Perfecting Your Pitch: Insights and Strategies with Ava Ghiotti

#282 - Unlock the secrets to successful pitching with our guest, Ava Ghiotti, a multi-passionate entrepreneur who launched her brand, Merchants of Beauty, right in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ava shares her invaluable insights on how effective pitching can secure not just sales, but meaningful partnerships and collaborations. You'll learn the importance of starting with a clear end goal, visualizing your desired outcomes, and how these strategies can significantly streamline your pitching process for greater business growth.

Crafting the perfect pitch deck can be a game-changer, and Ava walks us through her creative approach. From designing an engaging introduction to ensuring you have a powerful hook, Ava's tips will help you make your pitch irresistible. We also discuss how to identify and reach out to the right audience, making your initial pitch both appealing and concise, setting the stage for more in-depth conversations. Busy moms and entrepreneurs will find this chapter particularly useful as it offers practical advice for putting feelers out for their products or services.

Lastly, we delve into the importance of brand synergy and community support in building successful collaborations. Ava provides strategies for identifying like-minded brands and effectively communicating the benefits of working together. We explore the power of mutual support and shared resources within the entrepreneurial community, emphasizing how collective growth can be achieved. Don't miss out on Ava's strategies to foster a culture of collaboration and her impact on empowering entrepreneurs everywhere. Tune in and be part of this journey towards achieving business success!

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Crafting A Winning Pitch Resource

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Transcript

Speaker 1 0:09

Hey, my name is Teresa Hildebrand and this is Organized Chaos. We take a deep dive into living with intentionality, focusing on what's important in our lives so we can truly feel our best. It may feel chaotic at times, but with a little organization, the right mindset and a ton of self-love, we can still thrive. Join me as we talk to other busy moms and experts who will share tips and strategies to help you reach your goals. Hope you enjoy this episode of Organized Chaos. Now on to the show. All right friends, welcome to the show.

Speaker 1 0:45

I am super excited for today's guest. I have Ava Ghiotti here with us and I'm just like super, super excited about this topic because I've never actually talked about this before and it's about pitching and really learning the foundations of how to pitch so you can actually build momentum that really moves your business forward. So this is something that I struggled with a lot and I have clients that struggle with this as well. It's kind of like that sticking point where you know you have something great to offer but you just don't know how to present it. So really excited for Ava to talk to us about this and how we can actually get over this hump that you may have so you can really create some momentum. So welcome to the show.

Speaker 2 1:29

Thank you so much for having me. I am so excited to talk about this topic. It's something that I came to learn as an entrepreneur and product business owner and it was something that, once I realized what the foundations of it were, I realized the potential it had for business growth. But also the foundations of it were. I realized the potential it had for business growth but also maximizing, you know, the effort that you're really putting in to pitch and the time that you're getting back when you actually have a system that you could follow that's really getting you the results that you want.

Speaker 1 1:59

Yes, absolutely, and I love systems, I love having things that are streamlined. So let's get into it. But actually, before we get into the actual topic, I really want to learn more about you. So if you can tell the audience who you are, how you got started and how you got to where you are today, yes, absolutely so.

Speaker 2 2:17

My name is Ava. I like to say that I am a multi-passionate entrepreneur with multiple interests, but the biggest part of my career was spent building my product-based brand, which was called Merchants of Beauty. I did creative artwork on French glass that I imported, and it was a really amazing opportunity to learn the many different facets of business. I had the unique opportunity, as many and I say that jokingly to launch right as COVID hit, which was incredibly challenging and, being in a position where I had bootstrapped my brand, my capital spend wasn't really available to look into digital marketing and to have money go into bigger strategies around that. So that really led me to looking at pitching from a unique perspective and saying, ok, we know we have something good here, we know we have something we really invested in. How do we look at brand partnerships and collaborations? But how do we actually pitch so that they're interested in a way where we could really land the conversation? And that's what I always say pitching is about.

