Shipley introduces InfoRay's Ronald Tetteroo at 9:15 a.m., and two NBA-style "shot clocks" blink to life, poised for the six-minute countdown. Drumsticks raised above his kit, he grins and unleashes a cranium-crushing volley.

Six minutes later, the InfoRay camp breathes a collective sigh of relief. Tetteroo didn't choke. Drums, slides, and the software demo went off as planned. Unlike several other presenters, he didn't have to ad-lib to the audience about what it was supposed to be seeing on the computer -- but wasn't. He even gambled on an unrehearsed software maneuver and won. (On the downside: He was so thrilled by his ad-lib that he briefly forgot what to say next.)

A tape of Tetteroo's performance shows real improvement. "Your enthusiasm, passion, energy, and genuineness come through," Betsy Komjathy says. "That's big.''

The audience's response to Tetteroo isn't harsh, but the feedback is consistent: The drums weren't effective. He didn't establish their relevancy. Jim Forbes, executive editor of DemoLetter, says Tetteroo took an unwarranted leap when he assumed that an IT crowd would appreciate a drawn-out musical analogy. (See Rule #1.)

"You never know about these guys," says Forbes. "They might be listening, or they might be thinking about the strength-to-weight ratio of the drum head."

Julene Hunter, VP at Chroma Graphics Inc., a Web graphics firm, and one of Demo '98's top presenters, thought that Tetteroo lost some contact with the audience by pitching solo. He had to punch the keyboard (to manipulate the software demo) and to woo the crowd at the same time. Most presenters had a colleague play mouse jockey while they focused on their message. (See Rule #2.)

Others in the audience were astounded when Tetteroo announced that InfoRay had $10 million in venture-capital financing from the Mayfield Fund. Several VCs wondered what that prestigious firm had seen that they hadn't.

In retrospect, the funding part of the message -- a confirmation of credibility if ever there was one -- should have come earlier in the presentation, says Michael Schuh, a general partner at Foundation Capital.

But in the end, there is a surprise: At the closing ceremonies, Tetteroo is named one of the show's six "Demo Gods." Presenters must satisfy two criteria to earn that title, explains Chris Shipley, who polls attendees and designates a few favorites herself. First, Demo Gods must show near-contagious levels of enthusiasm. Second, their message must be crystal clear. Apparently, Tetteroo met that twofold test.

Try to win over individuals, not the entire room, Komjathy had told him: That will make a difference. And it did. Tetteroo may not have won the crowd, but he pitched a perfect game to someone who counted.

"When you share a stage with pitchers from 39 other companies, doing something memorable helps drive your message," says Shipley. "Tetteroo was memorable."

Contributing Editor Todd Balf (toddbalf@aol.com) also writes for Men's Journal and ESPN magazine.

Action Item: Practice Pitch

In every competitive pitch, there's a winner and a loser. Betsy Komjathy, a partner at Rogen International, recommends creating a war room to help you triumph over the enemy. The war room is any place where the pitch team can brainstorm, research prospective clients as well as competitors, strategize, and rehearse. "It's a place for incredible creativity and focus," says Komjathy.

A virtual war room allows telecommuters to work together on a pitch. Using Goldmine 4.0, people can post ideas, share research, and trade PowerPoint slides. That way, team members will be up to speed when they gather for a real-time run-through of the pitch: They've already worked out a battle plan in their cyber war room.
-- Marni Futterman

Coordinates: $180. Goldmine 4.0, www.goldmine.com

Sidebar: Pitch Coaches

Taking the time to prepare your pitch is the key to its success. But who's got that kind of time? The following training workshops specialize in arming you with face-to-face pitch tools for winning new business.

Decker Communications: Decker's two-day "Presentations . . . and Beyond" workshop gets high ratings for its comprehensiveness. Students deliver 8 to 10 videotaped presentations, 3 of which are privately coached. Decker also offers a highly acclaimed four-step process for brainstorming, structuring a message, and orchestrating an overall presentation.

Coordinates: $1,135. San Francisco, www.decker.com

McAlinden Associates: This group's two-day Communication Skills Workshop provides small groups from the same company (their 1:3 instructor-to-client ratio is among the lowest in the business) with a variety of tools, including live-pitch material and as-many-as-it-takes private videos. Among the points emphasized: organizing material so that it is compelling but doesn't sound like coach-speak.

Coordinates: $15,000 and up. New York, www.mcalinden.com

Rogen International: The Rogen Presentation Skills Workshop customizes sessions for as many as eight participants and features daily presentations with extensive feedback. The company emphasizes face-to-face skill building, which is backed by Rogen's research and field testing.

Coordinates: $4,000 to $10,500. New York, www.rogeninternational.com