The day I pitched Katy Perry.
A lesson learnt.
A few years back, at the peak of her California Gurls fame, I pitched Katy Perry.
It was a lesson in knowing your audience.
I had developed a deal - a really good deal, I might add - to do a collaboration with Katy.
We’d set the pitch up at our offices in one of the largest studio lots in Hollywood. The room looked great. It was set up for five people - three of us, Katy and her agent.
***
Before I do any pitch, big or small, I put in the pre-work. It’s an essential step in any pitch - the research, the data and the discovery. I want to squirrel my way into the heads of whoever I’m meeting with. Not in a weird way. I simply want to understand how I can help them make a decision in my favor.
In an ideal world, I like to meet who I’m pitching prior, whenever I can. I want to make a human connection. Relationships are the true currency of business. And life’s too short to not have fun with some banter.
I want to ask good questions and get a clear sense of their needs. To do this, I simply follow my nose; I’m fascinated by what motivates others, and I’m still as curious today as the 5 year old I was then. A deliberately naive idiot, with slightly better taste in clothes.
In this case, I had no chance of getting to know Katy beforehand. Probably because she had sold 143m more albums than I had, and had just released a song with Snoop Dogg.
I, on the other hand, had just had lunch from Subway.
Of the many things you learn when pitching (regardless of whether it’s pitching your boss, a prospect, client, colleague, your wife, kids, or a pop star), is to pivot when you need to, but still keep your audience on track to your goal. It’s a dance, to say the least.
Katy, however, was not a dance. She was an unchoreographed whirlwind of bonkersness.
She was just as you might imagine she would be. A fire-ball of energy, sidebars, zigs, zags, and ideas. Keeping it all on track was as challenging an audience as I’ve ever had. She was like a pinball machine on tilt, a cacophony of creative ideas….
…but she loved the pitch …”I want to do it!”.
Her response was music to our ears.
OMG, I thought. This is going to be amazing! A collaboration with one of the world’s largest female stars, a career defining moment...
High-fives all round. Even the British bloke in me gave a very loud “whoop”.
But we didn’t land the deal.
It was a lesson in knowing your audience.
***
In Hollywood, some talent has an outsized influence on their agent, and some agents, have an outsized influence on their talent.
In Katy’s case, it was the latter.
Turns out, the real audience was the person sitting next to her.
We all knew the role and power of agents. It was bread and butter to our business, as obvious as anything in hindsight. The sort of “told you so” your Mum might say when you fall off that bike you tried to ride, the one that so obviously had - only one wheel.
We simply hadn’t spent enough time understanding the needs of the real decision maker. We were wowed by the star in the sky.
***
Before any pitch of any size - even if it’s just a lunch - I always ask myself; who is my audience? What do they want and need?
But now, however, I add a second step question - am I’m following the star? Or am I asking, who is my real audience? Who really holds the keys? Because, just like my Katy experience, the keys may be staring you right in the face.
***
Next week, we’re going to have some exciting new news on ways to skill-up and train yourself in the power of pitching.
As regular readers will know, pitching is a skill we are passionate about, and one anyone can learn. You don’t need to be in sales and you don't need to be a good, flashy presenter either.
In fact, the ability to create and deliver a strong pitch is within the reach of absolutely everyone. It’s also one of the most valuable and transferable skills you can acquire to drive your career and business forward.
Stay tuned.
Good one!