68 percent of professionals responding to a survey about self-marketing practices said they have trouble pitching themselves, a skill critical to generating new opportunities and new revenue.
Of the more than 2500 15secondpitch.com visitors who took the survey, 24 percent admitted that they hate going to networking events even though it’s a proven way to meet prospective clients and employers.
The 15secondpitch.com website is dedicated to helping people overcome these problems by teaching them the craft of effective pitching.
Laura Allen, a former email marketing consultant who helped launch the global online marketing company Cheetahmail, co-founded 15secondpitch.com with writer and Fortune 500 database consultant Jim Convery in 2002 to cater to this particular market.
Allen says: "I ask all my clients: ‘What’s the one thing you do best?’ Most people, even those who make a living pitching ideas, have trouble answering that question when it comes to themselves."
Allen’s roster of clients includes filmmakers, actors, financial consultants, technologists, lawyers, and career coaches.
Allen regularly conducts 15SecondPitch conference calls and workshops, and her services range from an online "Quick Pitch Fix" to private consultations. One recent client described her experience with Allen as "a hundred years of therapy in ten seconds."
"In our attention-deficit culture, we only have a few seconds to make an impression," says Allen. "Everyone I know has blown at least one great opportunity because they weren’t ready to pitch — but if you do the work to find your ‘perfect pitch,’ that won’t happen."
The website’s free "Pitch Wizard" guides users through the process of creating what Convery and Allen call the 15SecondPitch, using a formula they developed on the New York and L.A. networking circuits: who you are, what you do, why you’re the best at it, and your call to action.
Once users have created a pitch, they can have it printed on business cards along with their photo and contact information. Allen says the cards give people an opportunity to leave behind something that reflects their unique skills, further enhancing their chances of a follow-up.
The survey was conducted over a period of three months.
www.15secondpitch.com provides tools and training to help people and businesses pitch themselves more effectively.
This article was last modified on January 6, 2023
This article was first published on September 15, 2006
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