Pitch
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June 12, 2012; Source: Give Social

An organization that matches corporate donors with education projects in need of funding posted this lovely story on its blog about the art of pitches:

“…[O]ne of Give Social’s employees was on her way from the Georgetown office to the Foggy Bottom metro station. A nice young gentleman proceeded to approach and compliment her, and followed with a Pitch (which [was] comprised of a summary of his virtues and eligibility) and an Ask (an appeal for a more formal meeting at a future time and place). The Give Social employee, while flattered, felt it best to politely decline the advance, but in the interest of arming the gentleman with the tools to achieve a successful Ask in the future, she bluntly asked if he’d like feedback on his performance.

Slightly taken aback, he agreed, and listened intently as she documented for him the merits and drawbacks of his Pitch. ‘Don’t sell yourself short,’ she told him. ‘You need to frontload your message so that the good stuff is the first thing I hear. Using humor was effective—keep that up—but while a little self deprecation is ok, make sure I walk away impressed with your confidence.””

Sounds right to us, but I am not sure the young man will be completely happy with the result. –Ruth McCambridge