Know your target

Be prepared before you open your mouth. Do your research but don't let keep you from staying alert to the response you get in the moment.

Whenever you pitch – and by now you’re probably realizing I mean speak up – you need to know who you are speaking to. This doesn’t mean you hide who you are and what you have to offer. But it does mean that you finely tune what you have to say to the most pressing needs of the recipient.

You can do this in several ways. You get to know them by doing some research.
1) Know who you are speaking with: Scope them out online. Don’t get creepy about it, but it’s public information and really expected now to get to know where they’ve worked, what kinds of projects they’ve handled, what industries they’ve been involved in, where they went to school etc. See if anyone you know has any connections. Don’t do it with the intention of creating a fixed picture in your mind of who they are and what they think. Do it with the idea that you can understand better how you can best work together.
2) Of course, get to know the company and what their major accomplishments and competitive challenges are. Consider what you can offer them in terms of knowledge, experience, energy and creativity. Evaluate your own connections and see who can help you get an insider’s viewpoint.
3) See if there are any geographic or cultural insights you need to look into. I remember once hearing from a friend that a morning meeting he attended in New Orleans went a little differently than the kind he was used to in Boston, for instance.
4) Ask for help. You know a lot of people. Don’t go it alone. Remember that excellent pitchers are part of a team. They depend on the entire team.