Most new business pitches fail because they are too focused on the person pitching, the product they’re pitching, and their business. To stand out in the crowd and close the deal, you need to focus the pitch entirely on the company you’re pitching to.

The most powerful word in the English language is your name, followed closely by the words “you” and “your.” Laurie Richards teaches people how to speak in “you language” to achieve higher success rates when pitching for new business.

Do you need to update that tired old elevator pitch? Maybe you love it, but is it working? Laurie Richards says if your elevator pitch starts with I, me, or my, it’s time to throw it out and start over. She recommends using “you language” instead.

If your new business pitches aren’t succeeding at the rates you want to see, your communication is failing. Laurie Richards invites everyone to imagine they’re holding a remote control capable of changing the channel on any communication they receive. If your ideal new client is mentally changing the channel on your pitch, it’s bound to be a flop. Laurie offers tips to keep them tuned in.

Staff meetings are notoriously boring for anyone outside of the department that’s presenting at a given moment. Why is this? And how can you change it? Laurie explains how to engage fellow employees and get everyone invested in the whole team’s success.

A good business story includes five things — what Laurie Richards calls SODAR: situation, opportunity, decision, action, result.

Laurie calls on her background in communications and psychology to help organizations master the art of trend language. Presenting factual comparisons, using numbered lists, or employing what Laurie calls “EST” words can help companies communicate more effectively and increase new business pitch success rates.

In an increasingly technological workforce, finding a common language between tech experts and other employees is paramount when it comes to building stronger teams. Laurie explains how techies can forge more powerful working relationships by avoiding “geek speak” and other pitfalls.