How to pitch your ideas at work

Hello Peerlist community! This is the first of a series of articles for Peerlist-only! So good thing you're here!

Why is this a Peerlist-exclusive thing?

Peerlist is the perfect space to write for tech peers who get design systems, code architecture, and the balance between low-code and high-code development: no need to simplify the tech-heavy examples here!

In this series, I’ll guide you through everything from identifying problems to brainstorming, discovering your idea’s value, and eventually pitching it.

Pitching took the spotlight because of feedback from the poll I made recently, plus I recently wrapped up a Hackathon where my focus was creating and delivering the pitch, so, it felt like the perfect starting point!

For today, I hope you learn some pitching best practices to become the Pitch-kaar of your company, whether you're advocating for an internal project or freelancing your expertise to clients.

I don't think I'll be able to fit all tips in one article, so let's make it actionable today with two techniques, and cover how to prep for pitching it really in the upcoming post!

As someone who regularly pitches in hackathons, corporate meetings, and internal rebilling scenarios, I've learned that pitching is about being adaptable: from needing to know your audience, meeting them where they are at (in terms of jargon, understanding of tech complexity, etc), and presenting your idea in a way that resonates.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

• How to pitch internally for team buy-in (A).

• How to pitch yourself as a freelancer (B).

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Pitching Internally: Selling Your Improvement Idea

Maybe you've been working in your team for a while, and you’ve spotted an inefficiency or a way to enhance your team’s workflow with how you're dealing with bugs, or sprint ceremonies, and now you need "buy-in" - the support from others into your idea.

There's many types of pitches and my absolute favorite one for Hackathons or with teams I already know well, "Wow-How-Now" brings the argument home.

This structure helps you capture attention, explain your idea clearly, and leave your audience with a tangible, relatable example. Let’s break it down with actionable advice:

1. Start with the "Wow"

Begin with a hook that highlights the problem or opportunity you’ve identified, for example, you might start by saying something intriguing, surprising, or even puzzling. The goal is to make your audience stop and think. Frame your opening statement as a problem or an opportunity that demands attention.

In one of the Hackathons I took part in, we started with japanese characters (nobody spoke japanese) - that was how we introduced the idea of our name, Komorebi, which was also explaining our whole approach to solving the problem of "invisible" CO2.

It should be something catchy, that'll have them a bit like this:

Whatever opening you use, should set the stage and creates curiosity, prompting the unspoken question: How?

• “We spend 20% of our sprint fixing inconsistent UI elements: what if we could cut that in half?”
  For technical peers, this could mean emphasizing inefficiencies in the codebase.

• For business stakeholders, focus on time and cost implications. Time is money!

2. Transition to the "How"

Answer the implicit question you just raised. Provide a concise explanation of your solution or approach. The key here is to be clear and direct, focusing on the why it works.

• Developers might emphasize scalability: “Using this low-code tool, we can automate repetitive coding tasks.”

• Designers can focus on user impact: “A consistent design system can reduce errors and improve accessibility.”

3. Close with the "Now"

Transition into storytelling mode by grounding your pitch with a real-world or hypothetical example. Start with the phrase, “Now, for example, we’re doing…” to bring your idea to life.

• “If we dedicate one sprint to this, we’ll save 40+ hours of rework every month.”

• “Now, for example, we’re working on a pilot project that consolidates our UI elements into a reusable component library. This library has already reduced design time by 15%.”

• “Now, for example, we’ve implemented an automated tool for project documentation, cutting onboarding time by 40%.”

Why Wow – How – Now Works

This framework is effective because it mirrors how people process information:

1. Grab their attention with the "Wow."

2. Satisfy their curiosity with the "How."

3. Make it memorable and relatable with the "Now."

When done right, this approach can turn even complex ideas into engaging, persuasive pitches. Whether you’re pitching to your manager, a client, or an investor, Wow – How – Now ensures you leave a lasting impression.

Why I like it? Well, for starters, I'm Portuguese and we love to have an impact with our words - I've come to learn this with my company, as part of us is portuguese, and the other half is from Eastern Europe! We reeeally like metaphors, apparently.

Don't be theoretical, show us examples?

Alright, alright, I'll make this practical.

Here's the slides I've designed for our wow-how-now's in the latest Hackathons:

The challenge: invisible CO2 emissions to the companies.
How can we solve this invisibility?
Our pitch: starts with japanese... nobody speaks japanese. Then a little joke: yeah, maybe that's a bit too difficult we're all full of sleep here this Sunday! And now meet Komorebi: not only the japanese word on the first slides, but also our tool: to shine a light on the invisible CO2. (I made the part about invisible CO2 really big, such a huge problem in the world, and for the challenge setter, which has 160 offices worldwide, and thousands of workers).

