How to Create the Perfect Pitch - Guest Lecturer Discusses with Students
Udo Neufeglise Offers Valuable Insights to Bachelor’s Students
In today’s highly connected and digital world, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have both opportunities and challenges to stand out in the global market. One key element of success is the sales pitch, which was the topic of the guest lecture delivered by Udo Neufeglise to a group of Wittenborg bachelor’s students on 17 January.
Neufeglise, who is vastly experienced in different areas including sales, customer service, account management and operations, discussed how to create a perfect sales pitch and the importance of it for companies. Moreover, he shared good and bad examples of sales pitches and delved into his personal experiences and reflections on work in sales.
According to the guest lecturer, in view of globalisation, international marketing is no longer only important for big companies, but also for SMEs. Neufeglise highlights that, just like in the case of other professions, people get better at sales with experience.
During the lecture, he emphasised the importance of the values that make up a great pitch, such as expertise in the subject, confidence, trust and conciseness. On the other hand, the activity also addressed attitudes that should be avoided by people when they are pitching, including poor preparation, not leaving time for a response, talking too much about oneself and lack of communication skills.
“One very important aspect of it is trust, which needs to be built by your natural and authentic behaviour. By staying close to your core values and representing your brand in a consistent way, you will connect with people and deliver a great pitch,” he said.
Neufeglise commented that the students who attended the lecture were very engaged and interested, asking clever questions and making insightful comments. “I have been giving guest lectures for a long time and I love to do them because, for me, it’s an opportunity to interact with the next generation. These people will be the business leaders of tomorrow and I can learn from them as well, because we are living in a world that is continuously and rapidly changing. On top of that, I hope that by sharing my experience I can deliver value to them.”
The guest lecturer underlines that one of the main things he has learned throughout his career is that people are pitching every day. “You may sell a product or a service, but you’re also selling when you have an interview with a company you want to work for, when you share your ideas and when you go on dating apps. In this context, pitching and being able to express yourself is a crucial skill, but people can learn how to do that and how to be confident. So, my goal is to help the students to achieve that.”
Neufeglise concludes by advising students and professionals to keep constantly updated and practise their pitching skills. “In the current times, you need to enhance your skillset because with the internet, social media and Google, people can find information on whatever they want. This gives them more knowledge as well as the ability to counterattack and question your sales pitch. Besides, you need to be spot on and really appealing because there are more people pitching these days than ever before.”
WUP 14/03/2024
by Ulisses Sawczuk