How to use the AIDA schema to construct your pitch

‘AIDA is an acronym used in marketing and advertising that describes a common list of events that may occur when a consumer Successful team leader and business owner leading informal in-house business meeting. Businessman working on laptop in foreground. Business and entrepreneurship concept. engages with an advertisement.
  • A – attention: (awareness): attract the attention of the customer.
  • I – interest: of the customer.
  • D – desire: convince customers that they want and desire the product or service and that it will satisfy their needs.
  • A – action: lead customers towards taking action and/or purchasing.
Using a system like this gives one a general understanding of how to target a market effectively. The above quote is from AIDA (Marketing)  Many of you have heard of, and some may use AIDA in marketing and in selling. While AIDA is commonly associated with the advertising industry in generating a response – it is also a powerful method for delivering a face to face pitch. Here’s an example of how I’ve used AIDA in pitching a workshop. Attention: ‘Consider this. What if you could have a voice that always seized attention? What if you could have a voice that kept attention – even after you had been speaking for some time? What if you could have a voice that made people want to act on your proposal? Interest: There is a process to help you get those things. You voice can be improved, and in the competitive marketplace, a voice that gains and maintains attention, can give you an edge in winning business. Desire: I have a one day workshop entitled Developing a voice that sells. The workshop is limited to just six participants. The workshop will kick-start your new ‘vocal career’. It will make your voice sound new to you – make it sound fresh again, and make it command attention. Action: The workshop will be conducted on x of y. See me after this presentation to be one of the six people to take advantage of this opportunity to sharpen your voice and boost your business development. How you speak and use your voice is one of the most important skills of your business development career. This workshop will help you maximise the potential of that skill.’ Your CALL to action/HOW to apply for this post: Reflect on the AIDA process and how you might adapt it to your business development actions. Trial your adaptation of AIDA, first in safe interactions/environments, and note the results. Check out this post on how poker playing can help your speaking

Gauging how to give and receive feedback techniques

‘People ask for criticism, but they only want praise’.

Somerset Maugham erfolgreiches team klatscht ab When I work with clients, near the start of a workshop/directing a pitch session, I discuss how to give feedback, by relaying the above quote. After hearing it, many people nod in agreement. Then I share a quote from the Tao Te Ching: ‘When he (the master) makes a mistake, he realizes it. Having realized it, he admits it. Having admitted it, he corrects it. He considers those who point out his faults as his most benevolent teachers. He thinks of his enemy as the shadow that he himself casts.’ This quote is also met with nods. I then suggest, that when giving feedback, participants keep both quotations in mind – while giving slightly more emphasis to the ‘people only want praise’ one. In a similar vein to the above quotes, here is a quote from John Gardner, the late, American public servant.

‘Pity the leader who’s caught between unloving critics and uncritical lovers.’

What’s the point in sharing the above quotes. Simply this. Giving feedback can greatly benefit a person. Keeping the quotes in mind can help a person receive feedback. In addition, pay attention to a person’s readiness to receive feedback for improvement. When in doubt of a person’s readiness to receive feedback for improvement – postpone giving it until another time. If you are a person that welcomes feedback from others  – that is, what you did well and where you can improve – you may need to prod a person, for them to give you unvarnished feedback.  You might say, ‘Yes I know the presentation/my performance was good, but if there was one thing that would have made it better, what would that thing be?’ If you do prod further, they’ll often reveal an area you can work on. Your CALL to action/HOW to apply for this post: Before your next presentation identify a person whom you believe will be open to giving you unvarnished feedback. Direct them to focus on one or two things in your presentation (eg, your opening, clarity of the key message, how you handled Q&A, the certainty projected through your voice and body etc). After the presentation – ask them for private feedback. When they’ve stopped speaking, prod them for more ideas. Check out this post on ‘Over-eager, false listening’