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Life's A Pitch
The Pitch is the absolute essence of modern business. Ideas are the most valuable commodity in the modern economy and it is human skill that develops them. In pitching for new business, it is ideas and emotional intelligence that dominate. However, the skills of the Pitch also apply to just about every significant personal transaction in our lives.
Life’s a Pitch is the ultimate how-to book–a mixture of mechanics and magic. Nothing like it has been written before. A mixture of mentoring, graphics, anthropology, market research and modern Machiavellianism, this book is a preparation for success. So whether at a sales conference in corporate conference room hell or over lunch at a glamorous meeting, it’s a drama. It is business, but it’s also theatre. It’s not about transferring information; it’s about transferring power. And the results of a successful pitch are — quite simply — money and power.
Part inspirational manual for business, part guidebook to a successful and happy social life, Life’s a Pitch is an accumulation of half-century of (mostly successful) pitching wisdom by the authors. Groundbreaking and genre-busting, it will transform forever how we think about the art of persuasion.
Life’s a Pitch is the ultimate how-to book–a mixture of mechanics and magic. Nothing like it has been written before. A mixture of mentoring, graphics, anthropology, market research and modern Machiavellianism, this book is a preparation for success. So whether at a sales conference in corporate conference room hell or over lunch at a glamorous meeting, it’s a drama. It is business, but it’s also theatre. It’s not about transferring information; it’s about transferring power. And the results of a successful pitch are — quite simply — money and power.
Part inspirational manual for business, part guidebook to a successful and happy social life, Life’s a Pitch is an accumulation of half-century of (mostly successful) pitching wisdom by the authors. Groundbreaking and genre-busting, it will transform forever how we think about the art of persuasion.
256 pages, Paperback
First published February 14, 2007
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
October 26, 2015
"This is nothing to do with Church's or with Prada but with attitude and style - style being the dress of thought, the feather that makes the arrow fly straight, not the feather you put in your cap."
This book is raw and straight forward. I like how its strategically segmented, which didnt get me lose interest or lost between the ideas. This book would work for every moment, ranging from selling insurance, corporate presentation or asking a girl to marry you, or guy.
This book is raw and straight forward. I like how its strategically segmented, which didnt get me lose interest or lost between the ideas. This book would work for every moment, ranging from selling insurance, corporate presentation or asking a girl to marry you, or guy.
August 10, 2011
A pitch is made and won in the theater of the heart, not the library of the mind
December 20, 2020
The first author's half was interesting, affirming and actionable.
The second author's half was dire. Partly for the essay style: make anachronistic point, pick French poet to back up random thought, proceed to assume correct for ever more. Partly that the points they were making felt more 1977 than 2007, out of touch on subjects of women, statistics and ethics.
He showed disregard for anything too digital 'maps are better than sat nav / Vinyl is better than Spotify.', well if Sartre said it, it must be true.
The second author's half was dire. Partly for the essay style: make anachronistic point, pick French poet to back up random thought, proceed to assume correct for ever more. Partly that the points they were making felt more 1977 than 2007, out of touch on subjects of women, statistics and ethics.
He showed disregard for anything too digital 'maps are better than sat nav / Vinyl is better than Spotify.', well if Sartre said it, it must be true.
May 13, 2022
Would be so much better if it wasn’t littered with casual sexism. Only refers to ‘business men’ and makes sleazy comparisons like ‘don’t come across as too eager as all women know, when you come across desperate you lose your magic” - YUCK!
I stopped reading at that point - this book is from 2017 but it could be from the 50s
I stopped reading at that point - this book is from 2017 but it could be from the 50s
May 24, 2026
From a practical perspective, the first book - the first half - whilst providing little new information for me, at least served as a practical reminder of all the good guidance on pitch preparation. Key takeaways for me include:
- remembering to present as an equal - the other party stands to gain as much as you do - and that your understanding of your self-worth will imbue confidence in you and therefore increase the likelihood of winning the pitch;
- it’s as much about them as it is about you - do your research thoroughly - we know this already - but it’s about the psychology of how it makes them feel when you have researched them - a slight distinction from researching for your own pitch/job application etc - but an important one;
- remembering to focus on one big idea - simple, yes, but surprisingly difficult in practice!
This first half of the book contains much actionable, practical advice.
The second half of the book, by the second author, I found of little interest, perhaps because it seems to be written for a male audience. I might have got more out of it, had I not found the style of writing irritating. There is much reference to the work of others, but with not enough elaboration on their ideas to communicate the connection with the author’s own ideas. Instead there is much reliance on ‘amusing’ anecdotes and quotations and surprisingly little content that I found useful.
