P.I.T.C.H.ing is your superpower! | Dr. Forbes Riley | TEDxSt Pete Women

Key Concepts

• Pitching (redefined): Not salesy or inauthentic, but a fundamental life skill for manifesting desires and achieving outcomes.
• Limiting Beliefs: Preconceived negative notions about pitching that hinder success.
• P.I.T.C.H. Framework: An acronym representing the five core elements of effective pitching: Playful, I (You), Timing, Clarity, Hope.
• Outcome-focused Pitching: The strategy of pitching the desired result or transformation, rather than the product or service itself.
• Forbing It: A term coined by the speaker to describe manifesting something, especially when others deem it impossible.
• Life Skill: The idea that pitching is applicable and crucial in all aspects of life, not just business.

Redefining the Art of Pitching

The speaker challenges the common negative perception of "pitching" as inauthentic, salesy, or pushy, often associated with a "used car salesman" image. She asserts that this is a "limiting belief" and that mastering the art of pitching is the key to achieving "anything and everything you want in life." She substantiates this claim with her personal success: generating over $2.5 billion in sales, raising two successful 22-year-old twin entrepreneurs, finding her dream partner, and building a global speaking and writing career.

She argues that pitching is an innate ability, present from birth. Babies, for instance, use different cries to "pitch" their needs (e.g., hunger, discomfort), and caretakers respond, creating a "win-win situation." Children are presented as fearless and relentless pitchers, always getting what they want. An example is given of her five-year-old son, who, when denied candy, interpreted "no" not as a stop, but as "feedback on how to perfect his pitch," ultimately securing a "yes." This highlights persistence and adaptability in pitching.

A Personal Journey: From Silence to Billions

The speaker shares her personal struggle with communication as a child. Due to severe dental issues (braces for eight years, rubber bands, headgear, and a "medieval torture device" called a tongue thruster), she spoke unintelligibly. Unable to communicate verbally, she "pointed," "drew pictures," and "faded into the wallpaper," often bullied and ignored. This experience fueled a desire for a different life, inspired by glamorous actresses.

Her career began in stand-up comedy and acting, starring in movies and TV dramas. A pivotal moment occurred during an audition where the task was to "Sell the camera this pen." Instead of listing features, she recalled her late father's advice to "Do something different. Do something magical." She told a personal story about her mother writing daily notes with a similar pen, emphasizing how "a pen like this can reach out and touch somebody's heart." This emotional, outcome-focused pitch impressed Jake (of Body by Jake), who hired her for his new 24-hour cable network, Fit TV.

Her role at Fit TV involved pitching 1,500 different health and fitness products over five years, including revolutionary items like the Ab Rocker and Thigh Roller. Jake later sold Fit TV in 1993 for $500 million. This led to a prolific career in infomercials, where she starred in 197 productions alongside figures like Tony Little, Billy Mays, and Ron Poe. She then pioneered and revolutionized live home shopping on QVC and HSN, contributing to the $2.5 billion in sales mentioned earlier.

The speaker's mission to teach pitching was solidified by a profound personal loss. After losing both parents within a year, she reflected on her father, a "magician by day" and an inventor who "loved inventing" but was "not very social" and "never pitched any of his ideas." After his death, all his inventions, blueprints, and gadgets were discarded as trash. This led to the realization: "If you don't get your ideas out there while you're on this side of the dirt, when you die, they die." This deeply impacted her, driving her "obsession" with the word "pitch" and her mission to empower others.

The P.I.T.C.H. Framework: A Step-by-Step Guide

The speaker introduces her P.I.T.C.H. framework for effective communication and manifestation:

1. P - Playful:

   • Concept: Approach pitching with a lighthearted, fun attitude to build rapport, relationships, and referrals. Be "fluid like water," not "brittle like ice."
   • Key Insight: Debunks the myth of "pitching ice to Eskimos." Instead of telling people what they need, get them to want what you have. Eskimos don't need ice; they want warmth. Therefore, one should "pitch them firewood [and] blankets" for a "win-win."

2. I - I (You are the center):

   • Concept: Your pitch is centered around you and your authenticity, as well as understanding who you are talking to.
   • Supporting Data: A UCLA psychological study found that 55% of people's initial impression (before saying "yes") is based on how you look/show up, 38% on how you sound (tone of voice), and only 7% on the actual words you say. This emphasizes the importance of non-verbal communication and alignment.
   • Challenging "Avatar": The speaker rejects the concept of an "ideal customer avatar" (e.g., "Sheila, 45, two kids, likes coffee, drives a Lexus").
   • Real-world Application: Instead, she advocates for making "everyone who's in front of me... my ideal customer." Using her invented "Spin Gym" (a handheld fitness product), she demonstrates tailoring the pitch for completely different demographics:
     • To a 7-year-old: Focus on strength for gymnastics and parental credit card access.
     • To a 17-year-old: Emphasize looking good for TikTok dances and improving posture.
     • To a 70-year-old: Highlight maintaining quality of life and convenience (using it on a Barcalounger). This approach resulted in "three sales, three completely different people, completely different generations, and none of them were named Sheila."

3. T - Timing:

   • Concept: The moment of delivery is crucial. Pitching "too soon" is rude, pushy, and leads to rejection (likened to asking someone to marry you on a first date). Waiting too long causes the "moment [to] dissipate," regardless of product quality. It's compared to "double Dutch jump rope" – you must jump in at the right time.

4. C - Clarity:

   • Concept: You must know precisely what you want. "Begin with that end in mind."
   • Example: A vague restaurant order ("I want some food") yields nothing, while a specific order ("I want a Caesar salad, extra chicken, croutons on the side") is delivered exactly as requested.
   • Analogy: The "marksman" who fires the arrow first and then draws the bullseye illustrates the importance of knowing your target outcome before acting.
   • Data: Based on her online company with 77,000 students, a common issue with ineffective pitches is a lack of focus and not knowing what one truly wants.

5. H - Hope:

   • Concept: Pitch the "hope of the outcome," not the product or service itself.
   • Examples: People join a gym for the "hope to look really good," not because they love treadmills. They buy a coaching program for the "hope of financial freedom and generational wealth," not for Zoom calls. This emphasizes selling transformation and aspiration.

Conclusion: Pitching as a Life Skill and "Forbing It"

The speaker concludes by emphasizing that pitching is not just for business but a fundamental "life skill." She provides examples of its application in daily life: successfully asking her husband for a neck rub, or getting her children to clean their rooms by "question flipping" and pitching the outcome they desired (warm chocolate chip cookies and playtime with mom) instead of threatening them.

She introduces the term "Forbing it," which means "to manifest [something] especially when no one else thinks it's possible." Her ultimate message is a powerful synthesis: "You don't get what you deserve. You do get what you pitched for." She encourages the audience to embrace pitching to manifest "anything and everything you want."