Episode #70: 7 Tips To Improve Your Next Virtual Toy Pitch
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It’s important to stay relevant and change with the times as a toy person and the latest skill you’ll need to add to your repertoire is a doozy. What skill is that? Well, it’s video editing. But don’t stress out too much, video editing is much simpler today. There are apps that have simplified the process to it’s almost as simple as drag and drop!
In today’s podcast episode we’re going to go over 7 tips that will help you improve your next virtual toy pitch. Video is a huge part of the conversation of course, but we’ll also cover everything you need to pay attention to when you’re prepping for your pitch, when you’re actually delivering your pitch, and to wrap it all up with a pretty bow, we’ll end with the all-important skill of follow-up.
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Come see me speak at Kids’ Entertainer Fest.
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Azhelle W: [00:00:00] You were listening to making it in the toy industry episode, number 70.
Jingle Intro : [00:00:06] Welcome to making it in the toy industry podcast for inventors and entrepreneurs like you, and now your host Azhelle Wade.
Azhelle W: [00:00:16] Hey there toy people, Azhelle Wade here. And welcome back to another episode of the toy coach podcast making it in the toy industry, this is a weekly podcast brought to you by thetoycoach.com.
[00:00:28] It feels like it is time for a virtual pitch episode, where we focus on the seven key details of your next virtual toy pitch. Now we've been dealing with this global pandemic for over a year now and I, along with many others have come to terms with the fact that we will never return to life as it was before.
[00:00:48] Instead we will find a new normal. A mix of in-person and virtual events. What we do know is that virtual pitches are here to stay. They're efficient, they're effective, and they're more globally inclusive. So if virtual pitches are here to stay, it's time we up our game, then. Today, we'll go over seven tips for your next virtual toy pitch.
[00:01:14] And I want you to take these tips seriously. I really want you to look at the evolution of sites like YouTube, social platforms, like Instagram and blogs. When all of these sites and platforms were new. Low quality applications were okay. They still drove likes and engagement. People wanted to watch those videos and it was just fine.
[00:01:34] But as the users who use these platforms become more skilled and the tools become more refined. The quality of the content made on all these platforms began to soar. Right along with the expectations of the viewers. Now the same will happen for our virtual pitches. So take these tips and up your virtual pitch game of right now and evolve with the times.
[00:01:59] So, what I'm going to do is list a virtual pitch tip, then explain what it means and tell you why it's important to improving your next virtual toy pitch. So virtual pitch tip number one, bring the energy. I had a chat with a friend of mine a few days ago. His name is Buster balloon. Yep. Buster balloon.
[00:02:22] He's a kids entertainers specializes in twisting and forming balloons into different. And I'll actually be speaking at his event, kids entertainer Fest in June. You should definitely be there. I will put a link in the show notes, but anyway, Buster and I had a great chat about how doing virtual presentations, whether it's a balloon show or a toy pitch, but doing virtual presentations are not actually easier than doing in-person presentations.
[00:02:50] Not by. A good presenter is going to be just as tired after a virtual pitch, as they would be after an in-person pitch. And an excellent presenter is going to be even more tired after a virtual pitch, then they would be with an in-person pitch. Now, why is that the reason why is because when you do a virtual pitch, you're not getting anything back from your audience, in-person meetings, pitches, or presentations have this energy exchange that's happening.
[00:03:25] You as the presenter you're giving and the viewer takes absorbs, and hopefully gives back and energy cycles through the room throughout the meeting in that way. Have you ever noticed how after a really. In-person pitch meeting. You feel hyped and energized, even if you feel tired. And then after a bad pitch meeting, you feel drained while that's the exchange of energy.
[00:03:51] When it flows well, you feel positive. And when it doesn't, there's a tendency to feel drained or even sad after an in-person. Well, virtual pitches by their nature. Can't really give us that natural energy exchange. So as the presenter, you were just giving and giving and giving, and that screen that you're looking at really can't give anything.
[00:04:17] So you have to manufacture that energy cycle and it takes a lot of work, a lot of internal work since you're giving and giving energy, without getting anything back, you've got to do two things before and during your next virtual pitch. First, you've got to come to bat with much more energy to start off that meeting and that.
[00:04:41] Should be entirely possible for you to do. I mean, you're not traveling hours to get to this meeting. You're not doing a lot of physical activity to get your product set up. So you should be able to block time around your pitch meeting so that you can reserve and protect your energy before that meeting.
[00:05:03] Okay. Second, second thing that you need. Do before or bring to these virtual meetings because there's no energy cycle is you've got to manufacture energy. You've got to learn how to manufacture energy and bring it back to you during your pitch. You're like, okay, what a gel? Like you're getting to, what does this mean?