However, the main point of interest for me, in this half, is the concept of three distinct personalities:
- ‘the person we think we are’
- ‘the person others think we are’
- ‘ the person we believe others think we are’
Bringing these into alignment provides food for thought.
I have however been interested in some of the texts that this book signposts to and so will look those up. In particular, ‘The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life’ (1959) by sociologist Erving Goffman, and ‘Crystallizing Public Opinion’ by Edward Bernays, nephew of Sigmund Freud from 1928, cited as a communication classic. Though considerably dated, they might afford valuable insights into the birth of PR.
I am however writing this book from where I am at in my journey through life. For someone just starting with pitching, I would say the first half of this book is an excellent summary for crafting a pitch with the added bonus of being really easy to read. On it’s own, I would have rated this book much higher.
- remembering to present as an equal - the other party stands to gain as much as you do - and that your understanding of your self-worth will imbue confidence in you and therefore increase the likelihood of winning the pitch;
- it’s as much about them as it is about you - do your research thoroughly - we know this already - but it’s about the psychology of how it makes them feel when you have researched them - a slight distinction from researching for your own pitch/job application etc - but an important one;
- remembering to focus on one big idea - simple, yes, but surprisingly difficult in practice!
This first half of the book contains much actionable, practical advice.
The second half of the book, by the second author, I found of little interest, perhaps because it seems to be written for a male audience. I might have got more out of it, had I not found the style of writing irritating. There is much reference to the work of others, but with not enough elaboration on their ideas to communicate the connection with the author’s own ideas. Instead there is much reliance on ‘amusing’ anecdotes and quotations and surprisingly little content that I found useful.
However, the main point of interest for me, in this half, is the concept of three distinct personalities:
- ‘the person we think we are’
- ‘the person others think we are’
- ‘ the person we believe others think we are’
Bringing these into alignment provides food for thought.
I have however been interested in some of the texts that this book signposts to and so will look those up. In particular, ‘The Presentation of Self in Everyday Life’ (1959) by sociologist Erving Goffman, and ‘Crystallizing Public Opinion’ by Edward Bernays, nephew of Sigmund Freud from 1928, cited as a communication classic. Though considerably dated, they might afford valuable insights into the birth of PR.
I am however writing this book from where I am at in my journey through life. For someone just starting with pitching, I would say the first half of this book is an excellent summary for crafting a pitch with the added bonus of being really easy to read. On it’s own, I would have rated this book much higher.
June 22, 2023
A Book of 2 Halves - the book's first half is a standard manual on the why and how of giving a presentation pitch. This reads like the script of Prentice McCabe of Radio 4's Absolute Power. The book's second section is more esoteric, with much of the writing an excuse to show off the authors' well-read erudition. Nevertheless, several passages did make me reflect - such as the nature of confidence being a system function of saying 'yes'. The section at the end - a series of imaginary interview responses from historical figures - was simply bollocks.
July 24, 2017
This was a bit of a mixed bag for me.
I really liked the first book/part. It neatly touched some critical points in making pitches which were rather useful in some way or another.
I didn't care so much for the second book , which I thought was a little pointless and a bit overdone.
3 stars, a fun quick read with some takeaways for everyone, as I am convinced that life exists of quite a few pitches.
I really liked the first book/part. It neatly touched some critical points in making pitches which were rather useful in some way or another.
I didn't care so much for the second book , which I thought was a little pointless and a bit overdone.
3 stars, a fun quick read with some takeaways for everyone, as I am convinced that life exists of quite a few pitches.
August 18, 2018
Parts of the book were awesome, other parts were a lot less. But in the it's your choice to keep and implement what you like.
Learned lots of tips, for example on what is the goal, the strategy, the art of going to a Professional lunch.
Sometimes it went in lots of phisophical stuff, but in overall it's a good book.
Learned lots of tips, for example on what is the goal, the strategy, the art of going to a Professional lunch.
Sometimes it went in lots of phisophical stuff, but in overall it's a good book.
March 1, 2024
Well that took a little while. Read half. Put down. Only just got back to it.
Book 1 = great anecdotes and witticisms to bring up in clever work setting conversations.
Book 2 = life lessons and reminders that every aspect of your being is a pitch and can be crafted to your advantage.
Useful summary pages makes this book very easy to access and reference when you want to just dip into it.
Book 1 = great anecdotes and witticisms to bring up in clever work setting conversations.
Book 2 = life lessons and reminders that every aspect of your being is a pitch and can be crafted to your advantage.