Speaker 2 3:24

Sometimes people think pitching is about landing you the sale, and pitching is really a tool for landing you that conversation so that you could really speak to, you know that that person who's able to make the decision or you're really given the opportunity to present your value for a second time and really speak to a collaboration piece of what a relationship could look like. So really leaning into that for my business it was instrumental in what I was able to build. We were able to build a relationship with the St Regis and Aspen for the Snow Lodge. I was able to really look at our candle collection and take one particular candle versus the entire collection and really position that for partnership relationships. So what I started to learn from that was really about you know what are the main components.

Speaker 2 4:12

You need to be articulating in a pitch, right Like when I started to hit those it was like, okay, we got a formula here and now we're starting to kind of build a system and that essentially made the process go a lot smoother, gain time back, build traction. So after closing Merchants of Beauty to kind of take a break and work on some other creative endeavors, I've pivoted into consulting for emerging product brands and really teaching on this topic of the value of building creative partnerships, because they also give you a leverage piece and they help to build trust and credibility. And when you're building a business from the ground up and when you don't have a lot of press sometimes you know these opportunities to position yourself very strategically with other brands is a really huge win. So, yeah, that is that's what's landed me here on this topic.

Speaker 1 5:07

That's such an interesting journey and I you talked about a formula or some type of method that you have, so let's dive into that, like tell us all about that.

Speaker 2 5:15

So I like to say, when you're looking to pitch, right, to start at the end. And the reason why I say that is there's real value in taking a moment to pause and visualize, right. So I say, start at the end and really visualize what that goal is. Right. Is that you standing in front of a room, if you have a service, right? Is it building a collaboration with a larger corporation? Because what you have to say and your unique framework could really offer value to them. So, is that your end goal? Like, do you want to be getting that meeting? Or, if you're product-based, is it that you essentially want to do a really unique pop-up experience where you are showcasing a certain experience for this particular brand's customer? Right? So I say, to start at the end, because it's going to impact how you're presenting the information in your pitch. Right, you really clearly need to know where you're going, but also, that space really gives you a moment to dream. I feel like you really got to, like you know, to take it there for a second. You really got to say, okay, like I see myself doing this, this is where we want to go, and to really embody that, because that makes a difference when you're putting your pitch together. So that's something that I always say a hundred percent start at the end, like let's set up that space for you to really think about what your goal is.

Speaker 2 6:36

And then, second to that, it's the brainstorm piece. I think we could get really overwhelmed sometimes when it comes to putting a pitch together. Do we make it more formal than it has to be? Do we go into massive detail but then not enough detail in a certain area? Right, like there's so many different ways that you could really run away with, you know, developing something and I have certainly sat in that seat and worn those shoes, so I say it from experience as well and taking this freestyle space to brainstorm where you could say, okay, very clearly, what is my brand's unique creative perspective? Right, basically, how are you doing it differently? There are a million people who could teach you marketing, but why would a company value your framework and your unique perspective on that more? So, right off the bat, that question.

Speaker 2 7:31

Second question if they were to bring you in for this, or if you have a product brand, if they were to bring you in for a collaboration, how do they gain value from that? Is it because their customers are so excited that there was a new experience. They now know that they could look to their company for an opportunity for just a different shopping experience. So, really starting to think about and dig into the value pieces. And third, I like to do like a fill in the blank, which is literally like if blank company were to have a creative partnership or collaboration with me, they would gain blank.

Speaker 2 8:08

And this is what this means for my business, which is also really important, because you need to know what your growth metric is, because it is going to take you time to put together a pitch, but working on a formula and developing how to pitch right, we'll save you time each time, but you'll have a different growth metric. Sometimes it's really to drive revenue, sometimes it's to spread brand awareness, sometimes it's to borrow an audience that is really on target for you. So knowing what those metrics are is also really important going in. So I think you could justify the end results of the collaboration and also the time that you've invested. Yeah, and I think you could justify the end results of the collaboration and also the time that you've invested.

