Differentiators
When you’re listening to pitches all day long, what separates:
- those you want to listen to from those you want to run from
- those who really seem believable from those who seem suspicious
- those that nail what they are talking about from those so far out there that you want to laugh
- those that have something but lack a little confidence from those who have nothing but seem to have total belief in what they may be selling
- those that you want to reach out and help from those you want to push back out the door as fast as possible
- those you want to spend a lot more time getting to hear the rest of the story from those who you have no interest of hearing anything more after the first few minutes
When I look back over the many, many pitches I’ve heard over the last few days, each discussion was polar – positive or negative; believable or not; very exciting or incredibly mundane; high potential or obviously lame. None were in the middle. None.
And yet, folks came pitching regardless, wanting desperately to have anyone that would listen buy into what they were saying, what they were promoting and what they were building.
What differentiates the completely believable entrepreneur from the absolute nut case?
About a 3 minute window to create interest, establish context, overcome bias, and establish which side of the polarity you’re on.