Pitch Meeting Structure Stage 5: The Close
Pitch Meetings Structure Stage 5: Ask for one thing if necessary and leave on a good note.
The goal: to leave on a positive note
It’s likely that the decision-maker will end the meeting, so you want to be ready for when that happens. Typically, there is a non-verbal cue that the meeting is over, and your job is to “echo” the cue.
Watch for when the decision-maker:
- Gets ready to get out of his or her chair
- Places hands flat on their lap or the table
- Closes a notebook or a folder
When you see one or more of these non-verbal cues, echo it back by gathering your materials and preparing to leave. Then, you can engage in a little more rapport building—like a bookend to Stage 1. The purpose of this isn’t to reignite the conversation, it’s just to end on a personal, positive note. It can be something simple, e.g.:
- “Tell (common friend) I said hi.”
- “Thanks again for the tip about Orochan. I’ll check it out!”
The Trap: continuing the conversation
When the decision-maker ends the meeting, don’t try to pitch “one more thing.” Don’t ask any more questions. Don’t tell a story. Just make sure you’ve got everything packed up, prepare to shake hands, and exit the pitch meeting structure room smoothly.
Key Tactic: prepare a specific request (aka, the “Ask”)
You may not need to make a request of the decision-maker. Often, they may say something like, “I’m sending this to my boss today. Keep your phone on.”However, it’s a good idea to have a request prepared just in case you need it, e.g.:
- “How should I follow up with you?”
- “Whom do you recommend I get in touch with?”
