Perfect Pitch: The Art of Selling Ideas and Winning New Business

Table of contents

1. Cover Page
2. Title Page
3. Copyright
4. Dedication
5. CONTENTS
6. INTRODUCTION
7. CHAPTER ONE: Presentation Crimes
   1. Outrunning the Bear
   2. The Search for the Perfect Answer
   3. Presentation Perfectionism
   4. What's the Point?
   5. Failing to Understand the Needs of the Audience
   6. Lecturing Rather Than Communicating
   7. Lacking a Clear Flow
   8. Too Much Detail
8. CHAPTER TWO: Imperfect Pitch
   1. The Case for the Prosecution
   2. Mistake Number One: Not Listening to the Audience
   3. Mistake Number Two: Not Recognizing the Real Destination
   4. Mistake Number Three: Lecturing the Audience
   5. Mistake Number Four: Boring the Audience
9. CHAPTER THREE: Bill Clinton, Johnnie Cochran, and a London Hooker
   1. The Science of Successful Presentation
   2. Involving the Audience
   3. Keeping It Simple
   4. The Incalculable Value of Surprise
   5. Creating Belief
10. CHAPTER FOUR: Making Connections
    1. Seeing Relationships
    2. A Five-Step Program
    3. Step One: Grazing
    4. Step Two: Looking for Meaning
    5. Step Three: Drop It
    6. Step Four: Adapt and Distill
    7. Step Five: Writing the Presentation
11. CHAPTER FIVE: Trevor's Sledgehammer
    1. Crushing a BlackBerry
    2. The More Connected We Are, the Less Intelligent We Become
    3. Bringing Work to Bed Is Bad for Your Sex Life
    4. Taking Control
12. CHAPTER SIX: We Will Fight Them in the Boardroom
    1. Imagine This
    2. Raising a Nation
    3. Many Slides Do Not a Presentation Make
    4. One Size Does Not Fit All
    5. Too Much Information
    6. Not Enough Information
    7. Bullet Points Dilute Thought
    8. Clip Art Is Nature's Way of Saying You Have No Imagination
    9. Transition Should Be Invisible
    10. Improving Presentation Style
13. CHAPTER SEVEN: Benign Dictatorship
    1. Wine Talks
    2. Teamwork
    3. Knowing When to Say “No”
    4. Giving Real Responsibility
    5. Better Ideas, Faster
    6. Day One: Hit the Ground Running
    7. Day Two and Beyond
    8. Turning a Big Idea into a Big Presentation
    9. Rehearse, Rehearse, and Rehearse Again
    10. Superstition
14. CHAPTER EIGHT: The Pitch and Beyond
    1. The End of the Beginning
    2. Welcome to the Next Level
    3. Owning the Room
    4. Managing the Room
    5. Encouraging and Handling Questions
    6. What to Leave Behind
    7. How to Follow Up
    8. Awarding the Business
15. CHAPTER NINE: The Perfect Pitch
    1. The Finish Line
    2. Floating Votes
    3. Preparation
    4. The Passage of Time
    5. Version 35
    6. Singapore
    7. The Presentation
    8. Celebration
16. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
17. BIBLIOGRAPHY
18. INDEX
19. ABOUT THE AUTHOR