Stop Pitching and Start Improvising

Steve Yastrow

with Steve Yastrow

Author, speaker and business advisor

Stop Pitching and Start Improvising

Stop Pitching and Start Improvising 511 512 33Voices

Moe and Steve discuss how business is an act of improvisation and how we’d all benefit from ditching the pitch more often, and co-creating with our clients and prospects so we can discover more.

Stop Pitching and Start Improvising

Having spent the majority of my professional career in financial services; I have an especially fond appreciation for those who consistently demonstrate excellence in sales and marketing.  I was just 20 years old when I gained an interest in the industry, and although I knew little about the process of building a clientele; the one thing that I vowed never to do, was to recommend anything that I wouldn’t otherwise recommend to my own family.  

At my core, I have a deep desire to contribute to the success and wellbeing of others; and for me that always starts with listening.  I remember reading Warren

Bennis’ leadership classic – On Becoming A Leader – early in my career, and the big revelation for me at that time, was the importance of ‘creative collaboration.’  This was particularly true in sales; and immediately ignited a spark in my team to stop selling and to start co-creating unique solutions.  As simple and common sense as that may appear, it was far from what was practiced in an industry where the bottom line was the panacea.  

I was introduced to Steve Yastrow’s work earlier this year because he, too doesn’t believe in conventional selling methods.  His book – Ditch the Pitch:  The Art of Improvised Persuasion – he invites you to ditch your canned sales presentation, and instead to ‘go with the flow’ – here’s what happens…