Whether you’re presenting an idea within an organization or you’re pitching to an organization, there’s one thing that you should be sure to look at that is often overlooked: the mission statement.
An organization’s mission statement is a statement of why that business exists–it’s purpose, it’s core, it’s focus. Mission statements often guide decision-making in organizations, serving as a compass directing action.
If you’re not looking at a company’s mission statement before you pitch your idea, you’re missing out on a valuable source of information to help you craft your messaging.
You could also be missing an opportunity to recognize shared ambitions and build a relationship.
I teach a university course on communication and entrepreneurial thinking. This doesn’t focus on teaching students to be entrepreneurs, but rather to think like entrepreneurs and communicate their ideas effectively. Before I take students through the idea generation process they have to first identify an organization and get to know its mission, vision and values. Knowing this information enables them to better cultivate ideas and craft messaging that will ultimately go into a pitch.
This process is the same whether you work for an organization and you want to pitch an idea to management, or if you are a business owner presenting a proposal to a potential client.
In short, you need to know your audience. And the mission statement is a good place to start.