Abracadabra Moments, the Opening Line You Should Never Use, and 10 More Ways to Sell Ideas

1. "If they feel they birthed it, they can't kill it." David Schimmel touts this tenet at And Partners, his New York design firm. "If you truly collaborate with your clients and let them take credit for ideas," says Schimmel, "there's a good chance you'll sell your strongest ideas without having them watered down."

2. Leave creative chaos at the door. The route for discovering an idea is usually a winding, twisted path. But the way we present that idea should be a straight and narrow road. That's not saying pitches should be dull and didactic. Be bold. Rouse the room. Playing it safe is for wimps. But pitch ideas with a clear and logical flow. Meet clients on their mental turf. Gently guide them to your world.

3. Pause before you start. A few years ago, Edward Norton and four other actors participated in a discussion at the Directors Guild in Manhattan. The panel quickly adopted a rotation, with each actor commenting on film-related topics. When Norton's turn, he would always pause before speaking. The audience awaited his words. Norton's comments were no more profound than those of fellow panelists, but the pauses positioned him as the group's sage. For your next pitch, pause before starting. Lock eyes with audience members. Build anticipation. Capture their complete attention--then begin.

4. One opening line never to use. Never start your pitch with "You're going to love this idea." Kick off with that line and you'll kick-start skepticism. The decision maker will think, "Oh, yeah?" or "Wanna bet?" I learned this lesson on my first job out of college. To help roll out a new corporate identity program, I was dispatched to tell a plant manager he would need to replace his facility's signage. In my youthful exuberance, it didn't occur that the gruff, overworked manager might have other priorities. "You're going to love these signs we created for you," I said. Looking up from a mess of thick reports, he stared at me for a long time. "No," he said, "what I would love is to send you back to headquarters with those fancy signs stuck up your tail." Last time I used that line.

5. Help clients visualize your ideas in living color. Lexington, Kentucky asked design firm Pentagram to develop an identity reflecting the Bluegrass Region's personality. Partners Michael Bierut and DJ Stout took Edward Troye's portrait of the great racehorse Lexington, changed its color to blue and named it Big Lex. "When we showed city leaders Troye's horse colored bright blue, their initial resistance was evident," says Stout. "But then we displayed ads and billboards. We also presented a small model of Big Lex for gift shops and showed Big Lex as a mascot, with a person wearing a blue horse suit and educating school kids. Before long, everybody in the room was tossing out ideas on how Big Lex could promote the city."

6. Stand tall, talk short. President Abraham Lincoln and orator Edward Everett spoke at the dedication of a cemetery for soldiers killed at Gettysburg. Everett talked for two hours, delivering more than 13,500 words. Lincoln spoke for two minutes, delivering 272 words. Nobody remembers Everett's talk, but Lincoln's Gettysburg Address is celebrated as one of America's finest speeches. When picking between a longer or shorter presentation, choose shorter. "I wish you had talked longer" are words you’ll never hear from clients.

7. Throw out handouts. Handouts are those ubiquitous pages distributed before pitches. The intent is for decision makers to follow along as you explain each point. But people follow handouts about as well as cats follow tour guides. They'll jump ahead. Double back. When you’re on page one, they're on page six. When you're at page six, they're back at page three. And pray for mercy if you include project costs on the last page. That's the first place clients will go. They'll scan the numbers and shake their heads. Then they’ll tune you out and turn on their BlackBerries. If you don't want audiences to skip past your ideas, skip the handouts.

8. Bank on leave-behinds. Leave-behinds are for after the sales pitch. Clients review them later to dive deeper into content. Leave-behinds also serve another powerful purpose--decision makers use them to sell your ideas to their bosses. So invest in leave-behinds, not handouts. Include samples, photos, examples, and case studies--anything to ignite the selling of your idea. Before starting your pitch, let clients know you'll provide ample content once you're done. Watch them sit back and absorb your pitch.