Tool kit: Pitch new ideas

- We have three activities for you to enhance your influential skills. Number one, nothing happens in a vacuum. To get ideas approved and projects accomplished, you need people who are in different circles in your personal and professional life. My former student and current music industry executive calls this the power list. Let's start with a power 20 list. Here's how it works. List four of your professional networks that you utilize. Consider the networks you depend on when you need to ask for information or advice. For each of these four networks, think of five people who are essential to the power of your network. Not necessarily people that you have a personal connection with, but people who you've met and want to stay in contact with. Next, develop a networking code. Make an effort to reach out to everyone on this list at least once a month. Any form of contact counts, texting, calling, email. Create a tracking system, whatever works to help you stay organized. Make a simple visual to allow a quick scan of your professional network. Now here's another activity. Take out your mobile phone and look at the last 10 numbers that you dialed. Think of topics that require you to influence each of these 10 people. My mom is on my last 10 dials, and I need to convince her to use her swimming pool access pass that I bought for her. Now, you write out 10 names, your influence goal, and what's in it for them, their incentive. What's in it for my mom? She'll stay healthy. Now write head or heart decision-maker and see if that changes your incentive statement. For example, knowing my mom is a heart decision-maker, maybe I'll change her value proposition to, Hey mom, you'll get to see friends at the pool. Finally, consider your timing. When will you be talking again to this person? What are your campaign steps? What will you bring up and when? Here's your last activity, it's a fun way to practice your pitching skills. Imagine you need to sell a teapot to a flight attendant. I know, crazy, but practice your what, why and how format and include incentives for the flight attendant to buy the teapot. Now, imagine selling the same teapot to a Sumo wrestler. How do you change your what, why and how? What's the new incentive for the wrestler? Now, try finding some random objects sitting around, it could be anything. Convince a friend or colleague to purchase one of these items. Practice your what, why, how format. Make sure you back up your reasons with evidence and tailor your pitch to that specific friend. Once you've done that, try selling the same object to someone else and note how your approach has changed. Get feedback from them. What would you have done differently? The purpose of this exercise is to get more comfortable with the what, why, how format. Once you've done that, the pattern is yours and you'll be ready to pitch like a pro.