Pitching to a large enterprise: Essential tips

In my work I have the privilege of meeting dozens of companies every year, some are small startups and some are more advanced in their life cycle.

Here are a few tips that I would give any technological company that is sitting in front of me, or any large enterprise to that matter, pitching their solution.

A word of caution - this is my point of view and what works for me while others might see things differently.

1. Like many two-sides encounters, a knowledge gap exists between the sides. What you know, I don't know, and vice-versa. Bridging that gap is your task and you need to do it quickly. Therefore, explain things simply, don't assume I know the domain (you can always verify, it is not rude) give me examples, show me visuals, and walk me through demos. If we are not closer in understanding the matter in front of us, you have no chance in progressing with your sale.

2. Tightly connected to the previous point, build your pitch as a story. Stories are relatable, logical, and easy to remember. I don't mean you actually need to tell a story ("Rebecca is a Z-gen content creator scrolling through her feed, when she sees..."), but your pitch needs to be built as one. Like a story has part 1 that leads to part 2 that leads to part 3, and so on, you need to set the stage with the facts and background, which leads you to move to the problem part, which naturally leads you to your solution and so on. It has to flow and make sense, like a story.

3. Articulate the value-add. I need to hear you say what value this will create for me and it needs to be something clear and real. If you have a few use-cases or deliver multiple benefits, state them or better yet, narrow them down to one that will best resonate with me. Too many solutions sound like "Streamline X processes", "Orchestrate Y workflows", "Monitor Z operations" which is great, but you must follow that up with something I can grasp or touch, for instance, "Cost savings of 20% for this use-case across our customer-base" or "measured 40% on average of time savings per SME".

4. There are many solutions out there that are doing the same or dabble in the same space. Why you? Why your company? What's your secret sauce? Don't wait for me to ask it, beat me to it. Assume you are not the first one that talks to me about this. I want to be very clear about the following point, I am not always expect to hear that the reason is a new-special technology you invented. Your edge can be of many different aspects, for example, you found a way to make it cheaper, you have a unique/lucrative business model, you combine platform and services which no one else does, you operate only in this market therefore you are the best fit for my business, and more.

5. To continue the theme from the last point, you don't have to focus on the tech. Many think that it is important to explain the technology or dive into its depth, which I see as a mistake in the first or first few meetings. I found that when you go down the rabbit hole of the tech explanations and discussions, you usually miss out on one of the critical things above that are more critical in my mind (setting the stage, making sure I get it, articulating your edge, etc.).

6. Always be attentive to the audience. Read the room, constantly ask for validation ("Should I move on? / Is there any point you want to talk about next? / Should we run fast through this part?"), as you need to adjust based on what you see. People might lost you a few slides away, or know this already, or even just thinking about their previous meeting or the one after. Pitching on "auto" is never a good idea.

Good luck to everyone.