Mastering the Art of Pitching | 6 Pitches Every Manager Needs to Know

What if I told you that every conversation you have as a manager is an opportunity to make a pitch?

Whether you're trying to influence your team, get buy in from upper management, or simply share an idea, the way you pitch it makes all the difference.

But in today's fast paced world, it's not about pitching harder. It's about pitching smarter.

That's why in this episode, I'm going to show you the six pitches that every manager needs to know to communicate with confidence and make sure your ideas stick.

Hey, everybody. And welcome back to the channel. I'm Doug Howard and if you're new here, I help managers and leaders develop the skills that you need to lead effectively, communicate with impact, and inspire your teams. If you're looking for practical leadership tips, make sure you hit the subscribe button and turn on notifications that you never miss an episode.

Today we're diving into the art of pitching specifically the six type of pitches every manager should have in their toolkit. Now these pitch types will help you tailor your message to any audience, whether you're pitching to your team, to upper management, or to stakeholders.

Common Mistakes Managers Make When Pitching

Now we're going to break down what these pitches are and how you can use them to get your ideas across effectively. But I want to start by touching on the common mistakes that a lot of managers make when pitching.

The biggest thing is many managers make the mistake of relying on a one size fits all approach when pitching. They use the same style, the same tone, and the same language for every type of audience, hoping that it's going to work regardless of the situation. Much to their surprise, this often leads to disconnects, miscommunication, and lost opportunities to gain support for their ideas.

This happens because most people don't realize that different scenarios require different types of pitches. They end up getting comfortable with one way of communicating, and then they make the mistake of assuming that it'll be effective in every context. But when you don't tailor your pitch to the specific audience or the specific situation, you risk losing their attention, their interest, or their buy-in. That's why it's essential to understand the different types of pitches and when to use them to maximize your impact.

Pitch #1 - The One Word Pitch

Let's start with the simplest pitch and it's called the one word pitch. The one word pitch is about distilling your message down to a single memorable word.

Think of it with brands like Google. When I say Google, what word do you think of? You probably think of the word search. Or if you think of MasterCard, what word do you think of? You probably think of the word priceless.

For managers, a one word pitch can be a powerful way to communicate the core essence of your idea or your vision. You want to use the one word pitch when you need to grab attention quickly and make sure your message sticks. It's perfect for vision statements, rallying cries, or communicating core values to your team.

Let's imagine that you're leading a team that's struggling with efficiency, and you want to rally them around the idea of streamlining processes. You decide to pitch the vision with one impactful word, simplify.

For example, you'd say to your team, Hey team, our focus for the next quarter is going to be on one thing, simplify. Every project, every process, every task, let's find ways to make it simpler. This means cutting out unnecessary steps, automating where possible, and prioritizing what really matters. If we can do that, we'll not only work faster, but we'll also work smarter.

Now, in this example, the single word simplify captures the entire strategy in a way that's easy to remember and repeat, and it becomes a rallying cry that the team can align around. If you're in a group meeting, you just bring that one word to the center of attention. Hey, everyone simplify. Are we simplifying here? Or are we making this overcomplicated?

That's how you can really have a core message like that resonate. You can immediately call to everyone's attention in a way that's going to get them to understand what you mean, redirect their focus, and get in line with the mission or the vision that you're trying to pull.

Now, some tips when you're using the one word pitch. First off, you want to make sure you choose a word that resonates emotionally and intellectually with the idea that you're trying to convey. You want to make sure the word is simple and impactful, and you want to start by testing it on a small group to see if it captures the essence of your message.

Pick someone on your team that you really trust, and you trust their opinion and value their feedback. Ask them, hey, I'm trying to convey this message to the team, and I want to simplify it to one word. What do you think? Does this capture that? Test it out before you go to the masses with it.

Pitch #2 - The Question Pitch

Next up is the question pitch. Instead of making a statement, you pose a question that encourages the audience to think and engage. For example, you could say isn't it time we prioritize customer experience. Or you could say what if we could reduce our turnaround by 30%? Questions like this stimulate curiosity and create a sense of ownership over the idea.