[00:05:27] Okay. As I said, in a normal in-person event, right? Energy is flowing from you to that other person it's going back and forth, but in a virtual pitch, you're giving and giving. And most of that energy is just bouncing off the screen and going no. Some of it may be getting picked up on by your viewer, but you can't count on that.
[00:05:49] It's really hard for people to feel connected virtually. So you've got to think like maybe I'm going to get 10% back of the energy that I'm putting out. So you've got to be ready to manufacture your own energy. Have you come in at a hundred percent and halfway through the meeting? You're already at 10%.
[00:06:06] That's not good. You've got to be ready and. Able to manufacture your own energy and bring it back to you. One way to do that is actually to smile. Now, smiling can trick your brain into feeling happiness. It's true. I've seen many articles on it, many shows about it, but NBC news actually did an article on this back in 2018.
[00:06:30] And in this article, you can find it@nbcnews.com. I can leave a link in the show notes, Dr. Isha, Guppta a neurotic. From IGA brain and spine actually explained that a smile spurs, a chemical reaction in the brain that releases hormones that increase the feelings of happiness and then other chemicals that actually reduce stress.
[00:06:53] So smile big and smile wide, fake it till you make it. And that it being the energy that you need to keep your presentations. Lively, engaging and energetic. Now you may feel silly smiling, but let me tell you something I'm smiling right now. I smile every time I record my podcast episodes, because there is energy and excitement that you get from smiling and it conveys through audio and it definitely conveys through visual.
[00:07:27] So if you want someone to be excited about your toy idea, present it with a smile. Virtual pitch tip number two, let your sizzle do the talking. There are plenty of inventors out there that struggle with presentations and I get it. We are not all comfortable in the spotlight. Well, that's where your sizzle video comes in now.
[00:07:50] What is a sizzle video? You may be wondering. Sizzle videos are essentially small commercials for your toy or your game. They are the most effective way to pitch your idea to a toy company. For serious consideration. All toy industry corporate professionals have told me they prefer a sizzle video over a one sheet over.
[00:08:13] Concept board over anything. They love a good sizzle video that can explain your product and pitch it to them essentially for you. Now, the less that you want to talk during your presentation, the longer you should actually make your sizzle video, don't make it any more than two. In reviewing sizzle videos of inventors.
[00:08:33] I actually find myself distracted around 45 seconds. So definitely don't make it any longer than two minutes, but by 45 seconds. You should have said everything that is important, exciting, and enticing about your product at that point of reviewing sizzle videos at 45 seconds, I'm either off visualizing possibilities of the product or I'm off thinking about the problems and flaws I see in it.
[00:09:01] So my professional opinion to you is to keep all of that good stuff upfront before the 45 seconds. Your sizzle has also got to convey the features, the scale, the play pattern, all of that, of your toy or game. And it's also pulling the weight of conveying emotion and generating excitement from your viewer.
[00:09:27] So that means your sizzle video needs to bring the energy and they need to look fresh and modern. Now I want to. Out for mistakes that I see most often in sizzle video. Number one mistake is you send out a link that the person you're sending it to can't even access. The second mistake is I see awful sound quality, sound quality that is distracting to your pitch or sound quality that makes it impossible to hear what you're saying in the pitch video.
[00:10:03] Now, the third mistake I see is poor storytelling. I'm telling you. We know when you don't plan out your shots and you don't plan out your sizzle video, every frame, every shot should have a purpose. So make. So make sure you're telling a purposeful and directed story. Now, the fourth mistake I see is outdated graphics or effects.
[00:10:27] If you did a video five or 10 years ago, and you haven't updated it for a pitcher doing tomorrow, that is a huge mistake because technology moves so fast and trends in video content changed so much. It's really evident when a product or a pitch video. Is outdated. And if your video is outdated, it's going to make your product feel outdated and look less than moving on to virtual pitch.
[00:10:57] Tip number three, build a relationship. If you have time in your pitch meeting, try opening with an industry related conversation. Did you read an article about their company lately? Can you share little known insight that they might find interesting? If you've done your homework, maybe you can congratulate them on the success of one of their newer toys, ideally in the same category that you're pitching to.
[00:11:21] That'll show them that you are familiar with our product lines and likely to get them more interested to see the ideas that you have. Opening your pitch by educating, informing, or complimenting. The person on the other side of the screen is a great way to jumpstart a new relationship and gives you time to settle your nerves by turning the attention on them.
