I was recently involved in a bid to provide a programme of sales skills training workshops for a large corporate organisation in London.
As part of the supplier selection process, they asked me to meet them and invited me to tell them about johnpc ltd.
Keen to impress, I opened my pitch by informing them that my Great Grandfather (on my mother’s side) was a Lieutenant in the British Army, who fought in the Crimean war and was part of the famous Charge of the Light Brigade at the battle of Balaclava in 1854.
They looked at me somewhat bemused, then politely said “that whilst this was very interesting, it wasn’t actually what they had in mind when they invited me to meet them; what they actually wanted to know was what value I could bring to their organisation.”
What you’ve just read is a complete fabrication, not a word of it is true
Why have I lied to you? Here’s why.
The next time you’re invited to present your organisation, its capabilities and resources to a prospective customer, focus on them and what value you can bring to them.
Don’t start your pitch with the fact that your business was founded in 1935 and used to make handles for grinding machines or you’ve been in business 100 years in the same industry et al; they don’t care (really they don’t).
What they care about is what value you can bring to them and how you can help them do what they do, better than they do it now.
They’re interested in their future, not your past.
You can make up stories about your Great Granddad (on your mother’s side) after you’ve won the business.