Perfect Pitch: The Art of Selling Ideas and Winning New Business (Adweek Books)

Praise for Perfect Pitch "Good ideas are so frequently undermined by bad presentations that it is almost tragic. Steel not only understands the art of persuasion, he cuts a swath through the bad habits that dominate so much of business communication. This is an absolute must-read for anyone whose success hinges on the ability to get others to act on an idea." —Shelly Lazarus, Chairman and CEO, Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide "If you're in sales—and who isn't these days?—you need this book. Steel is felt by many to be among the finest new business presentation architects in the last twenty years. His book represents pearls of wisdom from a master." —David Verklin, CEO, Carat Americas "I have seen Jon Steel present on several occasions and I'm happy to report that he writes as well as he presents. I recommend this book to anyone who has to engage and persuade an audience for a living." —Simon Clift, Chief Marketing Officer, Unilever PLC "In our business we live and die by the quality of our work and the quality of our new business presentations. Now, Steel has written the bible on presentations. I'm patiently waiting for him to write the other bible we all need." —Mike Hughes, President and Creative Director, The Martin Agency Introduction: An Audience with Steve Jobs. Chapter 1. Presentation Crime: Why Most Presentations Fail. Chapter 2. Imperfect Pitch: The People of the State of California v. Orenthal James Simpson. Chapter 3. Bill Clinton, Johnnie Cochran, and a London Hooker: Learning from the World's Best Presenters. Chapter 4. Making Connections: Planning the Perfect Pitch. Chapter 5. Trevor's Sledgehammer: Crating room for Thought. Chapter 6. We Will Fight them in the Boardroom: How to Run a Great Idea by Presenting it Badly. Chapter 7. Benign Dictatorship: Leading the Perfect Team Pitch. Chapter 8. The Pitch and Beyond: How to Leave the Client Wanting More. Chapter 9. The Perfect Pitch: London's Winning bid for the 2012 Olympic Games. Acknowledgments. Bibliography. Index. About the Author. Contents 8 Introduction: An Audience with Steve Jobs 10 1. Presentation Crimes: Why most presentations fail 28 2. Imperfect Pitch: The People of the State of California v. Orenthal James Simpson 48 3. Bill Clinton, Johnnie Cochran, and a London Hooker: Learning from the world's best presenters 66 4. Making Connections: Planning the Perfect Pitch 96 5. Trevor鈥檚 Sledgehammer: Creating room for thought 128 6. We Will Fight Them in the Boardroom: How to ruin a great idea by presenting it badly 142 7. Benign Dictatorship: Leading the perfect pitch team 168 8. The Pitch and Beyond: How to leave the client wanting more 208 9. The Perfect Pitch: London's winning bid for the 2012 Olympic Games 232 Acknowledgments 272 Bibliography 276 Index 280 About the Author 288 "Jon Steel identifies the "presentation crimes" committed every day across the business world and the pillars on which all successful presentations are built. He discusses audience psychology, the importance of listening, and how to use real-world examples to make points more powerfully. Perfect Pitch covers every aspect of the pitch process, from assembling a presentation team to rehearsals and the preparation of compelling leave-behind documents."--Jacket A professional "pitching coach" for one of the world's largest marketing conglomerates, Jon Steel shares his secrets and explains how you can create presentations and pitches that win hearts, minds, and new business. He identifies the dos and don'ts and uses real-world examples to prove his points. If you make pitches for new business, this is the perfect book for you In Perfect Pitch, bestselling author Jon Steel shows readers how the principles of advertising research and planning can be applied to the business of presenting and selling ideas. While many books offer tips on persuasion, this is the only book tailored specifically to advertising industry professionals who must sell their ideas or perish.