Always be pitching

“Let’s talk about something important… Put that coffee down. Coffee’s for closer’s only.”

• Blake, Glengarry Glenn Ross

Pitching doesn’t come naturally.

A lot of us don’t want to be seen as “sleazy” or trying to take advantage of someone.

It’s not like that in Saigon.

My friend Patti and I spend New Year’s Eve there and everything around us was intense, populated, and chaotic.

Patti wanted a bottle of Coke and asked the vendor how much. He told her a price that was at least 200x its cost without missing a beat.

Patti was thirsty and couldn’t be f*cked haggling paying him with a grumble, knowing full-well the guy had fleeced her completely.

For a street vendor in a low-income nation, it can be life-or-death.

For you or me, whether or not someone says “yes” is not life and death.

Those instincts would help though, as we’re so terrified of asking for a sale we will polish, craft, and fuss instead of asking.

You’re not pitching enough.

Not by a country mile.

Ask for the sale.

Ask again.

Then change it up and ask again.

I’m not saying badger the same person, but realise there are LOTS of people out there.

You need to keep asking and get used to receiving no.

Getting a no brings you feedback.

It gets you out of your emotional biases.

It blows away resistance.

It also helps protect you against the worst response ambivalence.

No responses is feedback too, but hurt even more because that offer you’ve crafted is so far away that a person would rather ignore it than engage with your offer any further.

Pitching is probably one of the only exceptions to the 1-10-100 Rule.

You need to do at least 100.

The number is closer to over 1,000 to really get things going.

So always be pitching things.