Speaker 1 8:47

Yeah, and I, when you were talking about the brainstorm piece, I think that's kind of like the tricky part where you don't know how much to say, and it's kind of like you word vomit because there's like, well, I need to tell you all of these details, right, obviously having the goal you start with the end in mind. Right, Super important. But I think that, like me, personally, I would have a lot of trouble knowing exactly what it is that I should share. How do I present this? In a way, of course, that would you know, bring them some type of value and get them excited to want to work with me or to partner and things like that. So what would you say to that person who is thinking about creating some type of pitch? And I love the fact that you have this framework and I think you said you were going to provide like a little cheat sheet or something.

Speaker 2 9:43

There's a whole resource. It's very juicy.

Crafting a Compelling Pitch Deck

Speaker 1 9:46

Yes, I love that. So you know, what would you say to that person who is like, well, how much do I say and how do I actually present this in a way where you know you give like enough information for you know another company or someone to make an informed decision, but also, you know, still kind of give some type of value to that person and like create something or like move the needle forward and get that.

Speaker 2 10:17

yes, yeah, absolutely so. One of the ways that I like to look at this is, you can think about reels right On on Instagram, for example. With reels you hear a lot of. You need a hook, you need a good hook, right, like, what is the hook? Right? So, when I think of actually building a pitch deck, right, the framework that I've created is around the three C's, so it's creativity, curation and collaboration.

Speaker 2 10:43

And I'll start with creativity, and creativity is really you, on those first two slides, showing something that feels engaging enough for them to continue to click through. And when it comes to sharing too much, right, I think the thought has to be okay, my goal with this pitch is to entice them, is to show them that there's something interesting here, right, your goal is to really be able to have them get to the end of that pitch and say, hey, we would like to have a conversation, or thanks for sending this over. This sounds really interesting. Do you want to book a call so that we could talk more about it? Right, so, go back to that. That's your goal. Your goal is, like, not to write a thesis here on, like, your area of expertise, which it could totally turn into it. Right? So, like, take that pressure off the table. Like, this does not have to be 100% in depth, because you're going to get an opportunity to continue to present and to go more in depth. So, when you're starting with that first piece of creativity, right, think about your title page, right, and one thing I always say about that is you're going to want to personalize it. So the minute that they open up this pitch, it looks familiar to them, and by familiar you're going to have their logo on there, their logo, your logo. You're going to make it look like this collaboration was already put together. So that's one way of really setting the scene and kind of framing what you're about to pitch for them.

Speaker 2 12:10

Another way that you're going to bring creativity into really starting to express your pitch is through using a really strong editorial photo that you have on that first slide, and that doesn't have to be a picture of you. It doesn't particularly have to be related to your product, right? It would be more off of, like a mood component, right? Like, how do you use a picture to set the scene for a mood? So I'll give you an example. One of our candles, one of my candles, had the phrase afternoon aperitif on it, right. Aperitif meaning cocktail. It was a bold orange color and what we did for specific pitches for that that we were pitching for hotels for the candle to be used in their cocktail bar area was we used a beautiful sunset with the shadow of a palm tree on it. We really wanted to go for this energy that embodied sitting and having a cocktail. So that's what I mean about mood.

Speaker 2 13:11

When they open up that first page of your pitch deck, it feels really personal to them and you, because you have both of the brand names.

Speaker 2 13:21

You have a really great photo that captures some emotional aspect right of what you are looking to play to, and then you're very directly going to say what the pitch is about. You're going to have an absolute title on there, right, and that could be anything from a curated pop-up experience for your guests to elevating your employees' sales skills, right. Like you're very directly going to lead with what that is on your title page. So that's kind of your creative piece right there. And why I call it the creative piece is you're able to really express how you're going to hook them Like this is your area to really get that title phrase down, the imagery that you're going to use. Like there are two very simple components. You're not writing a ton in these slides, but you're really captivating in that first piece, so that's where you're going to want to really dive into your creativity. So how does that feel for kind of starting with your pitch?

