believing you.

It usually happens because a team is losing deals they expected to win and cannot see why from the inside.

What gets looked at

The opening. Most pitches spend their strongest minutes on the company rather than the buyer's situation. That is the most expensive thirty seconds in the deck.
The claim. What you are asserting, and whether anything in the pitch would convince somebody who started out sceptical.
The proof. Whether the evidence is about you or about a customer resembling the person watching.
The alternative. Whether the pitch addresses carrying on as they are, which is what you are usually losing to.
The objections. What happens at the moment somebody pushes back, which is where deals are won and where teams are least rehearsed.
The ask. Whether the next step is clear enough that the buyer knows what they are agreeing to.

How to improve a pitch yourself

Record yourself giving it and watch it back with the sound off first, then with the sound on and the slides hidden. Both versions tell you something.

Cut the company history. Nobody has ever bought because a firm was founded in 2011.

Rehearse the objections rather than the script. The script survives contact with a buyer and the objections are where it falls apart.

Find out who is in the meeting and what each of them is accountable for, then make sure the pitch gives every one of them something to say to their colleagues afterwards.

Questions people ask

Can you review a pitch we have already given?

Yes, and a recording of a real one is more useful than a rehearsal.

How long should a pitch be?

Shorter than the slot. Leave room for the conversation, which is where you find out what they are worried about.

Do you rewrite it or coach us through it?

Both are available. Teams that rewrite without rehearsing tend to revert under pressure.