[00:11:45] Building a positive rapport early on is beneficial in case your pitch flops. Because if they enjoy speaking with you, they're more likely to invite you back to pitch. Now, the whole purpose. Now the whole purpose of your pitch is twofold. You want to pitch your item, but essentially you're also pitching yourself.
[00:12:06] You want toy companies to start seeing you as a resource to them and inventor who loves this industry keeps up to date with it and is excitedly ready to bring them new ideas and maybe depending on the company, develop those ideas alongside them. So at the end of your pitch, here's what I don't want you to do.
[00:12:25] I don't want you to say, oh, this is great. I would love you to send me any wishlist that your company may have whenever you want or reach out to me. Anytime you need, you need new ideas. That's not what I want you to do. I know in your mind, you might be thinking, oh, what, but I'm offering my services. But what you're actually doing is creating another to do for this already busy toy.
[00:12:47] Exactly. Instead, what you want to do is say, okay, great. It was a pleasure to meet you. Would it be all right if I touched base every quarter to find out what you're looking for next, and if I have any ideas, I'll let you know, and we can schedule another meeting. How does that sound? That is how you want to end your pitch meeting more often than not.
[00:13:08] They'll say. Sometimes, if they'll say no, maybe they'll say, you know, more bi-annually would be better for us, or they'll say no, an annual meeting will be better for us, or they might just say, we'll get in touch and that's just a soft, thank you. But no, thank you. Let's move on to virtual pitch. Tip number four, your background.
[00:13:29] Volumes now I can't tell you how many times people in meetings have complimented the toys and my background, and even the design of my space in my background and how often they've asked me if I've designed any of the toys that they see, or the pictures that they see hanging on my wall. Your background has the power to be a conversation starter and an authority builder.
[00:13:53] So why waste an opportunity like that on having a poor background set? Now. I want to mention here, I'm not a fan of solid color or fake backgrounds for any virtual meeting, but especially not a pitch meeting. In my opinion, connectivity is what so many of us are missing because we can't be together. And in virtual meetings, just seeing a glimpse into someone's home or workspace actually helps break down that barrier.
[00:14:25] Build connection with one another and it can help creating that energy flow that I talked about earlier so much easier. So conversations about my decor have evolved into introductions to contacts of mine and generated new business for my friends. Now the second reason, I really don't like those solid backgrounds is because if you don't have a green screen behind you, plus impeccable lighting in front of you, your background is going to start to blur into anything.
[00:14:58] You try to hold up and show on camera and all that does. And I speak from personal experience. All it does is frustrate the person who's trying to watch your pitch. And then the worst thing that happens is you. Fumble and give up on this green screen background and eventually turn it off and suddenly that messy space that you weren't intending for anyone to see is the spotlight of your call.
[00:15:23] So let's be honest in this business. People choose who they want to work with based on a variety of reasons. Those reasons include how you present yourself, how you speak about others, the products that you're actually bringing to this pitch, meeting the research you did. For this meeting about the company you're meeting with the business ideas you have, the list goes on and on, and now with virtual meetings, there's another thing added to that list, your home, the space that's peep, the space that people see behind you.
[00:15:58] As you're pitching to them. Virtual pitch, tip number five, personalize your presentations. If you are serious about being a toy inventor, you've got to come up with a simple method for personalizing all of your presentations for the toy companies that you're pitching to that. Organizing your concepts by category renaming and organizing your PowerPoint pitch templates for each pitch meeting.
[00:16:25] And yeah, it's a lot of work and you know, that only 3% of ideas pitched land licensing deals, but toy companies can spot a lazy pitch, a mile away. The company would rather see three excellently developed and relevant concepts overseeing 10 to 15 concepts that are poorly presented and that don't. What their company is actually looking for.
[00:16:49] If you want bonus points for personalization research, the competitors of who you're pitching to, and if you have a product that will help them stand out against their competitor, say so in your intro email, let them know that you're knowledgeable about the landscape and that you design the products you're pitching to them to help them stand out.
[00:17:08] In that landscape. If you have an idea that will lend itself well to licenses, do research sites like the toy book sites, like global license. All report on new licensing deals. So if you have an idea, that's tied to, let's say DC characters, find out what toy company has the license for DC characters and make sure that you're not showing that DC character version of your concept to the wrong company.
[00:17:39] Virtual pitch tip number six, minimize your file size. We're going to get a little techie here, but stick with me whenever you're sending a file, you must reduce your file size as much as possible. Most of us are working with wifi and many of us are still working from home and the internet connection.
[00:18:00] May not be so great. So if your file is too big, it's gonna take too long to download and you can quickly lose the attention of the person who was going to review your concept. So in the case that you are sending a file and you want the receiver to download it, keep that file size waiting. I would suggest making sure all your files are under 25 megabytes so they can easily be emailed.
