February 3rd, 2012 | 10 comments | 3Ring Media

I suck at pitching in the “here let me tell you all about myself (or this client) and PS I don’t give a shit about what you do or who you are” kind of way. In my first agency job, I was groomed to establish relationships, to get to know the people I was contacting, and, most importantly to start a conversation. And I was really fucking good at it. It’s super easy to just draft up a form letter and do a mail merge, but I didn’t like that. And because I didn’t like that, I got results. Bloggers would email me back all “holy shit thank you for obviously knowing something about my blog instead of saying ‘hey blogger’ like other people have done in the past.” I never wanted to be one of those PR peeps that got blasted in front of the masses for some blanket pitch.

So, a few weeks ago, at Entrepreneur Magazine’s Growth Conference in Long Beach, I did exactly what I feared at my first agency job: a blanket pitch. To an editor for the magazine. In her face. Except this time I was pitching the only client that I’d ever know inside and out: I pitched my business. In three minutes. To someone I’ve never met.

I was in line with several hundred of my newest friends, a bunch of entrepreneurs just trying to get their shot at being covered by the magazine. For some, this would mean product sales. For others, it would mean exposure to a gigantic audience. For me, it was an exercise that led me to kinda sorta figure out what the hell I’m doing with 3Ring Media.

The man in front of me in line asked me what I do.

“3Ring Media is a marketing firm (me) that helps adventure sports companies with online marketing. Essentially, I help these peeps figure out how to be awesome online. Most of them are already awesome in the offline world, but they have no clue how to tackle online marketing.”

Sounds pretty good, right? No? Okay fine, I need to work on that. 

He asked me how many active skydivers there are. Last I heard, the USPA has some 30,000 active peeps paying dues, and that number doesn’t really seem to grow all that much, from what I gather. People decide to get out of the sport and they seem to be replaced with new, younger jumpers. But what he said next blew my mind.

“How many of those 30,000 members own their own company? Could you be helping skydivers with their marketing for their small business?”

DING DING DING DING DING

Yes, I could. And really, I am. He put the words in my mouth. I help Blue Skies Magazine, started by skydivers, by contributing content and offering marketing advice every once in awhile. I help CONFLO, a BASE-jumper founded clothing company, get closer and closer to their mission of being the Billabong or Quicksilver of the air sports world. I am helping my fellow jumpers market their businesses. I knew what I did and I know how I do it, but I had never put it into those words before.

After having this mini-epiphany, I read over the guidelines for the pitch the editor session. Everyone will get three minutes. You should talk about yourself, your business, and consider the following questions to keep your pitch on-target:

• What do you think is interesting or newsworthy about your company? Explain briefly.
• What key challenges or obstacles did you overcome while starting/growing your company? Explain briefly.
• Do you use any innovative or unusual marketing or sales strategies, financing strategies or management techniques?
• Have you developed an innovative product, service or technology?
• Is there a specific marketing/sales strategy, financing strategy or management technique that has greatly helped your business’s growth?

I guess I should have known better that this wouldn’t be a conversation – but I figured the bullet points were items I should have in mind for when my time came – perhaps the editor would be asking me questions and I’d be answering them, like more of an interview than anything else. I’m awesome at interviews, so I’m pumped. I’m thinking I’m going to nail this. I envision sitting on the couch at home and getting an email from Entrepreneur Magazine about how they need me to fly to wherever they’re based they can have a photo shoot with me for the cover of an upcoming issue – with 3Ring featured as an awesome business.

What actually happened was pretty much the exact opposite of nailing it.

I was totally out of my element, I was stumbling and rambling and I KNEW it. It’s like I was having an out of body experience, sitting next to the editor and watching myself look like an unprepared idiot. This version of pitching was totally outside of my comfort zone. I don’t believe in elevator pitches, at least not for what I do. My business is me. I’m what you get when we work together. I don’t have some product that I’m trying to sell, essentially, I’m selling a relationship with me and building trust that you know that I know what I’m talking about.

That said, I treat business (and life in general, really) similar to how I treat a cocktail party – I start a conversation with someone, ask them about who they are, where they’re from, what they do, all that, THEN talk about myself if they’re interested in hearing it. I’ve never just walked into a room and been like “HEY I’M SYDNEY AND 3RING MEDIA IS MY BUSINESS AND I’M HERE TO TELL YOU ALL ABOUT IT!”

Even though I totally fumbled around to make myself and 3Ring sound interesting, it was a great exercise. I learned a bit more about what 3Ring is shaping up to be, and also learned that this kind of conference is nowhere near what I’m used to. It just goes to show what an echo chamber we’re in when we’re talking to marketing/PR/social media types. When you’re used to talking to everyone about what you do and every person you’re talking to is also in the same industry, they totally get it, and they realize how important PR/Marketing/social is to business. When you’re talking to someone who has no clue how social media works and doesn’t have a clue how to get started with marketing, you really have to bring it back and explain it as if they have no clue what you’re talking about… because they don’t.

As awkward as I felt, I’m actually looking forward to the next opportunity I have to go to a conference like this.

After a skydive, we debrief and there’s a structure to it. State some things you liked about the skydive, and things you could improve upon and HOW. To start with “I sucked at ______” isn’t proper format, and my coach would slap me on the wrist if I didn’t debrief this experience properly. If you’ll notice, the title says “I suck at pitching” – which is bad debriefing form. So, to not totally rob myself of a proper debrief:

Things I liked: I loved finally seeing Erika Napoletano speak. She lit up my life and the room and I SO wish I could be at SXSW for her book launch. I liked catching up with Jason Falls and learning more about how he’s working on his book tour and what that all entails. I liked being outside of my comfort zone.

What I didn’t like: I didn’t like fumbling around during the pitch. I can improve upon this by practicing this kind of pitch so I know how to do it when I need to do it. Though I don’t prefer this method of talking about my business, I understand certain circumstances call for it, and I want to be totally fucking awesome at it when that happens next.

If you’re an entrepreneur, how do you pitch your business? Have you ever been to a similar conference? Do you have any tips for how to pitch if starting a conversation isn’t an option?

Tags: 3Ring Media entrepreneur magazine entrepreneurship pitching