Speaker 1 14:24

Yeah, and I, you know I'm thinking about, like the person who is listening to this right now. I'm thinking, okay, that seems kind of like a far away from where I am right now. So I would say, like how would you describe this process for the mom entrepreneur who, you know, has a brand or has some type of product that really just wants to put feelers out there but doesn't have kind of like that formal, like they don't even know who to send the information to? Like how would you get them to start?

Speaker 2 15:03

Okay. So, yes, starting please, if you don't know who to send your feelers to, right, I would always start with who your audience is. So who is your actual audience to that mom who has a particular business right? Who resonates with the brand that you have? Right? What particular segment of the market do you serve? Are you serving seniors that typically range between 70 and 80? Are you serving very young moms who maybe have had children between the ages of 16 and 19, right, like, how specific can you get right? Who is the market that you're serving?

Building Brand Synergy for Collaboration

Speaker 2 15:40

When you understand that in a really great way, it actually plays to a very big piece of pitching, which is synergy brand. Synergy Simply meaning right, how does one brand share the values that my brand shares? What do we share? That's similar. So, once you know exactly who you're speaking to, it's going to help you start to assess okay, I know, I want a collaboration. For this reason, I really think that, for example, if you're a mom, maybe there's a certain Tupperware company right that you really enjoy using, right for your children when you serve food. Maybe you want a collaboration with them, right? So how would you start to say, okay, we share the same values, we share the same audience. There's overlap here. That's one person, that's one brand I'm going to put in my pitch bucket, right.

Speaker 2 16:33

So that's how you start to build your pitch bucket out, and you could do that through a number of different ways of resources, obviously starting with a brand's website. Really, look at their website. What products are on there? How are they presenting their brand information? Are they using certain hooks? What's the angle that they're taking? How are they trying to make their customers feel with their products? That obviously kind of leads you over to either Instagram or TikTok, which gives you a bigger understanding of their brand voice, and you'll also be able to see who they're engaging with as well. That'll give you a really great idea to say, okay, there is overlap there between who I talk to and who they're talking to.

Speaker 2 17:13

So that's really your starting point. If you are looking at the vast ocean of opportunity out there and saying, okay, who are my people in this space? That's how you're going to start to narrow down the brands that are going to be a good fit. It really comes down to brand synergy. So when that brand you're pitching looks at your website and looks at your content, they could say, okay, we value the same thing. We value the same type of customer. We value the same type of experience that we're trying to give them.

Speaker 1 17:43

Yeah, thank you for sharing that, because I think this will give you, know someone who's listening a little bit more confidence in actually going this route. So one other thing that I wanted to talk about was kind of you shared a little bit about like kind of the framework and for landing the yes, you know, for whoever you're pitching to and like talk a little bit about, kind of like, how you actually get your time back by doing this and what falls under curation is very simply articulating what your vision is right.

Speaker 2 18:31

Like if you were to be receiving this pitch from somebody, it would be the point where they were like why are you sending this to me? Right? This is exactly. This is where you're going to talk about your vision, the why. This is really what brings it together. So you open really strong with a really great creative slide that speaks to exactly the pitch that you're looking for, starts to set the mood for without emotion, with a really good editorial, you'll roll into curation where you really start to harness and talk about the vision of why you see this collaboration working and what this experience actually looks like.

Speaker 2 19:03

And the third piece of that, to really land the yes is speaking to collaboration. Collaboration is really the cornerstone of brand growth, right, it really shows that there's space to build something together. And in this part of the pitch, it's really where you would say why a pop-up with your brand name, or why a collaboration with your brand name? Right. And there you're able to say because we offer diversity. Right, we're able to bring a diverse perspective into your space. Right, we're able to elevate the customer journey in this particular way.

Speaker 2 19:41

So you want to talk to the collaboration component of it, and typically, by the time somebody gets to the end of it, you've hit the major things that they've wanted to see.

Speaker 2 19:54

You've spoken about value, you've spoken about synergy, you've brought your creative perspective into it and you've left room for collaboration.

