By Oren Klaff

How to pitch anythingI love the way the book opens – with a pitch. Here it is:

Here’s the “big idea” in 76 words: There is a fundamental disconnect between the way we pitch anything and the way it is received by our audience. As a result, at the crucial moment, when it is most important to be convincing, nine out of ten times we are not. Our most important messages have a surprisingly low chance of getting through. You need to understand why this disconnect occurs in order to overcome it, succeed and profit. This book tells you how.

I don’t know about you but when I read that I knew I wanted to read this book. The author isn’t a journalist or writer, he is a practitioner. He raises capital for businesses looking to grow or go public. In other words, he’s made a lot of pitches.

His experience and success makes him credible. His stories are interesting, and he has made a life’s work at getting better at pitching. In this book he shares what he has learned.

While he has learned by doing he has also learned by study. This shares the science behind what he has learned and why it works.

If you don’t sell, “pitch” or negotiate for a living, you might think this book isn’t for you. While it is true that the examples lean in the direction of the author’s experience, the lessons for anyone who communicates, presents or wants to persuade are priceless. There were things here I knew and/or have read before, and there is much that is new.

This book is worth reading, applying and reading again. I’m personally in the midst of that process myself.

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Kevin Eikenberry is a recognized world expert on leadership development and learning and is the Chief Potential Officer of The Kevin Eikenberry Group. He has spent over 30 years helping organizations across North America, and leaders from around the world, on leadership, learning, teams and teamwork, communication and more.

Twice he has been named by Inc.com as one of the Top 100 Leadership and Management Experts in the World and 100 Great Leadership Speakers for Your Next Conference. The American Management Association named him a “Leaders to Watch” and he has been twice named as one of the World's Top 30 Leadership Professionals by Global Gurus. Top Sales World has named him a Top Sales & Marketing Influencer several times, and his blog has been named on many “best of” lists. LeadersHum has named him one of the 200 Biggest Voices in Leadership in 2023.

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