You want to use the question pitch when you want to inspire critical thinking or challenge the status quo. It's great for team discussions, strategy meetings, or when you want to initiate problem solving.

Let's say you want your team to adopt a new software tool that's going to improve communication and reduce errors. Instead of telling them why this is the best option, you want to ask a question that encourages them to think critically. For example, you could say something like this. What if we had a tool that would cut our email volume in half while keeping everyone on the same page? Wouldn't that save us time and reduce the chances of missing important information? By posing a question like this, you invite your team to visualize the benefits of the new tool and engage with the idea rather than just passively hearing about it.

Now, some tips when you're using the question pitch. Choose questions that are thought provoking and open ended. You don't want to ask questions that are yes or no, because then the discussion ends right there, and there's no thought provoking. You want to make sure the question leads the audience towards the idea or the solution you're pitching. You also want to use that question to spark discussion and invite input.

Pitch #3 - The Rhyming Pitch

Next up is the rhyming pitch. The rhyming pitch is all about using memorable rhyming language to make your message stick in people's brains. Research shows that rhyming phrases are easier to remember and they're more persuasive. Think about it. Phrases like, if it doesn't fit, you must acquit are literally automatically locked into your brain even if you don't want to remember it. You'll never forget these types of phrases.

For managers, using rhyming pitches can be a fun way to highlight key takeaways, rally the team around an initiative, and make sure your idea sticks. You want to use the rhyming pitch when you want to emphasize a key point, or when you want to make an idea more memorable, or just add a touch of creativity to your communication. It's perfect for slogans, catchphrases, mottos, or team goals.

For example, imagine you're a leader in a position where you're trying to roll out a new policy to improve meeting efficiency. To make your point memorable, you could use a catchy rhyme like, less talk, more walk. You could present this to your team like this. From now on, our meeting motto is simple. Less talk, more walk. Let's focus on quick updates, clear action items, and making sure every meeting ends with a clear path forward. It's time to cut the chatter and make things happen. Now in this example, the rhyme is less talk, more walk is very easy to remember, it's clever, it rhymes, and it communicates a clear shift in behavior in a very catchy way.

Now some tips when using this pitch type. Keep it short and simple. There's no need for you to be a poet here. Make sure that the rhyme serves a purpose and that it reinforces your message. Use this technique sparingly to avoid sounding gimmicky. If you're struggling to find a way to creatively transform your pitch into a clever rhyme, Use chat GPT to help you out.

Pitch #4 - The Subject Line Pitch

Next up we have the subject line pitch. The subject line pitch takes its inspiration from email subject lines. It's about crafting a short intriguing statement that sparks curiosity and makes people want to know more.

For example, why our last project exceeded expectations or three reasons we need to change our course. This type of pitch is designed to draw people in, create curiosity, and encourage them to pay attention, or encourage them to want to learn more about what your message is. You want to use the subject line pitch when you're introducing a new idea, giving a presentation, or trying to get your team's attention on a specific topic. It's great for setting the stage for deeper discussions.

For example, let's say you're about to present a new strategy to your team for increasing customer satisfaction. To capture their interest right away, you want to use a subject line style pitch. Here's an example of how you would do that. When addressing your team, you would say, here's what we're going to cover today. Three simple changes that will make our customers happier. These are actionable steps we can implement immediately to see a big difference in how our customers perceive our service. Then after you say that you would continue into giving your presentation.

Now, a subject line pitch grabs attention and sets a clear expectation for what's to come and this is what makes it so effective. It sets the tone and sets the stage for the rest of your pitch. It's concise and it immediately tells your team why they should continue listening to them. If you don't give them a reason to listen to you upfront, they're not going to continue listening to the rest of what you have to say. So that's why it's really important to introduce it this way.