Speaker 2 20:00

And by ending with that collaboration piece, it really sets the scene for them to say, ok, there's something interesting here. Yes, we want to have a conversation about it. So by establishing this framework, will each pitch be different? Yes, each pitch is going to be a little bit different, but once you actually have your roadmap for how to frame this information which I go into more detail in the resource, because it's more visually based as well, so it's able to walk you through it in a different way but once you establish this framework, you're able to really make a copy of a pitch that you have, go back in there and edit it accordingly. So once you have that, you'll see that your pitches start to really pick up traction more and more, because you're not sitting there and kind of second guessing yourself about should I include this? Should I omit this? Is this too much right? You're being guided in a formula that you know usually lands you the next step, which is a meeting.

Speaker 1 21:00

Yeah, and I love that because it helps you actually kind of learn along the way, because once you have a framework and you start to test it, then you start to see, okay, this is working, this isn't working, and then you make tweaks and then it just starts to get even better, which I can see will save you so much time, right, because you don't have to, you know, completely reinvent the wheel. It's just about more along the lines of a copy and paste, but still personalizing it right.

Speaker 2 21:29

Yeah, 100%. You know, it was one of those things where, when I first started out, I was like, okay, we need to include every piece of information how I manufacture the paint process. We use right All of these details, only to realize my goal was to land a meeting to build a partnership. Realize my goal was to land a meeting to build a partnership. So, as much as it is important what my process is right for developing my product, it doesn't necessarily need to go so in-depth in this particular pitch because chances are there's going to be another opportunity to present that.

Speaker 2 22:02

So when you're really taking a framework and saying, okay, let me try to flush this out, and understanding the key components of it, you do start to get your time back and, to your point, you will get feedback. Right, nothing is I always say nothing is ever permanent in business. The two things that you could count on in business are pivots and evolutions, and you could stay more fluid and more receptive to that as a business owner. It will essentially make your journey easier, right? Because as you start to get feedback, you could say things like, wow, we got a really great compliment on that pitch deck that we put together. Or they said yes, but there was like confusion and it didn't really land. So maybe we need to go back and tweak a little bit more that curation piece of it, where we explain a little bit more what the vision is.

Speaker 2 22:55

So that's feedback is fantastic and what I would do after each pitch was I would almost make a note internally about how that pitch went. So you start to actually pick up on what is being receptive, because sometimes what we think is going to be receptive and is so clear is not and it doesn't really land a certain way. Or it's like subject lines. Part of the work that I do is I sales rep for certain clients, so learning how to curate a subject line. Some of them get way more opens than others do. Right, so that's also part of the process. Is what is going into your pitch that is actually getting you the either the response and the response that is coming to you with clarity because they really understood everything that you included.

Speaker 1 23:43

Yeah, and I think if we're going into kind of like the mindset piece, it's really about learning that this is just a big science experiment and that it's not necessarily like obviously, your first pitch is probably not going to be the thing that they're like yes, let's do this Right. So getting into that mindset about OK, this is just about me learning how to get like super, super great at doing this right, it's just, it's just a learning experience. So, and I think like you'll also kind of let your not let your guard down, but really kind of like release the pressure of it all so that you can learn and you can accept feedback so you can perfect it.

Speaker 2 24:26

Yeah, absolutely, you know, it's they. One of my mentors would say you know, data is not personal.

Speaker 1 24:32

And.

Speaker 2 24:33

I had a bruised ego for a while with my business because I was like no it's they said, no, it's personal. It didn't land the way I wanted it to. You know and these are real things, you know, when you're an entrepreneur and you're building a business and you're bootstrapping something and you're taking time away from your kids and family and other things to really be invested in this, it's a little bit of a burn sometimes when something doesn't land. But having that mindset which you touched upon is so important to say, okay, you know, business comes with setting the time aside, with putting the effort into testing different strategies. You know, this doesn't mean that we're not going to be successful or it's not a good pitch, but it's feedback for us to say, okay, were we really pitching somebody who is in alignment with our brand? Right?

