"A few years ago at XYZ solutions, our prospects were mainly government organizations. One time, we were pitching at a city hall. The service offering was cloud HR and payroll solutions, and the audience was comprised of the mayor and his staff. At the get-go, the engagement was already low. It just went downhill from there to a point where the mayor was scrolling on his phone, and the rest of the group was yawning. I tried to engage them a little more and inject some energy into the presentation. Then I elicited them for questions, and it suddenly made sense. They were uninterested because they didn't understand much of it. I realized that I used too much jargon and forgot to discuss some of the basics. I was so used to pitching to private sectors who are already using similar tools. Needless to say, we didn't win the contract. Although it wasn't a typical negative experience because there wasn't any obvious resistance or confrontation, I still consider it to be my worst pitch because of the large dollar amount associated with it. After that experience, I learned to take a few more steps in understanding my prospects' needs and really tailor my proposal to them and their level of knowledge."
