Imagine you have a very important meeting to pitch to a prospective client tomorrow. Are you going to roll up with minimal preparation, and just hope for the best? Obviously every time you go referral networking, you don’t need to invest the same amount of preparation. However, you do need to do some preparation. Don't worry - this doesn't have to take up a lot of time. The more you do this, the better you get, and the less you have to prepare. If you feel your pitch could be better crafted, follow this simple process and watch the results:

1. Plan For The Perfect
Referral Networking Pitch
By John Fisher - Business for Breakfast
January 2011

2. A Few Thoughts
Imagine you have a very important meeting to pitch to a prospective client
tomorrow. Are you going to roll up with minimal preparation, and just hope
for the best?
Obviously every time you go referral networking, you don’t need to invest
the same amount of preparation. However, you do need to do some
preparation.
Don't worry - this doesn't have to take up a lot of time. The more you do
this, the better you get, and the less you have to prepare.
If you feel your pitch could be better crafted, follow this simple process and
watch the results:

3. The Tips (1)
First - put yourself in the shoes of your prospective clients. What problem
does your product or service solve? There may be multiple answers to this
question, so think about this issue over a few days.
• If you feel stuck it may be a good idea to ask friends and colleagues. People are less
close to your business may come up with more objective answers.
Second - list all they benefits that your product or service provides. Be
aware that benefits are not the same thing as features.
For example, a feature of your vending machines could be that you have a lot of
branded products. “So what?” thinks your prospective customer. Reframe this feature as
a benefit: the famous brands that fill your vending machines will result in more sales.

4. The Tips (2)
Third - write out your pitch, making sure you only include three key pieces
of information.
• Don’t overload the audience with too many facts and figures.
Finally - test out your pitch or someone you know - someone who is honest
and is not going to say “Oh that's good just to please you”.
• You are looking for constructive criticism rather than blind moral support!

5. Conclusion
Now go out there and...
practice, practice, practice!