How to Pitch a win/win for Scientists and Researchers
Know your audience to pitch for a win/win.
To successfully pitch for a win/win you need to know your audience and what they are looking for. Don’t make the mistake one pitch fits all. Your opening remarks — your metaphorical story — your WHY— should address the needs of your specific audience.
By recognizing the needs of your audience you build a “we” relationship as opposed to an “I” relationship. In doing so, you will earn the trust and respect of your audience by establishing that symbiotic relationship right up front.
Venture Capitalists/Funders
Isn’t the primary concern of VCs and Funders how their money is being spent in relationship to the milestones originally proposed to them? Feature Function and facts and information take a backseat to this group? Simply put, they want to know if and when they get their investment back — plus. How you frame your pitch for a win/win to the VCs/Investors depends on whether you want more money now, just to let them know how well you’re doing with what they gave you, or you are priming them for additional fund requests later.
Scientific advisory boards
Make them comfortable you are following all the right protocols as you advance your research. They need to know what you’re doing makes some sense to them. Start by layering in the pitch some issues where you need their help to resolve so that they feel like they’re part of the team. To pitch for a win/win draw them in.
Regulatory Agencies
To pitch for a win/win, it is important to know the makeup and background of the people you will be pitching to. What are their political and social agendas? What is the gender mix? What is the age range? Are they the decision-makers? What type projects do they tend to fund? How knowledgeable are they about your research field?
The prior set of questions applies to any audience you will be pitching to.
For more Zoka Training tips on how to pitch for win/win or how to find your story click here.
As a coach, trainer and consultant, Larry Blumsack partners with people and organizations on the move and those already there to accelerate their communication, presentation and speaking skills to be on par with their ambition. Through one-on-one coaching and group training Larry helps leaders and aspiring leaders elevate their presence and communication skills to influence more people, sell more products-services-ideas and inspire others more successfully than they ever imagined.
Larry is the bestselling author of Face-to-Face is The Ultimate Social Media and founder of Zoka Institute and Zoka Training®. Zoka Training® — Mind/Voice/Body/Mindfulness in sync — is the result of Larry’s 45 years as a coach, acting teacher, actor, voice-over artist, theater and TV director/producer, radio & TV commentator and show host, speaker, trainer, serial entrepreneur, and syndicated columnist. Larry was a founding member of the theater department at Northeastern University.
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