When I came to America in the early 1990s I was, twenty-three, homeless, lived in the back of my van, and slept on top of boxes of mops. The only thing I had to keep me going was my pitch. Learning how to pitch has changed my life, and when I started working on this book, I looked for a way to talk about pitching that made it more than just selling or talking fast, which is how so many people think of it. It didn’t take long to hit on what pitching really is.
Pitching is a superpower. Do it right and you’ll change minds, open doors, get opportunities, turn adversaries into allies, make more money, and gain the kind of confidence that makes other people want to know you. Pitching is the power to persuade people, get them on your side, and get them to give you what you want, even when the odds are stacked against you. How could that be anything but super?
With that in mind, we’ve organized this book around the idea of superheroes and superpowers. As you learn the Pitch Powers, the superpowers that all great pitchmen (and pitchwomen) have, you’ll run across all manner of fun, tongue-in-cheek superhero and comic book clichés, from origin stories to training montages to bumbling sidekicks. Just imagine the book as a colorful graphic novel—except that at the end, you’ll be ready to get the job, the date, and the deal of a lifetime—and you’ll be fine.
Before we get started, let’s highlight a few of the characters you’ll meet.
Pitching’s greatest hero, the Persuader, shows up when things look hopeless (for example, when a job interview is about to go pear-shaped) to demonstrate how to use the Pitch Powers to save the day. He’s square jawed, charismatic, and looks damned good in a tux… like someone I know.
Batman has Robin. Captain America has Bucky. Superman has… well, Superman doesn’t have a sidekick, which makes him smart. Sidekicks exist mainly to get taken hostage and generally muck things up. They’ll show up from time to time as reminders of traps you might find in a pitching situation, but that I’ll tell you how to avoid.
Billy Mays (the original OxiClean pitchman) was my partner, my closest friend, and the most insanely great pitching superhero I ever saw. From time to time, Billy will pop up to share some pitching secrets that could help you turn a loss into a win.