If you haven't had the chance to catch up on this week's Coffee and Content, give it a read here:
https://www.stage32.com/blog/coffee-content-why-your-pitch-needs-to-be-h...
RB shares insights and a video on why being human first is your best approach to your pitch.
He's right. I spent years in commissioned sales and I never once approached a pitch like a sales pitch. People don't like being treated like an endgame or a money machine. I wouldn't.
Be a people, as my granddaughter would say. Connection will go further than lists of beats.
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"Be a people" Love that, Elle Bolan. :D You're right. Connection will go further than lists of beats. I ask the person I'm pitching to a question at the beginning so it's like I'm having a conversation with them/it grabs their attention.
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@Maurice Vaughan, it's absolutely one of my favorite things she says.
Asking questions and engaging with the other person is so vital. Signals that you know it's not all about you. Makes them feel like you're understanding, considerate, thoughtful, and can potentially be worked with.
Consideration never hurts anybody. As a sales person, whether it was standard retail sales like furniture or appliances, or commercial sales distribution, I treated everyone like somebody I'd known forever. Sounds weird, right? But it works. It's disarming yes, but it sets the tone for everything that follows.
It's as simple as asking how they're doing today and chit chatting about them for a minute. It helps make things comfortable. Even for the person pitching. Show you're a people and I bet they'll show that they're a people too.
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Yeah, exactly, Elle Bolan. The question I ask at the beginning of a written pitch is about the script I'm pitching. The question I ask at the start of a live pitch is about the person (like "how are you?"), then I ask a question that's about the script.
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Elle Bolan Thanks for reminding us of this amazing concept Elle!!! I loves RB's post, and the insight: just be human. And connecting sales, "civilian work", "non writing-acting" people, lol, also has a lot of value here. Pitching, collaborating, meeting people, "searching" can become formulaic and "fake", but when you just tap in to your, to be a bit cliche here, heart, soul, joy of why we write, act, create, then instead of pushing and forcing relationships, we just be human, and attract/magnetize/call in those perfect people aligned with our vision. A bit...out there...but, so is being human : )
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Wise words from RB always.
I've often said simply not being a complete weirdo in this game is a huge advantage. So many people act strangely. As ever, authenticity is a superpower well within every writer's reach.
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@CJ oh I'm so screwed then. I am a complete weirdo. Haha. But in good ways, I swear!
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Elle Bolan, yeah, there's certainly good types of weird and bad types of weird. There's a lot of creepy, passive-aggressive, pretentious, boastful, defensive, and neurotic behaviour out there that's best avoided. A lot of it seems to stem from the perception people have of industry members combined with personal insecurities. Realising that producers and execs are just people, and typically very kind people, changes everything.
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I've seen more writers lead with ego than other industry folks for sure, limited as my experience is. @CJ Walley
And I've already had a dose or two of the creepy and inappropriate. Seems like those folks find their way into all spaces. I try to only give my energy to those I feel alignment with. Don't feed what doesn't serve me.