Here's some additional tips for using the subject line pitch effectively. Make sure you keep it concise and intriguing. Less is more. The whole goal here is to pique their curiosity. Not over info dump or anything like that. If you can, if it's practical, use numbers, use questions, or surprising statements to catch their attention. Now, when you're doing this, take a step back and think what would make you curious enough to click or to listen or to continue reading, depending on how you're conveying your message. Put yourself in the audience's shoes. What would intrigue you to want to listen to the rest of what this person has to say about this message?

Pitch #5 - The Twitter Pitch

The next type of pitch is called the Twitter pitch. The Twitter pitch is all about communicating your message in under 140 characters. Just like a tweet. It forces you to be concise, clear, and direct. For managers, this is a great way to refine your core message and make sure that it's easy to understand and repeat.

You want to use the Twitter pitch when you need to convey an idea quickly and clearly, whether it's an elevator pitch, or a team update, or a project summary. It's perfect for situations where time is limited.

For example, let's say you're in a situation where you're making a quick pitch for a new initiative in an all hands on meeting. You need to be concise and to the point. So you use a Twitter style pitch here, and it would sound something like this. Our goal this quarter is simple. Cut project delays by 20 percent by streamlining approvals and empowering decision makers. Let's make it happen. The Twitter pitch forces you to distill your message to its core. It's brief, it's clear, and it focuses on a specific goal, making it easy for your audience to understand and to remember.

Here's some additional tips on how to do the Twitter pitch effectively. First, focus on clarity. Make sure you're crystal clear on what the core message is. Use simple, direct language that gets to the point. Ruthlessly edit and eliminate unnecessary words.

Pitch #6 - The Pixar Pitch

The sixth and last pitch type is called the Pixar pitch. The Pixar pitch follows a storytelling structure that's used by Pixar in all of their films. And it goes something like this. Once upon a time, this happened. Every day, this happened. Until one day, this happened. And because of that, this happened. And because of that, this also happened. Until finally, the solution happened.

Now, this will make more sense in a second when I give you an example, but what I want to emphasize first is that for managers, the Pixar pitch is a way to frame your idea or proposal as a story, highlighting the problem, the solution, and the desired outcome. You want to use the Pixar pitch when you're introducing a new initiative, proposing a solution, or sharing a vision. It's great for storytelling, inspiring your team or getting buy in from stakeholders.

To give you an example of how to use this, let's say you're introducing a major change initiative to improve the team's workflow and you decide to frame it as a story using the Pixar pitch format. You could say something like this. Once upon our time, our team was spending way too much time on repetitive tasks and manual processes. Every day we'd lose valuable hours that could have been used for more strategic work. Until one day we found a solution. It was a new software platform that automates 70 percent of our manual workflows. And because of that, our team was able to focus on more meaningful projects. And because of that, we saw a 30 percent increase in productivity and higher employee satisfaction. Until finally we became known as the team that gets things done on time, every time.

The Pixar pitch is great because it tells a story with a clear problem, a turning point, and a positive resolution. It's engaging. It's memorable and it taps into the emotional side of communication.

Some tips on how to use the Pixar pitch. First, you want to make sure you focus on the narrative arc. That means, you want to start the story with a problem. Then you want to follow it with the solution. And then you want to follow it by the result of that solution. But make sure you keep it concise. Make sure the story has a clear beginning, middle, and end. And make sure to use emotional language to make the story resonate.

These are the six pitches every manager needs to know whether you're using the one word pitch to distill your vision, or the question pitch to spark dialogue, or the Pixar pitch to tell a compelling story, each one of these pitches has a purpose and a place. The key is to match the pitch to the situation so that you can communicate with clarity and impact.

But mastering the art of pitching is only the beginning. To become a truly effective leader, you need to know how to influence across all levels of your organization. That's why I encourage you to check out my next episode called, How to Influence Upward, Downward, and Cross Functionally at Work. In that video, I share actionable strategies for gaining buy in and support, no matter who you're speaking to. I'll see you in the next video.

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