Know-How Exchange : Advertising/PR

I pitched 5 years ago to GM.
The trick was to get their attention from the inside, and not the marketing department, forget those people.
We approached the GM legal dept. via our attorney, and said we have a great idea for them, but we want protection and copyright to our idea in case they don't accept it.
That got their attention.
You see, these corporations care about it, because you might go to a competitor with the idea.
But if they give you the chance to present internally to them, exclusively to them, they like it.
Try it.It worked for us, and we did present to GM

After 14 years of pitching an idea to Fortune 500 companies, two generalized statements emerge...

1.) You need a signed NDA (Non Disclosure Agreement) before pitching.
2.) You probably won't get one as the company fears you may pitch something they already have in the works internally or may (innocently) develop at some later date and find themselves in court.

IMHO, the BEST you can do in these cases is to contact a "line officer" (one who has the authority to legally bind the company as opposed to a "staff officer" who just wears the title). Assuming you can get them on the phone, your tone should be... "Assuming that we come to terms and _____ actually uses my material, I'd just like you and I to have a Gentleman's Agreement in place that I will be compensated, fair enough?" IF they move that far, you disclose and they express interest in using your material, THEN get a signed agreement.

Time frames are brutal. I always figured 4 months to get an appointment and up to 2 years to be compensated. I worked on one deal for over 10 years.

Good luck...

Lawrence,

You really do need someone inside. With AB, they might tell you you have to go thou InBev instead. That's a typical objection...be ready to counter it by having contacted them instead.

Finding the right person to pitch to is easier than getting in to see them.

I'm assuming you've done your research, not about the audience..but about the company values.

Michael

First, there is only pitching in baseball.

I did a google search and Budweiser doesn't do a lot within. At the end of this post are press releases of several they've subbed the work out to. I'd research them and find a niche where you can fit.

But i'd start with the VP Marketing at Budweiser. I don't know if he's still in this poition, but with the family name, I bet he is. https://www.allbusiness.com/company-activities-management/product-managemen...

When you call, remember to sell the appointment and the appointment only.

https://stlouis.bizjournals.com/stlouis/stories/2008/06/23/story3.html

https://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3469/is_1_57/ai_n16031153/

another good source of contact names at large corporations is jigsaw:

www.jigsaw.com

Good luck.

Randall is right. You're against big odds. I have had many sales even with knowing the right person-- its taken a year to get a return call, much less a face to face. And while I have had my share of doors that never open-- I've had my share of sales close that everyone said I had no choice of making.

But as Randall states-- you miss 100% of the shots you don't take. I believe you are compensated by the risk you take. That means putting yourself out there-- not doing something stupid. 99% of those with great ideas don't make the call.

I think its Franklin Covey that said, and its a paraphrase-- we each get one million dollar idea a year -- that we don't act on.

Don't think of the odds. They'll be somewhere in the back of your head for sure. Just make the call-- and calls. I remember sitting in a meeting where everyone told me a presentation I was about to make would fail. This was my own team-- and boss -- the same guy busting my chops for quota. I listened and said "We didn't come here to fail. Lets just do what we came here to do". We made the sale-- and my boss said "what just happened" and that he had to sit down -- or was going to pee his pants!

So, you've got some great posts and advice. Are you going to make the call?

As a completely separate issue, this is a great example of why the marketing plan needs to come BEFORE product development.

If you had said, "I want to come up with an idea that will only work for AB, but before I spend time on it I want to determine if there's a way to present it to the right person there," you might never have spent any time or energy coming up with the idea.

Now you've invested yourself in the idea itself and you're realizing that there probably isn't a good way to market it to your intended target audience. Don't you wish you'd known this before you started?

I find it kind of amazing that most entrepreneurs start with the product and not with an understanding of market needs and how they'll market their products. Then they run out of money and energy when it comes to monetizing their hard-won investment of time and money.

You're certainly not alone, and this isn't a personal indictment. It's just an observation that will probably sound familiar to many entrepreneurs -- and many marketers.

I’d back the cautions and encouragements you’ve been given to date. Randall, Michael, Dave, Carol have all been in a similar place.

I was chucked into the deep-end a few years back by my company asking me to get our own electronic combustion products into the Westinghouse Corporation for re-sales. They were only about 1Million times bigger than our outfit!

Fortunately I was given excellent training in key-account sales which is a different business to even high-end capital expenditure sales. In reality, it was my first lesson in networking. I first had to find someone who would talk to me. Once I’d convinced them that we were worth dealing with and that I was someone he personally got on with, I was then able to explore the strata’s of management both above and below my initial contact.

I made him look professional and influential to his staff.

I made him look talented and far-sighted to his bosses.

It took two years but we made the largest sale in our history and protected our technology, so as everyone here has said, it is possible, just very difficult and possibly protracted.

When I needed to get into BP, I did the same thing, but as it was in the process of being privatised, I used political contacts (The Secretary of State for Trade and Industry) to get an introduction to some executives. I ended up being invited by the minister to a CBI dinner; a black tie event, and found myself sitting next to the CEO of BP. As his company’s budget for tea and biscuits was somewhat more that our turnover, it had the potential for disaster. It turned out well because the politician did his research somewhat better than I did. The CEO went to my university 20 years before me and wanted to spend the entire evening reminiscing about silly things which drunken students do!


Good luck

Steve Alker
Xspirt

Steve you make such a valid point. And its one reason I tell people to be involved in nonprofits and civic groups.

Regular posters have heard it before-- it is one of my values to give back -- and I've been (preferably) board level on many nonprofits. And its been good for them, and good for business.

When I lived in da Burg (Pittsburgh) I would hit my ex up for every black tie that my nonprofit of choice would offer. He was/is a turnaround guy. I'd show him the guest list and ask-- "who do you want to sit beside". I'd arrange it. I never sat down, running my butt off with the event. And he was making contacts.

Not that Westinghouse (Pgh based) wasn't one of my biggest clients at the time. I was working for a furniture manufacturer and nailed their national contract. (Even tho Westinghouse at that time had their own brand!!) Pittsburgh at that time was the 3rd largest corporate city-- right behind NY and Chicago.

You can call cold and say you are the greatest guy on the planet. Or you can go where they go and prove it -- and meet them F2F. I attribute so much of my success to this. They see me, month to month, giving a report on things accomplished. Even a step below-- my ex would only say, "my wife is..." Rapport established.

That is such good advice- find out the charities your prospects (you only have 2) support. And if, in your heart (don't be a jerk) you see a connection- go-- not just to meetings (they won't be there) commitee, board level (preferred) or get involved.

If you don't see a connection-- don't do it. They'll see through you.

I want to add one more thing to my post. I will also say -- that I have never seen a city like Pittsburgh--support their community. never.

So pick your groups carefully.