THIS MOMENT COUNTS · 29

One of the nicest things about introducing two people is when you get two thank you notes afterwards. Both are grateful you put them in touch. Both feel the new connection was very valuable for them, perhaps even something they’d been looking for for a long time.

I’ve often thought that the best business deals have a similar quality. Both sides feel lucky. Both think they’ve got the better end of the deal, perhaps something that closes a gap for them.

For example, you get money you so desperately need (and more than you need), while the other gets the technology they so desperately need (for what feels like a huge bargain to them). Or you get access to a broader audience. Or they get a much better CEO than they thought possible while you think it’s the opportunity of a lifetime.

I’ve always thought that’s a great way to approach a pitch, too. The best pitches work exactly like this. Our first toy deal was definitely of that kind, despite us being a total nobody in the industry. Both sides felt very lucky.

But so many pitches feel very differently. More like auditions. As if the other side has a prize to award and you need to prove you deserve it. Or as if the other side would do the pitching party a favor by saying yes.

And so the persuasion loop begins. People are trying to impress. Creating fireworks. Stacking up reasons upon reasons.

Which is a big problem because it creates an asymmetry.

On the one side: the decision-maker who has power over the prize.

On the other side: the presenter who’s desperately trying to get the prize.

The bigger the opportunity, the harder people try to prove they’re worthy of it. Which immediately lowers their status. Which the other side very much feels. And which almost always gets you in the weaker position when it comes to finally making the deal.

People often aren’t even considering that it could be mutual.

So, when I work with someone on an important pitch, that’s often what we work on first: Understand the other side. What would make them feel just as lucky?

Here’s a little exercise for your next pitch.

Complete this sentence from the other side’s perspective:

If we say yes, we’ll finally be able to __.

Then, write the thank-you note you'd, rather unexpectedly, receive from them a year later.

What exactly are they thanking you for? What can they finally do? What's become easier? What’s changed for their customers, their team, or their business? Make it specific and write it in their words.

Careful, though. Not what you hope they’ll appreciate about you. What they’ll actually be able to do that they couldn’t do before. Almost everyone I work with can give me at least a dozen good reasons for why the other side should say yes. But this is not that question. We’ll need to understand why they actually would be glad you came their way.

Here’s the thing:

If you struggle to complete the exercise, don’t even think about slides. The work now is not about creating the firework and make it look big and beautiful. It’s about knowing what to say in the first place. What actually makes this a great deal for them?

Sometimes, that means going back to the drawing board. Surprisingly often, though, it simply means looking at what you have to offer through their eyes. What feels perfectly ordinary to you might be exactly what they've been looking for. What you've barely mentioned might be the very reason they'd consider themselves lucky to work with you.

Once you've found that reason, there's a good chance you've found the most important thing to say. Now, you only need to put it into words.

If you have a pitch coming up and want to find those words, that’s what a 1:1 Talk Lab is for.

Keep lighting the path,
Michael

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