Here’s the story: one day, Taffer was showing Brant a blueprint for a bar he was designing, and he pointed out something called a “butt funnel.” Of course, with a name like that, Brant had to know more, so he asked what it was. It turns out a butt funnel is an area of a bar where a corridor becomes so narrow that patrons have to rub their butts against each other to scoot by.
When they’re designing a bar, experts like Taffer think about how the patrons’ foot traffic will flow through the floor space, and they purposefully build a butt funnel into it. Why? Because it will boost the patrons’ endorphins and foster a friendly, intimate and sexually charged atmosphere. And all of that lends itself to people buying more drinks.
By the time Taffer finished explaining all of this, Brant was convinced: here was a man who knew his industry.
So what was the moment you became convinced you were onto something? When did your belief turn into a conviction? It might not involve as catchy a name as a “butt funnel,” but if you dig through your memories, you should be able to find a quick and compelling anecdote to tell your audience.
Your pitch needs an opening.
At this point, you should have 25 sentences, packed full of valuable information about the thing you’re pitching. If you were to put them in a logical order and read them out, you’d already have a serviceable three-minute pitch. But to bring your pitch to life and maximize its impact, there are a few more elements you need to have in place.
The first one is your opening. To start your pitch, you should begin by telling your audience about your reason for being. This is the story of how and why you became interested, invested or involved in the idea, product, service or company you’re pitching to them. Now, you can’t tell the entire story; you’re just looking for a sentence or two here. With that in mind, try to remember your “aha” moment – the moment everything clicked and you realized you were onto something with whatever it is you’re pitching.
For an example of how to turn an “aha” moment into an opening, let’s look at the pitch that Brant made for the TV show Bar Rescue. In case you’re not familiar with it, Bar Rescue is a hit reality TV show in which the host, Jon Taffer, helps to turn around bars and nightclubs that are failing.