Useful summary pages makes this book very easy to access and reference when you want to just dip into it.
October 28, 2017
I didn't even like the first part of the book.
If you've been working for a while now or have worked in an agency environment for some time, then don't bother.
This may be a good read if you're just starting out in the working world, but a boring one otherwise.
If you've been working for a while now or have worked in an agency environment for some time, then don't bother.
This may be a good read if you're just starting out in the working world, but a boring one otherwise.
October 26, 2019
Interesting read! A great tip on presenting yourself out in life. Especially when you can relate them with yourself. I enjoyed reading and implementing as well. It's a dramatic effect right away. Get inspired, practice and create your own success!!!
March 17, 2018
A book that I always remember and a wisdom that easily penetrated my life
April 8, 2019
I agree with others who've noted that part 1 is good, but part 2 is nearly impossible to read. I hit the wall 3-4 pages into that section.
December 8, 2019
This book didn't resonate with me.
September 5, 2020
First half was really good with practical advice and written in a witty way. Enjoyable and useful read! But second one was something totally different and not really my cup of tea.
August 19, 2021
Full of great ideas and insights.
October 21, 2024
Couldn't read the second half of the book - it was awful. I rarely give up but it just wasn't worth it.
February 11, 2011
Winning people to your side of the argument and surreptitiously blowing your own trumpet might be the most important skills a freshman (in every sense of the word) needs. That and the ability to pucker up your lips and blow other people’s trumpets for them. And again, there are lots of books out there to show you exactly how.
Life’s a Pitch is by two British advertising executives and it’s split into two halves, the first on business and powerpoint presentations, the second on dating, verbal abuse, and psychosexual analysis. Sorta. Great advice and borrowing of inspiration from various fields. Very persuasive and entertaining. Management consultants and civil servants with self esteem issues might want to grab some tissue, though, in preparation for the gibes tossed their way. For that matter, fire up the PowerPoint and the Word and start boring us with more crap on why you shouldn’t be ribbed. We’re (not) listening…
Life’s a Pitch is by two British advertising executives and it’s split into two halves, the first on business and powerpoint presentations, the second on dating, verbal abuse, and psychosexual analysis. Sorta. Great advice and borrowing of inspiration from various fields. Very persuasive and entertaining. Management consultants and civil servants with self esteem issues might want to grab some tissue, though, in preparation for the gibes tossed their way. For that matter, fire up the PowerPoint and the Word and start boring us with more crap on why you shouldn’t be ribbed. We’re (not) listening…
January 31, 2012
This book gives you different insights and advice regarding pitches from two main experts that are Stephen Bayley & Roger Mavity. It is a quite refreshing book since pitches are explored through two different perspectives involving technical details and subjective impressions. Moreover, the book is full of examples, tips, lessons and ideas from great leaders. Therefore this book more than a recipe book style with casual logic steps explaining how to go from A to B is actually a great reference point in order that each and everyone of us should get inspired, practice and create our own pitching style with great success!
March 17, 2010
Although I actually hate everything that reminds me of self-help material, this is pretty witty stuff. I liked most of it and there's something curious about it: twice I got people coming to me to ask about the book and one of them actually offered me a job! Can't explain but good things may come your way if you carry this around with you... ;)
August 17, 2015
A book of literally two parts.The three stars are for the first part only.
The first is aimed largely at more formal commercial pitching, however there is a lot of easily digestible tips and techniques on how to pitch.
The second part of the book is entirely different - really a second book, by a second author. I couldn't get into this part at all. And it remains unread.
The first is aimed largely at more formal commercial pitching, however there is a lot of easily digestible tips and techniques on how to pitch.
The second part of the book is entirely different - really a second book, by a second author. I couldn't get into this part at all. And it remains unread.
July 17, 2014
The second part didn't worth my time. First part is quite useful. If I start saying all the things that bothered me, I would never finish. Appearances, sex, politics, tattoos, dude you should clear up some stuff in your head.
November 21, 2010
Pretty interesting read. Especially the first part, that gives some sound advice on building pitch presentations.
March 15, 2014
First half was worth it but the last is not worth the time.
March 10, 2011
I found this book very inspiring and a great resource for positivity.
February 11, 2015
The most appealing part of the book, aside from great advice, is how quick an easy a read it is. I liked that there were two very different perspectives relaying the same principles.
March 29, 2014
Very enjoyable. First part is a practical guide to preparing, delivering and following up on pitches. Second part is more anecdotal and thought provoking.
July 30, 2016
Good read, outlines the different perspectives on the art and science of selling. From PT Barnum to Belyamani, this book has them all.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews