Stop Pitching and Start Learning

I was coaching two consultants based in São Paolo who were preparing for a major client pitch. When I asked how they planned to approach the meeting, they confidently laid out their strategy:

“We’ve compiled a detailed PowerPoint deck with our qualifications, case studies, and bios. We also have a one-page leave-behind. Once we get there, we’ll dive into the presentation and then tell them how we can solve their needs.”They saw the meeting as a chance to prove their expertise. This certainly seemed logical, especially since it was how they had always done it.

I said, "Okay, I want you to do something completely counterintuitive."

I told them to scrap the PowerPoint and the leave-behind. Instead, I wanted them to walk into the meeting with a blank notepad, a pen, and a list of well-researched questions about the company’s business and challenges.
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“I want you to approach the meeting as if you’ve already been hired,” I said. “Forget ‘pitching’—just have an open, engaged conversation.”

They hesitated. This wasn’t how they normally did things. But to their credit, they trusted the process.

Two weeks later, I asked how the meeting went during our next coaching session.

They were smiling. “It was one of the best client pitch meetings we’ve ever had.”

“Why?” I asked.

“Because we barely talked,” one of them said. “Over the two-hour meeting, the client spoke for an hour and 50 minutes. We only spoke for 10.”  Instead of pitching, they listened. Instead of making it about themselves, they made it about the client.
And the client hired them.

Business Development Isn’t About Selling—It’s About Learning

Most professionals approach BD with one goal in mind: proving their value. They focus on showcasing expertise, demonstrating credentials, and trying to sound impressive.

Here’s the problem: Clients don’t care about how great you are. They care about their own problems.

The best business developers aren’t pitching—they’re listening. They ask great questions, uncover challenges, and understand what really matters to the client. They don’t sell—they position themselves.

And that’s exactly what happened with the two consultants in São Paulo.