Skip to main content

The Pitch Episode 49: Does Your Follow-up Resemble a Yapping Dog?

Learn:

Has anyone snapped at you on a pitch call? Don’t push your pitch past the line of annoyance. Learn how to avoid follow-up pitching like a yapping dog so the big dog doesn’t shut you down.

The Pitch Episode 49:
Does Your Follow-up Resemble a Yapping Dog?

Read:

How do you know if your follow up is on the borderline of annoyance? If you’ve ever had someone snap at you on a pitch call you’re probably crossing that line. I have a large dog and when I walk her on the streets of New York City, the little dogs will sometimes yap at her incisively. I have no idea what they are saying, and usually my dog ignores the “yappers,” but every once in a while the yappers cross that annoyance line and she barks back with force, which generally scares everyone on the street. Before you push your pitch past the line of annoyance, examine your follow up more closely. Does it resemble a small yapping dog just asking for the same thing over and over providing no new reason for the call? This type of follow up is robotic and annoying and deserving of a big dog bark back. “The Pitch” challenge today: Give more thought to your pitch follow-up. Is there an update you can give that changes the relevance of your pitch? Is there something additional you can offer as part of the deal that would be of benefit to the person you’re pitching? Can you send the person a useful note that doesn’t have anything to do with selling them to show your sincerity in wanting to work with them? Whatever you do, don’t turn into the small yapping dog on the street, it’s the quickest way to get shut down by the big dog.

Apply:

What are some ways you can tell if you have crossed the line from diligent follow-up to becoming annoying?
What’s a new angle or approach you can take with your follow-up that doesn’t make you sound like a broken record?
Is there something you can follow-up with for this person that has nothing to do with what you need from him or her, but will get their attention just the same to make it easier for you to make your follow-up ask again?

Back to Communications Skills