How do you make sure that your pitch is effective? Make your presentations relevant to your customers. Robert Cialdini, persuasion guru has been researching persuasion since 1970. In his 2016 book Pre-suasion, he explains when to use his six universal principles of influence. He explains the three stages in a relationship between you and the person who you want to influence:

1. Build a relationship
2. Reduce uncertainty
3. Motivate to Action

For better understanding of the six principles, have a look at Cialdini's original best-selling book: Influence, The Psychology of Persuasion (1984). Or have a look at this 11 minute video, The Science of Persuasion.

In our experience, the most under-used principle is Commitment. People strive to be consistent with their previous public commitments. In business these public commitments can be found in many places: PowerPoint presentations, media releases, annual reports and even LinkedIn. Search for these statements made by people and organisations. Check if these statements are correct, then include these in your pitch and link your proposal to these priorities. To dramatically improve your chance of winning business or making the sale try the Persuading for Results course at the University of Newcastle, Sydney.