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PM Forum - Manchester
Pitching for Professionals
A record attendance greeted Martin Henfield for the North West PM Forum event in November looking at the topic of Pitching For Professionals.
Maybe it was the fact that Martin is a well known and loved TV presenter, following a successful career in newspapers and prior to becoming a management trouble shooter for BBC Local Radio or maybe it was because the topic was one that everybody could relate to so well. Whatever the reason for attendance, everybody agreed that significant value had been gained following the presentation.
Martin’s interactive session focused on the presentation side of the tender process and began with the cardinal sins – lack of team co-ordination, poor body language, poor or arrogant preparation – before taking the audience on an in-depth tour of the factors to get right – team selection, use of powerpoint, beginnings and endings. The whole session was underpinned with audience participation and with such an enthusiastic crowd Martin was never short of a willing participant. One of the key points that Martin highlighted was to make sure you have the right people there on the day, those who are keen presenters not individuals who will be wracked with nerves.
What came across from the presentation was the fact that although one very rarely will win a pitch at presentation stage alone, there is a real danger of discounting your firm from the tender process if the preparation or delivery is not thought through properly. Martin had an infinite supply of case studies, surveys and anecdotes to call on to illustrate the points more effectively and has a good enough understanding of the Financial & Professional Marketplace to bring relevance into every aspect of his presentation.
Everything from the applause at the end to the various emails thanking the committee for a job well done, indicates the success of this event. It did justice to the wonderful surrounds provided by PwC.
Mike Perls
MC2
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