Speaker 2 25:21

That's always a great question to ask yourself, because sometimes, when something does not land, maybe it's not the greatest fit and it has nothing to do with the pitch you put together, but maybe you thought the market was the right fit and it's really not. Maybe you guys have two different targets for who your audience is right. So that could be something too. Or did we really lack clarity there in how this could be a valuable collaboration. Maybe that's the piece that we need to go back to and speak a little bit more to.

Speaker 2 25:51

You know, and there's a nuance to all of it, but you only learn that by doing it and you have to hear that. You know, you have to hear the tone of how they are on the phone, when they reply, or what they say in their email, and that's also really good feedback. And the resource as well will have a sample for how you could introduce your pitch in a cold email right, like how would you say and we've put together, you know, our pitch deck for you. You could have a look here. But how to create the two or three sentences that come prior to that so that they are engaged enough to continue through that, and how you're framing that, how you're framing value for them in that setup with those two sentences prior.

Speaker 1 26:34

Yeah, so they're open to receiving the information right. So I loved this and I think that this is such a great way to save time and be super effective, rather than just kind of throwing spaghetti on the wall to see what sticks and really having this framework. So thank you so much for providing a resource for people to like really look into this and see how they can create their pitch. But if people want to learn more about you, ava, how can they get in touch with you? How can they see more of you?

Speaker 2 27:05

Thank you so much again for having me. This was I get so excited to talk about this and, yes, the resource will be fantastic, you know, and I'll walk you through a lot of it. And one thing I want to say too when it comes to pitching, you know, here I'm talking specifically about kind of building your pitch deck and reaching out, but when you learn these frameworks, they land you conversations in so many other places. The skills you take from this will also be reflected in if you have to make a cold call or you're in a room networking, right, and you could say, okay, how do I present this information about my brand, or so these are frameworks that I always say kind of land you multiple conversations because they're valuable in different ways for how you present information.

Speaker 2 27:48

You guys can find me over at Curate21Consulting on Instagram. I have a lot more fun there with some of my content, but you could also find me at Ava Gyethi, my full name, over on LinkedIn, and on LinkedIn I post a lot of articles that I write and that really goes into much more in-depth talking and points when it comes to marketing strategy, sales strategy, positioning, how to really steer conversations. So I enjoy being over there and being able to chat in more detail about that.

Speaker 1 28:25

Yeah, thank you so much for that. In more detail about that? Yeah, thank you so much for that, and I just I love having people on who are obviously experts in their field but are so willing to share so much information so that we can all grow right. So, thank you so much for being here today. Do you have any words of encouragement for the listeners today that you would want to? You know, finish us off with.

Speaker 2 28:54

Yeah, absolutely. Whatever state stage you're at in your entrepreneurial journey if you're looking to just start or if you have been, you know, in the in the game for a while in your industry just know that you can pivot at any time, that nothing is 100% permanent, that if you feel called to try something different, explore your creativity in a different way. If you initially started out building one thing but want to see it shift to something else, that you're never locked in. So just know that you can always tap into that and let that intuition steer you along the way.

Speaker 1 29:36

Yeah, I totally agree. I've made so many pivots, but it, you know, it just makes you stronger, it makes you so versatile, right? Because you have so much, I mean all of the stuff that you, that you did before always, can help you in the future, even if you make pivots. So I love that so much.

Empowering Entrepreneurial Community Building

Speaker 2 29:55

Yeah, there's just it's a journey and I feel, like you know, there's so much to take away from each chapter. So, be there, keep growing, keep learning and you know, as you mentioned, like we're all here to support each other with resources and, you know, when you find really amazing entrepreneurs who are willing to share their stories and create spaces, like you're creating, for knowledge and information to be shared, like I feel very grateful that we live in such an amazing time where we could really, all you know, support and also learn from each other. It's a huge advantage we have in continuing to grow and build. So thank you for this space.

Speaker 1 30:32

Yeah, thank you. So thank you all so much for being here today. I hope you enjoyed this episode and please go and check out Ava on her Instagram and LinkedIn and give her some love and let her know that her episode was amazing and that you're going to take her information and run with it. So thank you all so much for being here. Tune in next week for another episode.