Marvin V. Acuna

My inbox is already crowded with multiple invitations to participate as a speaker at the various screenwriting conferences/film festivals that will pepper cities across the US and internationally.

Soon you too will witness your inbox bursting at the seams with opportunities to attend the upcoming events in 2010.

As I considered what to share with you so that you could maximize those opportunities it occurred to me that an old friend, Stephanie Palmer, had written a very powerful book entitled Good in a Room.

Here are ten tips that she personally selected from her book and, more importantly, drawn from her experience as a former MGM executive.

If you learn them, you can join the ranks of those who know that they are “good in a room.”

1. Silence is the strongest start of all.

Don’t start talking until the decision-maker is ready.

If there have been a lot of people popping in, urgent phone calls or other interruptions, ask the executive if he or she is ready for you to begin. Make eye contact. Then, start slowly and deliver your first line. Make sure it is dynamite. Pause. Gauge the executive’s response. Then proceed with your presentation at a relaxed pace. Remember, even though you’re intimately familiar with your project, the buyer will be hearing it for the very first time.

2. Understand the buyer’s secret dream.

Even though top-level buyers can seem cold and recalcitrant, this is the result of seeing a seemingly endless stream of poorly prepared and emotionally needy sellers deliver mediocre pitches. Decision-makers don’t wake up thinking, “I can’t wait to disappoint people and pass on 30 projects today.” Instead, they hope today will be the day they discover their career-making project. Thus, you must position yourself and your project in a way that differentiates you from the masses and speaks directly to the buyer’s highest-priority needs.

3. Build rapport. Then, build some more.

People want to work with people they like.

Think about what you have in common with the decision-maker you’re meeting. Be ready to share a few brief, personal stories which demonstrate the attributes you believe will be most attractive to the buyer. Be prepared to ask a few open-ended questions that will encourage the buyer to speak about a non-business interest in a positive light.

All else being equal, you will have the edge if you can establish a personal connection.

4. Make your pitch repeatable.

Though you are selling your project to a decision-maker in the room, after the meeting, the buyer — if interested — becomes the seller and must pitch your idea to their colleagues or superiors. In Hollywood, this is known as the “logline.” If you can’t summarize your project in a brief, compelling statement, you haven’t thought about it enough.

Remember, the more you say, the less people hear. Choose your words carefully.

5. Acknowledge the competition.

Be prepared to answer questions such as, “What does my project have in common with other successful projects in the same industry? What were the last projects that the company purchased, and were they successful? Which of their projects is most similar to my own? What makes me the best person for this project?” Answering these key questions early in your presentation demonstrates that you have done your homework. This will encourage them to listen to what follows more closely.

6. The best meetings are conversational and interactive.

Many professionals make the mistake of performing an over-rehearsed spiel that sounds like an infomercial for their idea. Instead, pause frequently, especially when there is an opportunity for the buyer to give you a reaction or ask a question.

In an ideal world, you’d spend more time in a dialogue with the buyer, than performing a monologue.

7. Start from the beginning — always.

Even if you had a long and productive conversation the day before, you’d be surprised how much can change in the buyer’s mind. After all, you’ve been thinking about the meeting and they have, too. Assume that they’ve done more research, talked to some people and something has changed since the time you last spoke. It’s your job to figure out what that is. After some initial rapport building, do another information-gathering session. If appropriate, ask for a recap from their perspective.

8. Watch for hidden opportunities.

The buyer’s goal for the meeting may not be the same as yours. In addition to hearing your idea, the executive may be evaluating you to see if you would be a good fit for another project. Remember, when you are in the room, you are selling minimally two things: your project and yourself. Even if the meeting doesn’t result in a “yes,” making a favorable impression can be the beginning of a long-term professional relationship.

9. Don’t claim your expertise — demonstrate it.

Don’t just talk about your experience; show your expertise by positioning your project as it relates to the competition. Don’t brag or boast about past wins. If you must mention a past success, do it off-handedly and with humility. This is similar to the common rule about storytelling: “Show, don’t tell.” Remember, a lot of people talk the talk.

Those who are “good in a room” are focused on meeting the needs of the buyer and not on boosting their own ego.

10. Save a surprise for the end.

Plan multiple strategies to exit gracefully. Some techniques are to have a callback to a personal topic that you discussed at the beginning of the meeting, thank them for a specific, useful contribution they made during the meeting, or leave them a polished piece of material that they haven’t seen previously. Use a summary statement that you design specifically to be remembered and repeated.

Remember, last impressions last.

Surprise!

Bonus tip.

11. You are always in the room.

Develop your skills so that you can handle meetings that occur unexpectedly, like on a plane, at a party, or in a waiting room. More business starts from casual interactions than formal meetings across a conference room table.

The polished professional who is “good in a room” is ready for anything. But don’t feel the need to talk business in all situations. Often the best move is to say, “Why don’t we just enjoy the party, and I’ll follow up with you on Monday.”

These are invaluable tips, but they represent only the tip of the iceberg. I strongly encourage you to pick up a copy of the book for yourself. (NOTE: I receive no financial interest if you choose to purchase a copy of the book.)

I had lunch with a friend today, an old friend. We’ve known eachother for about 14 years. He’s about 25 years older than I am, but he always tends to appear in my life just when he’s meant to. Though we’ve known eachother for 14 years I probably only see him about once or twice a year. Sometimes it’s lunch sometimes it’s a hike in his neck of the woods, Simi Valley. 

He saved my ass on my first solo production. It was a disaster. I still recall what he said to me as if it were yesterday. Across the table at lunch, he simply said “now you know how not to make a film, the next one will be so much better.” He smiled and asked me to pass the bread.

On another occassion, about 10 years ago, he invited me for a hike one Saturday morning. It was one of my first big hikes so we agreed to park one car at the entrance of the trail and one car at the very end of the trail. It was fun. We spoke about life and had lunch at the top. We sat there and simply enjoyed the sun as it gently kissed our faces. It was peaceful.

Eventually we began the descent towards the exit. We had parked my car there. About 75% down the hike a thought raced into my mind.  I’d left MY car keys in HIS car. He roared with laughter and simply turned around to begin the hike back to his car.  He’s taught me alot.

At lunch today, I mentioned that one of his email exchanges to me, as we were attempting to set our lunch, included the phrase…God is Good. What inspired that I asked?

He said that as he enters the last phase of his life a few things have become very important to him. His health and his spirituality. He’s lost tremendous weight and looks awesome. He bikes 24 miles every Sunday.

As far as spritituality, he spoke about a weekend away that was profound. He chose not to speak of the specific details, but he said that in the end he concluded that our only purpose is to Love, just love.

Huh, on Sunday I read a book that used the analogy of a castle to illustrate unconditional selflove, I said.

It asked the reader to imagine that each room in this magnificent castle represented a different aspect of themselves, but when others began visiting our castle and offered their opinions about our rooms, which ones they liked and which they didn’t, we began to lock the doors to those rooms that others didn’t like.

It went on to suggest that many of us locked away so many of our rooms that we forgot we were ever a castle. We begin to believe that we’re simply a two bedroom condo and some people even believe that they are a studio apartment.

He immediately jumped in and said, “I’ve seen the castle!” All the doors opened on that weekend. It was amazing. My heart opened up. It’s sooo big. How’s it going I said?

I’m trying to keep those doors open. I fail everyday. But, I try everyday too!

Lunch wrapped and we headed out. He extended his hand to say goodbye. I reached out and gave him a big hug. Then he said, “I love you”.

It was a great lunch.