How to PITCH Yourself Like a Big Shot

What if I tell you with a single shift in your mindset, you can sell your ideas, services, and products like a million-dollar shot instead of selling them like cheap commodities?

Before I tell you how to pitch yourself like a big shot, allow me to brag in a few lines about myself, so you have a little idea about my background and why reading this article might be worth your time.

I have been fortunate to work in one of China’s busiest and most competitive cities, Shanghai. I pitched large brands and retailers for hundreds of thousands to millions of dollars of marketing projects.

I also carried on with my father’s trading business and pitched traders from the U.S., Middle East, and Europe on behalf of Chinese manufacturers for multi-million dollar deals and made commissions from both sides.

I believe that would qualify me to give you some insights into pitching yourself as a big shot.

How to Pitch Yourself Like a Big Shot

1. Always act from a place of power

To pitch your idea, service, or whatever you want to sell like a big shot, you have to be a master at creating the illusion of power and abundance around yourself.

Buying and selling is a game of attraction; it’s not a process; procedures come later, but first, make the other person beg to work with you.

I pitch none of my ideas or services before telling myself repeatedly that I have 100 Million dollars in my bank account, and the deal I’m doing today is just another deal that I do daily; it might work, or it might not.

This mental image will make me speak from a place of power and control; I will dress like a multimillionaire and talk in significant numbers.

People look at the overall image, tone, choice of words, body language, and level of confidence, relaxation, and preparation; if you speak and behave like a big shot, then in most scenarios, they will consider you as a big shot.

Just know what you are talking about; otherwise, you would sound like an idiot or a spoiled kid to take advantage of and scam them into a fake deal. Or better, stay quiet and let the other person do most of the talking while you sit back, cross your legs, and listen.

People who do large transactions have specific lifestyles and languages used to communicate and come across daily.

They meet other business people, wealthy individuals, and CEOs. They play golf, have fun at luxury clubs, and enjoy the best places around the globe.

If someone speaks with them in terms of a few hundred or thousands of dollars, dress badly, or comes unprepared, what do you think their first reaction would be?

Do you think these powerful people will give them time to go through their sales process?

They will think they are just average people looking to make some living, and it isn’t worth their effort and attention.

But when you come from a place of power, you control the conversation, and now they have to work hard to work with you.

When I was 22, I had my second job in Shanghai, and I went to pitch a project to one of the largest retailers in the world for a store promotion campaign.

The company I presented included less than ten staff, but I talked like we had 300 people.

I gave them the impression that we appreciated their business, but we were busy.

I mentioned that we have done similar projects in the past, and we can deliver top-notch results even though I wasn’t entirely sure how I would provide the work for the entire project.

I told them we can only work with them if they stick to a tight schedule, provide all the required information, and respect our process; otherwise, it’s impossible to work together; we have other clients to take care of and respect.

I also said that we understood their requirement and would consider it and get back to them in a few days.

My boss’s assistant was looking at me, and she gave me the look of death; however, we won the offer and delivered excellent results.

I was not disrespectful or ignorant, I just made the other team understand we value their business, but you should be grateful for working with us.

I knew I could deliver some of the work, and I spoke from a place of confidence; I didn’t care about fear, feeling like a fraud, or what people call the imposter syndrome; I was young and hungry for success; I just went for it.

The imposter syndrome is overrated, and I can eliminate it for you in a few minutes.

Whenever most people share the same feeling as you, then it’s a psychological matter that we humans share, and if I feel doubtful, then the other person shares the same feelings.

It’s better to act from a place of power to make the other person feel more doubtful about themselves and think of me as being more knowledgeable and powerful.

People with imposter syndrome lack real-life experience and take the world and themselves way too seriously.

My friend, almost no one cares; life is moving.

Almost everyone around you fakes it till they make it. People tell fictional stories and create halo effects around themselves to make other people believe certain things.

Do you think the client or the CEO you are meeting doesn’t have the same imposter syndrome that you have when they meet other CEOs? Do you think they are perfect? Do you believe everything they say is true?

Of course not; therefore, there is no need to fear or doubt yourself; go outside, give it your best shot, and sell yourself as a million-dollar person.

I get many small business entrepreneurs to pitch their idea to me, and the first thing I notice is a lack of confidence.

If you don’t have confidence in yourself, how do you expect me to have half confidence in you?

Speaking in a powerful voice doesn’t require you to lie or make things up; it requires you to talk in a confident tone, dress professionally, be knowledgeable about your topic, behave calmly and comfortably and talk with big numbers.

2. Always listen first

I never pitch myself or my service before I research my client; if I can, I would invite them to a 45 minutes lunch, dinner, or a drink at five-star restaurants or hotels and take the time to listen to their wants respectfully.

I consider it a strategy meeting where I listen more than I talk, and I suggest the best option that fits their needs; it might be my solution or other people’s solutions.

This conversation builds trust with the client and makes them want to work with me to achieve results.

I will not discuss the first stages of a project with their assistant; if they are busy, I would ask for a quick call or a brief visit to their office to understand their values and what they want to achieve.

I will only meet the assistant if they handle the project’s outcome.

I will never assume what my client wants; I will never try to impress them with things that might not interest them.

Some of your clients might have other bosses to report to; some care about making money, some care about making a social impact, some have values and ethics that they stick with, and some invest in things than others.

When I understand my client, I can go back and learn more about how to solve their specific problems, and with pitching my idea, I speak from a place of authority rather than someone who is taking orders.

Rich people, be it managers, business owners, or CEOs, don’t care about how many years of experience you have, your level of expertise, or the number of staff working at your agency.

They don’t care if you do the work yourself or outsource it; what they care about is one thing which is delivering the best outcome while meeting their standard and budget.

The best outcome means you need to maintain a certain industry quality and professionalism.

You can find and learn that quickly on the internet; there are plenty of templates or professionals ready to consult you on the standard of quality of each industry.

Many writers spend all of their lives learning how to write, but seldom take the time to understand the writing industry and how to make their writing market-friendly.

If you don’t do that, then it doesn’t matter how many times you pitch your book to a publication, in the publisher’s eye; if you don’t match the standard and criteria of a professional writer, how do you expect to launch it as a million-dollar book?

Your client wants to trust that you can deliver with top-notch standards; they want to save face, get praised, take pride, make more money, grow their business, or think of themselves as more intelligent.

They want to believe that working with you is the fastest and safest way to get whatever they think they want to achieve.

When you sell your product, service, or offer, you are not selling yourself; you are selling a future version image of themselves; you are painting a fascinating vision for them to get to what they want.

The product, the service, or whatever it’s are only the minor details; what matters the most is understanding whatever they want and then pitching yourself as the person who can provide it on a golden plate.

If you can’t, you apologize and refer them to someone else; never take on something you can’t deliver yourself or organize someone to provide; reputation is everything at this business level.

At that point, you are not selling commodities anymore; you are selling value and a prosperous future, and when you achieve that level of presentation, your offer will seem to them like a million-dollar ticket to a more desired version of themselves.

Build confidence in yourself and present yourself professionally.

Understand what your client's desire and pitch it to them in terms of value rather than a commodity. That’s all!

Please share this article with someone who needs it if you find it valuable.

I don’t ask you to buy my course, my book, schedule a strategy call, or join my webinar.

Kindly help me spread the message.

I would also love to hear about your experience and how you deal with pitching yourself and your services?