You can find the whole presentation on my Projects tab!

The challenge: finding solutions for faster decisions under stressful environments in Ukraine. The Wow has based on this General's words:

You can try to exercise this yourself: watch Shark Tank (India, Pakistan, USA) and see how many of them end up using some variation of the Wow-How-Now to win the sharks over!

Pitching Yourself: Selling Your Freelancing Services

In my perspective, when pitching to potential clients, you’re not just selling your skills: you’re selling a vision - not yours, but theirs, with your work.

Here’s how to position yourself effectively:

1. Understand Their Pain Point

Research your client’s challenges before the pitch.

• Are they dealing with outdated UX/UI (if you're a designer)?

• Do they need a solution that balances speed and scalability (if you're a dev, UX/UI)?

Show that you understand their specific needs by tailoring your pitch to address them directly.

2. Share Your Vision

Frame your pitch as a collaborative effort to achieve a shared goal.

• “Together, we can create a platform that’s not only functional but also delivers an intuitive and delightful experience.”

3. Show, Don’t Tell

Back your claims with tangible examples.

• Developers: Provide GitHub repos or code samples.

• Designers: Showcase a portfolio or highlight a case study that solved a similar problem.

4. Sell Your Differentiator

What makes you the right fit? Highlight unique skills, like bridging low-code and high-code solutions or aligning design and development seamlessly.

Tailoring Your Pitch: Know Your Audience and Meet Them Where They're At

Different audiences require different strategies.

Tailoring your pitch means delivering the right information in the right language. Think about what your audience values most, whether it’s data, vision, technical insights, or business outcomes, and craft your message accordingly.

Here's how to adapt your language to the audience you're facing, so you don't lose them.

For Data-Driven Managers

• Use numbers, charts, and measurable outcomes. If they only speak "numbers", at the end of the day, don't go with just fluff and no action to them.

• What not to say: "Our new design system is awesome, it’s faster to use and looks really cool."
  Why it's bad: Vague and subjective. There’s no data to back up the claim or demonstrate impact.

• What to say: "This low-code solution will reduce production time by 30% and decrease the bug-fixing cycle by 40%, based on past implementations."
  Why it works: Provides specific metrics that highlight efficiency and cost savings.

2. For Visionary Leaders

• Focus on the big picture and long-term impact. They’re interested in how your solution aligns with strategic goals and future growth.

• What not to say: "This tool will make coding easier for our team."
  Why it’s bad: Too focused on immediate functionality without addressing scalability or strategic benefits.

• What to say: "With this design system, we can create a consistent user experience across all platforms. It’s a scalable solution that supports our vision for growth while improving user satisfaction."
  Why it works: Links the idea to the company’s future goals and emphasizes user-centric, long-term value.

For Technical Peers

• Dive into the specifics. Show you’ve thought through the technical challenges and solutions, focusing on implementation and efficiency.

• What not to say: "This platform runs faster because it’s been optimized."
  Why it’s bad: Lacks depth and technical details, which technical peers expect to see.

• What to say: "By refactoring the legacy codebase to modularize components and integrate caching, we’ve reduced load times by 20% and improved maintainability for future updates."
  Why it works: Provides clear technical insights that address performance improvements and scalability.

For Clients or Non-Tech Stakeholders

• Avoid jargon! I cannot stress this enough! Most of the times, they don't care if you used React, CSS or whatever technology. They DO care if it's working! Frame the solution in terms of business outcomes. Speak in their language, not yours.

• What not to say:"We’ve implemented a low-code framework that reduces API calls and optimizes database queries."
  Why it’s bad: Overly technical and doesn’t translate into business value.

• What to say: "This platform redesign will improve workflows, increase user engagement, and improve conversions by 25%."
  Why it works: Focuses on measurable business results in clear, jargon-free language.

• When in doubt, simplify!

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If you got this far, you rock!

This was part one of many, and next post I'll explain more about Pitching. Yes, nobody said this'd be done in one article only!

So next time, we'll cover:

• Be the mentalist: how to avoid pitching mistakes by understanding psychology, body language and biases

• The Anatomy of an Effective Pitch

• How to prepare for a pitch - speaking, voice & tone do's and don'ts

• Pitching! Don't panic, just speak

• My favorite examples of successful pitching (from TED talks, shark tanks, etc)

Comment with an emoji to represent how you deal with having to pitch right now, and let me know what you would like to learn in the future - is there a problem you have when you try to pitch? Is there something I haven't addressed?