[00:18:28] Now 25 megabytes is the largest email size that Google's going to allow you to send until it turns it into a Google drive link. And that size includes the body, the signature, the attachments, everything. So keep that in mind. Now I want you to be careful. There are a lot of sites out there that can help you reduce file sizes websites that allow you to upload things and download smaller file sizes.
[00:18:52] But you are dealing with your intellectual property here. So likely those sites, aren't the most secure place for you to be uploading your intellectual property. So you really want to do some quick research and figure out how to reduce file size in whichever program you're creating your sizzle video.
[00:19:11] Or your one sheet in. Finally, we have made it all the way to virtual pitch number seven last, but certainly not least is a lesson in follow-up and follow up is the process of checking in with a toy company after you have already pitched to see if they decided to move forward with your product. Now don't be afraid of the.
[00:19:32] I used to be afraid of it too, but listen, a no is better than a no answer because a no allows you to move on and make space for potential. Now virtual pitching has made follow up a little bit easier in my opinion, because now your entire relationship begins virtually from introduction to the pitch. And that can very easily continue to the follow-up.
[00:19:58] So try not to get discouraged when you don't hear from a toy company right away, take into consideration. Toy companies are reviewing hundreds of concepts while also going about their normal day to day product development processes. They have their annual business initiatives and on top of all that, they've got their personal lives.
[00:20:17] So your pitch can very easily get buried and forgotten for a bit. So it's your job to make sure it stays at the top of their mind at the right time. So I would say respectfully, schedule your pitch, follow up emails. Don't spam their inbox, but gentle reminders of your idea is just fine. Well, there you have it.
[00:20:39] Toy people, seven virtual pitch tips to help you, as you continually pitch your kid's product toy or game ideas virtually. Now let's recap onto what all of those were because it was a long, long road here. Number one. Bring the energy, let them feel your energy. Manufacture energy when you need it and smile to create that energy.
[00:21:04] Number two, let your sizzle do the talking. If you're feeling hesitant about talking your way through this pitch, really focus on that sizzle. Allow the sizzle to talk for you. Number three, build a relationship, make sure you do your research so that you can actually strike up a conversation either about the industry or about something you might have in common with.
[00:21:26] Number four, your background speaks volumes. Pay attention to your background and try not to opt for a virtual background whenever possible. Number five, personalize those presentations. Make sure you're showing that you did the research by personalizing your presentations and letting them know, you know, who you're talking to.
[00:21:47] And you design this product for them. Number six, minimize your file size. There's nothing worse than getting a link that takes forever to load because it's too big for the wifi connection. Number seven. Don't forget the followup. Follow up is the most important part of your pitch. You have to assume everyone is busy and everyone will forget.
[00:22:09] And it's your job to keep your product top of mind. Okay. Toy people. I want you to keep these seven tips in mind. As you develop your product, as you develop your product pitch presentations, and as you plan for your next virtual pitch meeting, it means spending more time on the presentation than you may be.
[00:22:29] But if you want to be successful as an inventor in this virtual world, you've got to keep up with. And even ahead of the times, making toys is fun, but it can also be challenging. And I'm telling you, there are enough challenges struggling with your virtual pitch does not need to be one of them anymore.
[00:22:50] You've got these seven. To guide you now today's listener. Spotlight goes to Cole hill, who I believe I first met on Pinterest. So hi there. Cole says, I really can't say any more about this podcast other than it is exactly what we need as potential toy creators as shell helps me feel like I can do this.
[00:23:13] Well, thank you so much for that awesome review coal hill. I hope to meet you inside the Facebook. Well, thank you so much for that awesome review coal hill. I hope to meet you inside the Facebook group. If you want to meet fellow listeners of this podcast, I'd like to invite you to join the, making it in the toy industry, Facebook community, the links and opportunities I share within this Facebook group have resulted in fellow toy creators, hitting major milestones in their toy.
[00:23:42] If you're ready to connect with like-minded toy people. This is the group for you. Search the podcast name, or just tap the link in the description as always. Thank you so much for spending this time with me today. I know your time is valuable and there are a ton of podcasts out there. So it means the world to me that you tuned into this one until next.
[00:24:04] I'll see you later toy people.
[00:24:08] Jingle Intro : [00:24:08] Thanks for listening to making it in the toy industry podcast with Azhelle Wade and over to thetoycoach.com for more information, tips and advice.
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🎓Learn more about how you can develop and pitch your toy idea with Toy Creators Academy® by clicking here to visit toycreatorsacademy.com and join the waitlist.