PITCH Like a girl
Mood:  sharp
Topic: Book Review
Reviewed by Anne Egros

I am too young to be part of the women's movement in the 1970s when it was considered demeaning to refer to a woman over the age of 18 as a girl so I was not offended by the title! I think "Pitch Like a Girl" is a funny play on words although in plain English it still means performing poorly compared to a real boy!

For Lichtenberg however Pitching like a girl, "means doing it your way, by incorporating the desire for connection into transaction."

So what did I learned from Lichtenberg's book?

1. The styles in which people prefer to do business can be divided into pink or blue. You can take an on line quiz by clicking on the question mark of the home page of Ronna's web site : Quiz
to find out which you are. Apparently I am striped with 6 pink, 9 blue. What about you ?

2. The three things that can hold a woman back from becoming successful are (1) failure to understand biological differences between male and female brains; (2) stereotypes about women; and (3) negative self-beliefs. Although the chapter on "What's in Your Head That's Not in His" can be a bit frustrating as it is too simplistic. Maybe if you are not an American woman you might understand what I mean.

3. I liked Lichtenberg's concept of "Me. Inc. "Me, Inc.," she writes, "is only about your offerings in the marketplace. Marketplace judgments about value, about price, are not about your own personal worth. Your personal worth is far beyond the value of money."

4. Lichtenberg also has a broad definition of the concept of "prospects." Prospects can simply be members of your network and people with whom you share interests.

5. Lichtenberg writes "In pitching situations, we just need to apply the kind of benefit thinking about relationship[s] that comes naturally to us in a smarter, more purposeful way."

Conclusion: I'm not usually an adept of broad generalizations such as the concept of pink and blue people. However I did find this approach can be a very useful tool to make people talk about their communication styles, what they like and what they don't. I also liked the pitching approach Lichtenberg offers in many situations--starting a business, seeking a promotion, proposing a new idea or adding people to your network --
The book is worth a look for some Strong advice and exercises that you won't find elsewhere.