In this instructional video, speaking and pitch coach David Julian Price explains why a well‑crafted, concise pitch is a vital "verbal business card" that helps people know, like, and trust you. He argues that most people wing their pitch, which undermines memorability, and he outlines a step‑by‑step framework for creating a memorable pitch. Key recommendations include keeping the pitch to 20‑30 seconds, using a "pigeonhole" to anchor yourself in the listener’s memory, focusing on the specific pain you solve (the "Panadol" metaphor), narrowing your target audience, stating what makes you different, and placing your name at the end of the pitch. Price introduces a simple template he calls "Pitch Light": “You know when … I fix that. [Name]”, and demonstrates it with examples such as “Paul the Plumber” and “Pam the Bookkeeper”. He concludes by inviting viewers to contact him via D32 for further coaching.
Chapters
Hello, I'm David Julian Price, speaking coach and pitch coach. And I'm here today to talk to you about pitching. You know, the interesting thing that I notice about people is most people wing it. Most people wing their pitch. Now, that makes no sense to me because your pitch is your verbal business card. It's really, really important. You need to have a good pitch. You need to deliver it really well so that you're memorable. Remember, the secret is to get people to know, like, and trust you. And your pitch is a crucial part of that. So you need to create a great pitch, learn it, deliver it really well, and people will remember you. Let me give you a reality check. The shorter the pitch, within reason, the better. I'll give you the shortest pitch I've heard that I think really works. It's from a plumber. Goes like this. If you have a blocked drain, call me, Paul the plumber. Everyone remembers Paul the Plumber because it's so simple. Now when I say short, I don't mean everyone can do a 3-second pitch like Paul the Plumber can. Some people can. Sparkies, electricians can do it as well. Some tradies can do it. Other people need to say a little bit more. I acknowledge that. But keep it short. If you're still giving your pitch at 60 seconds, trust me, the audience has gone. They've left. They're out to lunch. So 30, 20, 30 seconds are really ideal for a really good pitch. Here's an interesting twist. The pitch isn't really for the people that are sitting there in front of you. It is for them, but it's more for the people they know. Because let's face it, you may be sitting in a room somewhere, nothing to do with business. You might be at a barbecue. And someone says, I'm trying to find a printer. And you know that there's a printer in your circle. All you've got to say is, yeah, I know a printer. I've got a great printer. The printing is the pigeonhole that that person is in, in your mind. So you need to have people in a pigeonhole. You need to be in a pigeonhole. Pigeonholes are things like printing, insurance, anything that you're in, financial planning, mechanics, air conditioning. That's where people need to know where to put you in their memory so that they can refer you. The stronger you are in their memory in terms of their pigeonhole, the more likely they are to remember the pitch itself, which is going to come next. So the best way to create your pitch is think about the pain that your customer has for which you are the Panadol. What is the pain that they have that you fix? This is where most people get tied up. They really have a difficulty pinning down what the pain is for their customer. But until you can do that, you're not gonna sell as much and you're certainly not gonna get referrals. So it's more than what you do, it's the problem that you solve, the Panadol, if you like, that you bring to your clients, to your customers. Then it's important in your pitch to say who you do it for, because none of us are everything to everyone. The more you niche down, again within reason, the more likely you are to get referrals. For instance, I work with people who come from businesses that have employees over the age of 50, or I work for people that have under 20 employees, or I work for businesses that have a turnover of $2 million, or I work with businesses that have a turnover between $10 and $15 million. Scale it down a little bit so that people know who to refer you to. Then it's important to say what makes you different. Now, an example of why it's difficult for some people are bookkeepers and accountants. And I don't mean that in a negative way at all. But bookkeepers and accountants, everyone tends to know or think they know what they do. And so they think they're the same as everyone else, but they're not. You are all your own personality. You do business in a different way. So no matter what you are, whether you're an accountant, a bookkeeper, an insurance salesman, a mechanic, or whatever, you need to say what makes you different from your competitors. That's going to be the bit that in the end is probably going to be the most memorable bit. So you need to really work on that. And then finally, It's your name. And you might say, but I've said it at the beginning. Well, I strongly recommend you don't say it at the beginning. Put it at the end. Because if you've reached them and you're memorable for them, they'll then want to remember your name. But if you put your name at the beginning, they'll say, what was their name again? So make sure their name is at the end. So pitches are a work of art and a work of craft. Let me give you an example of how you can build the basics of a good pitch. It's a really simple formula. I call it Pitch Light, and it goes like this: You know when... I fix that. It's as simple as that. I'll give you an example. You know when your BAS is overdue and your books are in a mess? I fix that. Pam the Bookkeeper. It can be anything, but it needs to address the pain. You know when... Pain. I fix that. And then you give your details. You can add to that if you like easily. You know when. I fix that. Then you say who you do it for. And then you say what makes you different. And then you say who you are, your name. You can make a really good pitch using that as the basis. If you need any more help with your pitches, then you'll find me on D32. Everyone knows where I am. So feel free to contact me. I'd be happy to help you. David Price, the Pitch Coach.
