Book excerpt: What’s YOUR story? In the hypercompetitive world of Silicon Valley, this question has replaced “What’s your pitch?” It’s another way of asking, “Who are you?” The art of the pitch is nothing short of a survival skill. If an entrepreneur can’t convince an investor in 10 minutes that a business idea has potential, that is often the end of it. If a project manager in a large enterprise can’t win support from other stakeholders, his or her project is at risk. You always need to be selling yourself, pitching your partners or your clients to work with you, or pitching what makes your new business an exciting and worthwhile investment. You may not realize it right now, but you do have a one-of-a-kind story to tell, one that makes you stand out from everyone else—a unique tale that makes you, your product, or your business unforgettable. In One Perfect Pitch, Marie Perruchet will help you discover it, hone it, and present it, so that you get buy-in from colleagues and potential investors. Learn: • How to mine the worst experiences of your life for your pitch • How to tell me, show me, and sign me up in one minute • How to make a good impression through any medium • The dos and don’ts of pitching etiquette—and how to correct common mistakes • The unspoken rules in Silicon Valley A former mentor at 500 Startups, where she was a pitching coach to world-changing companies at one of the largest incubators in the U.S., Perruchet shares her proven methodology, insider advice, and hands-on exercises. She provides a step-by-step framework that ensures you are pitch perfect whenever you need to sell an idea, a product, a business—or yourself. Marie Perruchet is the founder of One Perfect Pitch, a San Francisco-based consulting firm. Drawing on her experience as a BBC journalist and news correspondent, she works with business executives to shape their stories and deliver effective pitches. As a former mentor at 500 Startups, the largest accelerator program in the U.S., she helped prepare startup founders and entrepreneurs for Demo Day, when they pitch venture capital funds and angel investors. Her clients include multinationals, tech incubators and accelerators, startup founders and entrepreneurs, and portfolio companies. Perruchet also coaches C-level executives from around the world and has been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Marie Claire, and Le Monde.