My father, an accountant by profession, throws sales and marketing together.
They are different and as a marketer, I always get angry with him for saying they are one and the same.
For one, marketers don’t really pitch. They more create content to appeal to potential customers or even current customers.
Sales people pitch. They use more their charisma, words, and overall body language to sale to you. In other words, sales have always been about making connections.
However, this has seemed to be forgotten in the age of social media and online networking.
Now, there is networking marketing and marketers are in charge of creating relationships between brand and customer. It is no longer about creating appealing content, but creating resonating content.
Perhaps, my father is right in that marketers are sales people in today’s society, but it is important to remember: relationship is the key word.
So when you are networking online and building your online presence, here are a few questions you can ask yourself when determining if you should pitch or not. If you would like to learn more about networking and growing your business online, check out Build a Business eCourse!
Questions for Pitching
Here are some questions to ask yourself before sending off your pitch. I cover a lot more in my Build a Business eCourse.
- Have I communicated with this individual or company before?
- Is my branding or messaging widely available for consumption?
- Does this company’s branding/messaging align with my target market?
- Do I have the necessary skills to help this company grow?
- Can I identify areas in which I think this company can grow?
Cold vs Hot Pitching
As I have grown, I am slowly receiving more and more pitches. It has either come through networking calls or through random Facebook messages and emails. Cold pitching.
What is cold pitching? Cold pitching is when you have had no prior interaction with the company/individual and you are sending them information about you and why they should hire you. This works for some, but I believe it doesn’t work for many.
What is hot pitching? Hot pitching is when you have had prior interactions with the company/individual. Maybe you met them in a networking call and then have communicated with them through social media (liking, commenting, etc.) and you then suggest working together or making implications.
This technique is more successful for many entrepreneurs. This is the benefit of networking. Lots of clients are earned through networking. They might not need you at the time, but when they do, they will have your name at the top of their head.
Building That Relationship vs Pitching
This goes back into what I was saying earlier about marketers versus sales people. Nothing wrong with sales people, but after working closely with a few, I have found them to be more along the lines of cold pitching.
Marketers, because of establishing branding and messaging and getting to know target markets, align themselves with the hot pitching technique.
My final distinction between pitching and building relationships is with pitching, it is more transactional and more focused on money. Money is important. That’s what makes the world go round. But, in my view, when you treat people correctly and establish relationships, money will come. Either they will become your clients or they will refer someone to you or they will help your business in an unknown way.
To placate my father, yes, as a marketer, I make “pitches.” But they are hot pitches. Personally, I prefer to say I build relationships.
What do you do? What do you like? Let me know in the comments or send me an email! For more networking and pitching tips and tricks, check out Build a Business eCourse!
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