We’ve all been there – having freshly started your business and hungry (maybe desperate?) to make a sale and get some money
You’re like 40% sure your work is worth spending money on, and the advice you read in those 15 articles online said you have to pitch yourself
You miss 100% of the shots you don’t take, right?
But uhhh… you’re missing 100% of those shots you do take for some reason
People aren’t responding to you, they’re even being kinda mean to you when they reply? You’re not getting sales, people aren’t asking to work with you like the business gurus said they would.
What are you doing wrong?
In an effort to not shame anyone, I won’t be using specific examples of bad pitching. We’re all bad at things the first time we try them, and I want you to get better at pitching.
So I’m gonna tell you what good pitches require, and how to get it done
do your research
Before you pitch that person, look em up. Check out their profile. Is there anything interesting about them? Is there any reason you’d wanna work with them (besides getting your bills paid)?
Do they even need what you’re pitching to them? And not in a “yes everyone needs what I’m selling way” – in a “this person specifically could benefit from what I offer because [reason you found while doing your research]”
Also, what’s their name? Make sure to get it right!
You’d be surprised how many pitches I’ve gotten that didn’t even get my name right 🫠 I know I have an unusual name, but this shows me that you didn’t try, you don’t pay attention to details, and you’re just looking to make a quick buck
These aren’t great ideas to place in a potential client’s mind when you’re pitching
have your shit (somewhat) together
You absolutely need somewhere for people to go to to get to know about you and inquire
It doesn’t even need to be a website per se. Just somewhere where they can get to know about you and what you do
People need to get more information to build trust in you and your work as a service provider and not having a home for your information isn’t gonna build that trust
If the person you’re pitching is gonna spend money on you, they’re gonna need to know that the quality of your work is up to their standards too – you check out the plumber’s previous work before he comes into your home, right?
What do you need for this landing page? I have a full blog post here
don’t go spamming
As with all relationships, consent matters
Did the person ask for your info to learn more about you or your work?
Does sharing your work seem appropriate in the context of the conversation happening right now?
If the answer to either of those questions are no, then keep your hands to yourself
People generally like when their autonomy is respected (including you I’m sure!), and that will matter more to them vs spamming your work
You’ll also get accused of being a bot and reported and blocked and that’s no bueno for your reputation and business anyway!
pitch intentionally, not desperately
I know this one is hard because you’re likely broke and really, really, really want your business to work out for you, but business is a long game – even if social media makes it look like it’s not
Businesses take on average 3-5 years to become profitable so you have to be prepared to be broke for a while, and NOT let it run off into your pitching strategy and messaging
That desperation bleeds off you and it repels folks FAST. They can smell it from a mile away, and will always be wary that you’ll treat them like a piggy bank vs an actual human being
If that’s NOT the impression you wanna give your audience, here’s what to do instead.
steps to pitching mindfully
step 1 – research + qualify who you’re gonna pitch
Does this person even want what you’re pitching? Can they afford to hire you? Do you already exist in their network?
If any of these are a no, don’t pitch em. But you can move on to step 2!
step 2 – engage authentically first
Comment on their posts (and not just emojis), like and share their posts if they are truly interesting to you. Don’t use an AI tool with this part. They need to trust that you’re interacting in good faith and authentically
Remember, trust is hard to build but easy to break and once it’s gone hard AF to rebuild
Just in general, be yourself! If you don’t find a post interesting, skip it. If you do, interact with it! It’s that simple
If you’ve already disqualified them as a good fit, this doesn’t mean that you get to skip this step. A no now could be a yes later, OR they could refer you to someone who is a good fit. You really never know so make sure your building trust and your reputation
P.S. this is basically what networking is!
step 3 – make your ask clear and specific
And the specificity is the important part – to build trust, your people need to know you’ve been paying attention!
Did you notice that they’ve complained a couple times about not being able to market effectively and you’re a marketer? This is a great time to pull that scenario out kindly and show them exactly how you can help them
If you have a specific service or package, mention/link that directly instead of giving them a list or a landing page to wade through or overwhelm them
If you’re sending this information via DMs it’ll be much easier for them to find later too!
step 4 – respect the response (or lack thereof)
Following up is definitely important – I usually recommend 3 times before you call it quits – but you don’t want to bombard them with follow ups
People have lives, they forget stuff, and maybe they’re just thinking about it before they get back to you
Or maybe they’re trying to be nice by ghosting you instead of hurting your feelings by declining (which is totally not your problem!)
If they do decline outright, accept it gracefully! Don’t try to push or convince them about the work to land the sale. Business gurus will tell you that you need to be tenacious with selling but remember what I said about consent earlier
Consent is best given enthusiastically and freely – it’s not really consent if you have to coerce
Oh and don't disappear if they decline or ghost your pitch. Keep engaging authentically if you genuinely enjoy their content!
the tl;dr
Learning how to pitch your services is skill that gets better over time with lots (and lots) of practice and observation. Your first pitches are gonna be weird, awkward, and maybe even cringe, but that’s part of the process!
There’s no ‘right’ way to pitch, but there are good pitches and bad ones. The difference is respect. Respect for the other person’s time and autonomy and the relationship you’re trying to build
Bad pitches always happen when you’re focused on what you need; a sale, your bills paid, a client. Good pitches happen when you’re focused on what the other person needs and whether you can genuinely help them without people pleasing
So if you’re send some awful pitches in the past, don’t beat yourself up about it. The first pancake is always a hot mess before you get the temperature right 😉
speaking of pitching…
I'm Sue-Jan, and I partner with entrepreneurs who want to grow their businesses without defaulting to the same status-quo advice that assumes everyone has unlimited capacity, energy and resources
If this made pitching feel less terrible, I have more deep dives on entrepreneurship in my membership, and you can get my brain in your business in a consult