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The Other Side of the Pitch

I have always wondered what would happen if I sat on the other side of a consulting pitch. 
  1. I recognize every phrase I've used as a consultant to gain trust and build a relationship with a client:
    • "I'd prefer to use handouts and not make a presentation." 
    • "We'd rather have a discussion and make this interactive [as opposed to us talking at you]"
    • "We'd like to understand your needs and listen to your issues so that we can see how we can help," and many others... 
  2. On the other side, I've learned that there is a different mentality or thought process - especially when you work for a big company.
    • "Tell me something that I don't know." And guess what? You aren't going to tell me something that I don't know, because we already know where we have problems."
    • "How much do these guys really understand about our business? Because unless they've worked here for 15 years, they don't know half the nuances." 
    • "We already have a lot of stuff going on. How can we make this minimally invasive."
So in order to differentiate yourself (as a consultant), I think you just need to go out on a limb and say stuff that's provocative if you think a conversation isn't going your way. You also need to recognize who your audience is and whether your pitch is even being made to the right buyer or decision maker. 

 So here's my advice when you make a pitch to a big company. 
  1. Go out on a limb. Say something completely provocative. What have you got to lose?
  2. Have a money slide. If you can get discussion going around one slide, that's a win. I've known people beat the crap out of a framework. 
  3. Make an investment. Big companies don't go away. All you need to do is get in. 

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