Making The Perfect Pitch

Although many business owners operate retail shops that focus on providing products for customers, some owners face the task of selling their services to prospective clients. While these services are needed, customers often shop around due to the fact they are not purchasing a tangible product they can see before they buy. This is why it is important that business owners are able to deliver the perfect pitch and close the sale.

Determine why your service is needed

Understanding the reasons behind the purchase is one of the key ways to ensure you make the perfect pitch as a business owner. For some business owners this will be obvious as clients purchase or inquire about their services due to something that has happened in their life or something they need. Lawyers are a great example of this as people seek them out when they are in trouble with the law or are forced to go to court. However, other business owners may not have it this easy with their potential customers. For example, advertising companies must often ask a lot of questions before they get to the truth behind why the business they are working with needs their help.

Know your target audience

As more information is provided about why a purchase is being made, you can begin to get to know your customers. This too is important in making the perfect pitch since many customers will purchase services or products based on a personal connection. While it may not be necessary to know the fine details of your customer's business, you should know them by name and treat them as though they are the most important customer in the world. Not only will this help to develop a pleasant and solid working relationship with the customer, but it could also potentially lead to additional business through word-of-mouth referrals.

Back up your words with print

Of course when making the pitch to the customer about why your services are better than your competitors it is important to use printed materials to back up what you are saying and even provide additional information. Most people don't pay companies and businesses for non-tangible services right away unless they are something they are going to use only one time. Instead they want time to think it over, and printed materials can be a great resource to use in these situations. Poster printing, flyers, brochures and more are excellent ways to keep your name and information in front of your customers even when they are in the comfort of their own home.

The perfect pitch is obtainable, and it something you must achieve if you offer services rather than products. Following the suggestions discussed here, you can ensure that your potential customers convert into actual clients that make your business profitable and allow it to grow.

Asian Parliamentary Debate Guidelines

Asian Parliamentary Debate is a debate format, similar to American Parliamentary Debate, in which two teams of three compete in each match.

Overview
In Asian Parliamentary Style, there are 2 teams - Government and Opposition. Each team has 3 members and each team gives 4 speeches. The format is a limited preparation format, meaning that the topic is announced, depending on the tournament, roughly 30 minutes before the debate.

The 3 members of the Government should defend the motion. The 3 members of the team, each of which gives a 7 minute speech, are:
* 1) Prime Minister
* 2) Deputy Prime Minister
* 3) Government Whip

One speaker from the Government team - either the Prime Minister or Deputy Prime Minister - is charged with giving a 4 minute reply speech that clarifies the debate from the Government perspective without bringing forth new arguments.

The 3 members of the Opposition team should negate the motion and refute arguments brought forth by the Government. The 3 members of the team, each of which gives a 7 minute speech, are:
* 1) Leader of Opposition
* 2) Deputy Leader of Opposition
* 3) Opposition Whip

Like the Government team, one speaker from the Opposition team - either the Leader of Opposition or Deputy Leader of Opposition - is charged with giving a 4 minute reply speech that clarifies the debate from the Opposition perspective without bringing forth new arguments.

In the 7 minute speeches, the opposing team can stand up and ask for Points of Information (POI) after the first minute and until the sixth minute. A POI should be a brief question or comment and not a long-winded monologue or back and forth cross examination session.

Roles of Speakers

Government:
Prime Minister (PM)
* Define context and parameters of debate. For example, in an open motion like "This House Would Support Musicians", the debate could be contextualized into whether music should be a commodity for trade, or it should be available free (i.e. free music download and transfer)
* Provide concise background or history leading to the issue
* Give framework of government bench's case. I.e. mechanisms (if any), argumentation flow (what the government's first argument is and what the Deputy Prime Minister will talk about)
* Introduce 1st argument
* Assert Government stand

Deputy Prime Minister (DPM)
* Rebut first argument from Leader of Opposition
* Rebut rebuttals to PM's argument
* Introduce 2nd and 3rd argument
* Reassert Government stand and case

Government Whip
* Rebut Deputy Leader of Opposition, and Leader of Opposition
* Rebut rebuttals to DPM and PM arguments
* Provide a deeper level of analysis for previous arguments and rebuttals
* No new arguments, but new angles of arguments should be given
* Brief summary of entire case of Government
* Reassert Government stand and case

Opposition:
Leader of Opposition
* Agree or disagree with context/ parameters of debate (any definitional challenges, accusations of squirreling, or unfair set up should be made from the LO speech and no later)
* Rebut Prime Minister's argument
* Give framework for Opposition case (if Opp agrees to problem, then their case should provide solution, or at least effectively highlight how Government proposal will worsen the situation)
* Introduce first Opposition argument
* Assert Opposition stand

Deputy Leader of Opposition
* Rebut DPM and PM arguments
* Rebut rebuttals to LO arguments
* Introduce 1st and 2nd (if any) argument
* Reassert Opposition stand and case

Opposition Whip
* Rebut DPM and PM arguments
* Rebut rebuttals to LO & DLO arguments
* Provide a deeper level of analysis for previous arguments and rebuttals
* No new arguments, but new angles of arguments should be given
* Reassert Opposition stand and case

Reply Speech:
* Can only be done by either 1st or 2nd speaker from each bench
* Provide a biased 'oral adjudication' of why the debate should go to own bench
* Highlight issues you think your side won, carefully tiptoe around issues you think you lost
* New examples to expand on discussed examples is usually allowed and makes the reply speech sound fresh as opposed to verbal regurgitation
* Reassert stand
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Most importantly, try to have fun while you're doing all this. ;)