Teach Your Customers Something New

By incorporating fresh ideas into your pitches, you're more likely to capture your audience's imagination—and land their business

by Carmine Gallo

The other week, I was invited to speak on a panel at a financial conference. During a discussion on the topic of leadership communications, a prominent venture capitalist seated next to me mentioned that one of the things he looks for in a pitch is whether the speaker teaches him something he never knew before. He explained that he wants to invest in people who are smarter than he is.

Our conversation reminded me of a conversation I had with another venture capitalist a couple of years ago. He said the same thing: If an entrepreneur can teach him something new, it's a surefire way to capture his imagination—and perhaps his backing.

Teach your listeners something new. It's especially important when pitching new customers or selling new services and products to existing customers. Your customers want to know that you're on the cutting edge, that you're "smarter" than they are in a given area. It gives them confidence in you. The more confident they are in your leadership, the more likely you are to land and keep their business.

Never Use the Same Story Twice

You can only offer new lessons if you continue to learn—and you cannot continue to learn unless you're curious. Captivating business leaders are curious about the world in which they live and the world in which they do business. But they take it one step further: Leaders who are magnificent communicators incorporate what they learn into their conversations, presentations, and pitches. Take Virgin's Richard Branson, whose curiosity has led to Virgin Group's involvement with planes, trains, finance, soft drinks, music, mobile phones, holidays, cars, publishing, even space travel. Be curious. Learn something new and transmit that information to your audiences. It will you help stand out.

Financial guru Suze Orman told me that as a financial planner in the early part of her career, she would keep conversations topical by never using the same story twice. "Money is fluid," Orman said. "If I use a story, it happened a few minutes before or it comes up spontaneously. When one has a stable of stories, it takes you back to the past rather than keeping you in the moment, where you need to be. I try to keep my mind clear and have the faith that when I need something, it will be there. Otherwise, I have to think back to a story. It takes me out of the moment. If I lose my audience for one second, I've lost them. I never, ever use the same story twice."

Orman is one of the most successful financial planners in the world for a reason. She communicates complex financial topics in simple language. But more importantly, she makes the information interesting.

Monster.com founder Jeff Taylor is interested in the world outside of his company, and that makes him interesting. Taylor is a big believer in change and innovation. In fact, he has since left Monster to start a new company—Eons.com—a Web site targeting individuals over 50 (see BusinessWeek.com, 10/16/06, "MySpace for Baby Boomers"). Taylor once told me, "Many executives don't get out much. They understand their company or product but have no idea how it actually applies to the world." Taylor "gets out." He's equally adept at talking about management theories or pop culture.

Break Out of the Mold

What contemporary references can you include in your next presentation? Think about popular movies, events, or music. When's the last time you shared new management strategies, insights, or book recommendations with your colleagues, customers, or employees? What can you share with them to improve the way they do business? Do you read the same newspapers and magazines every week? If so, break out of the mold and read something completely out of character. You will be surprised at how much fresh material you will be able to incorporate into your speeches, pitches, and presentations by climbing out of your shell.

Think back to your last pitch or presentation. Did you incorporate anything that happened that day or that week? Make it a point to learn something new and to bring that information into your conversations as it applies to your company and your client. If you learn something at a conference, from a newspaper or magazine article, or from a book, share that information with your customers. You don't need to be an expert in each topic you mention, but by incorporating fresh ideas into your pitches, you will be far more engaging and likely to land their business.

a href="carmine@gallocommunications.com">Carmine Gallo, a business communications coach and Emmy-Award winning former TV journalist, is the author of 10 Simple Secrets of the World's Greatest Business Communicators and Fire Them Up! He writes his communications column every other week.