Category

Persuasion

Category

1: To land the sale. . . 

To win the deal. . . 

To generate genuine excitement for what we are pitching. . . 

We must find something that will give our presentation. . . an edge.

“The edge is a cool fact or anecdote that makes someone metaphorically (and sometimes literally) sit up and take notice,” Brant Pinvidic writes in his terrific book The 3-Minute Rule: Say Less to continue reading

1: Brant Pinvidic sat in a room with his client, Keith. Brant is a top Hollywood producer who has successfully sold nearly fifty TV series using his 3-Minute Rule, which is also the title of his book on how to deliver a successful presentation.   

Brant’s brother was on the speakerphone. Keith’s assignment: Deliver his 3-minute pitch to Brant’s brother.

Afterward, Brant told his brother: “I need you to pitch … continue reading

1: Hollywood producer Brant Pinvidic was delivering a keynote speech at the National Speakers Association. 

“I put a big picture of Katy Perry up on the screen,” he writes in his book The 3-Minute Rule: Say Less to Get More from Any Pitch or Presentation.

 I said, “I’d like to introduce you to one of my friends, Katy Perry. I know you know her and her music.” 

Next, he put … continue reading

1: “We are going to revolutionize the healthcare industry” is a typical opening statement in many presentations. 

The likely reaction: “Really? I find that unlikely,” Brant Pinvidic writes in his book The 3-Minute Rule: Say Less to Get More from Any Pitch or Presentation.

Even if the rest of our pitch lands with our prospect, the best we can hope for at the end of our presentation is, “Yeah, it’s … continue reading

1: Paraag Marathe‘s first major task as president of the San Francisco 49ers was to build a new stadium.

The team’s former stadium, Candlestick Park, was falling apart. As in, actually falling apart.

The team’s owners, the York family, had decided they would never move the team to another city.

The other option was to build. Which would be no easy task. “Imagine a nearly $2 billion project that … continue reading

To deliver a 3-minute pitch, must we dumb it down? Just the opposite. 

Brant Pinvidic is a Hollywood producer who has sold more than three hundred TV and movie projects, including the mega-hit The Biggest Loser.

Pitching in Hollywood is no different from “raising money, convincing parents at the PTA meeting, asking for a promotion, marketing our company, and getting board approval,” he writes in his book The 3-Minute Rule: continue reading

1: We are building a presentation. What is the most important question we must ask ourselves? 

“How will they rationalize the decision to ‘buy in’ to my proposal?” Brant Pinvidic writes in his book The 3-Minute Rule: Say Less to Get More from Any Pitch or Presentation.

Humans are the only species with the ability to rationalize.

“And it’s the basis and foundation for every decision we make,” he … continue reading

1: We have three minutes.

“Every time we make a pitch, presentation, or proposal to try to influence anyone to do anything, our audience’s first impression will be fully formed in less than three minutes,” Brant Pinvidic writes in his book The 3-Minute Rule: Say Less to Get More from Any Pitch or Presentation. 

“That yes or no is already in their heads,” he writes. “It’s not our fault. … continue reading