Pitch Anything

About the Author

Oren Klaff is a seasoned professional in the world of finance and deal-making. With decades of experience, he has become a leading expert on pitching ideas, negotiating deals, and raising capital. Klaff is the managing director at Intersection Capital, where he has successfully raised over $500 million. His expertise lies in understanding the psychological underpinnings of decision-making and applying this knowledge to achieve business success. Through his work, Klaff has transformed the way pitches are presented, focusing on the human brain’s natural inclinations and responses to information.

Main Idea

Pitch Anything by Oren Klaff is a revolutionary guide that challenges conventional methods of pitching ideas, products, or projects. The book is built on the premise that traditional approaches—laden with excessive detail and logical analysis—often fail to connect with the audience's emotional and instinctual responses. Instead, Klaff introduces the concept of "frame control," where the goal is to dominate the narrative by appealing directly to the "croc brain"—the primitive, emotion-driven part of the human brain that makes snap decisions. The book emphasizes the importance of establishing dominance, creating tension, and maintaining control of the pitch from start to finish.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction: The Problem with Traditional Pitching
2. Understanding the Croc Brain
3. Frame Control: The Key to a Successful Pitch
4. The Power Frame
5. The Analyst Frame
6. The Time Frame
7. The Intrigue Frame
8. The Prize Frame
9. Projecting Status
10. Understanding Attention
11. Making the Pitch
12. Conclusion: Putting It All Together

In Pitch Anything, Klaff dismantles the traditional approach to pitching, where presenters often overload their audience with data and rational arguments. He argues that this method is flawed because it targets the neocortex, the analytical part of the brain, instead of the croc brain, which is responsible for making quick, gut-based decisions. Klaff's method revolves around understanding and manipulating frames—mental structures through which people perceive the world. These frames are the key to controlling the pitch and ultimately securing a deal.

Understanding the Croc Brain

The concept of the croc brain is central to Klaff’s approach. The croc brain is the most primitive part of the human brain, responsible for basic survival instincts. When a person encounters new information, such as a pitch, it is first processed by the croc brain. If the information is not perceived as a threat or something that requires immediate attention, it is discarded before it even reaches the more advanced analytical parts of the brain. This is why many pitches fail—because they do not engage the croc brain effectively.

Klaff emphasizes the need to bypass the neocortex and appeal directly to the croc brain. To do this, a pitch must be simple, engaging, and immediately relevant to the audience’s needs or fears. By framing your pitch in a way that resonates with the croc brain, you increase the chances of capturing and holding your audience's attention.

Frame Control: The Key to a Successful Pitch

At the heart of Klaff's method is the concept of frame control. A frame is essentially a person's viewpoint or perspective, shaped by their experiences, beliefs, and expectations. In any interaction, frames collide, and one will inevitably dominate the other. The person whose frame dominates controls the conversation and, by extension, the outcome of the pitch.

Klaff identifies several common frames that one might encounter in a business setting, each requiring a specific strategy to counter: