BARCELONA — Pitching: only the most masochistic marketers and creatives actually enjoy it.
For everyone else, it’s the dreaded ritual required for landing clients or getting that great idea on the air.
“Pitch Doctor” Paul Boross has made it his life’s mission to help the world get over their fear of pitching by harnessing the power of psychology (and a bit of common sense).
Boross took his talents to PromaxBDA Europe Monday where he promised to reveal the famously charismatic Bill Clinton’s number-one secret to making great eye contact.
After all, we’ve all been taught from an early age that making eye contact is how we show respect to someone we’ve met, engage with them, and project an aura of confidence.
It’s a crucial component for a successful pitch.
And you’re probably screwing it up.
Boross shared what he called “Bill Clinton’s eye contact trick.” The former President is famously charismatic, and a “natural campaigner.” He knows how to pitch voters.
Clinton, Boross said, looks people in one eye.
“If you want to be seen as pleasant,” Boross said, “look people in one eye.”
Look in both eyes, and you’ll come across as a psychopath.
“If you want people to go away, imagine they have two felt-tip marks under their eyes. And you just stare at them,” Boross said. “You can say what you want, and you’ll look like you’re going to go thru their heart with a bread knife.”
He pointed out that a fear of pitching is completely common, especially among Americans who rank speaking in public their number one fear. Death, it should be said, ranks at number six.
“My good friend Jerry Seinfeld says that means that at a funeral, the majority of people would rather be in the coffin than giving the eulogy,” Boross added.
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