{"id":12645,"date":"2017-11-09T21:11:17","date_gmt":"2017-11-09T21:11:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/pegasus\/?p=12645&post_type=story"},"modified":"2021-06-22T18:59:18","modified_gmt":"2021-06-22T18:59:18","slug":"how-to-sell-your-idea-and-yourself","status":"publish","type":"story","link":"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/pegasus\/how-to-sell-your-idea-and-yourself\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Sell Your Idea (and Yourself)"},"content":{"rendered":"

Fall 2017 | By Eric Michael \u201996<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

[lead]Clay Newbill\u00a0\u201982<\/strong> knows that two minutes can change lives. As the showrunner for ABC\u2019s Emmy Award-winning reality hit Shark Tank<\/em>, he has seen hopeful entrepreneurs convince the program\u2019s financiers (\u201csharks\u201d) to fund their dreams \u2014 and it all starts with a 120-second pitch. It\u2019s a make-or-break moment.[\/lead]<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve got one shot,\u201d Newbill says. \u201cDon\u2019t blow it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Newbill is helping Nicholson School of Communication students succeed in the harsh realities of business and entertainment by providing an unprecedented scholarship opportunity. Included is an offer to intern on his show, along with the funding to make relocation to Los Angeles feasible.<\/p>\n

\u201cI graduated with a double major in film<\/a> and radio-television<\/a> production, but couldn\u2019t get a job because I had no practical experience,\u201d says Newbill, whose credits include The Bachelor,<\/em> The Bachelorette<\/em>, Road Rules<\/em>, The Real World<\/em>, The Mole<\/em> and Making the Band<\/em>. \u201cI wanted to make sure that students didn\u2019t make the mistake that I made by not doing internships.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Clay Newbill Hollywood Scholarship Program, now in its fifth year, has brought more than 15 students to California to work on Shark Tank<\/em>. And it\u2019s spawned a few success stories of former interns who now work in the industry.<\/p>\n

\u201cFor a student pursuing a career in entertainment, there\u2019s nothing really that can compare to the experience,\u201d says Newbill, who attributes his involvement with UCF\u2019s Orientation Team, Interfraternity Council and cheer squad for developing his leadership skills. \u201cFor a student pursuing a career in entertainment, there\u2019s nothing really that can compare to the [internship] experience because it\u2019s not just what you know \u2014 it\u2019s who you know.<\/p>\n

The same holds true for the Shark Tank<\/em> entrepreneurs. And part of Newbill\u2019s responsibility as executive producer is to coach the contestants to make their best possible pitch.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s inspirational to see the growth of these entrepreneurs who spend weeks or months fine-tuning their pitch, then make that pitch to the sharks,\u201d says Newbill. \u201cThere\u2019s something magic about the blend of skill, faith and courage that can lift a person\u2019s dream to incredible success.\u201d<\/p>\n

Here are Newbill\u2019s six keys to selling your idea and turning your dreams into reality:<\/h2>\n

[divider][\/divider]<\/p>\n

Believe in Yourself so Others Will<\/h3>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re trying to convince someone to buy your idea, they need to see that you believe strongly enough that they\u2019re convinced to believe too. You have to be relentless. On Shark Tank<\/em>, after the initial pitch, sometimes the entrepreneurs are in there for an hour answering the sharks\u2019 questions and they walk out with a deal. It\u2019s not only an affirmation their dream is valid but also that they had the drive and the passion to convince five super-powered, super-successful business titans to believe in them.\u201d<\/p>\n

[divider][\/divider]<\/p>\n

Turn Courage into Confidence<\/h3>\n

“Confidence is one of the most important things that I talk about with\u00a0the entrepreneurs when they\u2019re preparing their pitch. Make eye contact. Project your voice. Don\u2019t stammer. Don\u2019t mumble. Body language is really important too. By strengthening your poise, you won\u2019t lose your confidence.”<\/p>\n

[divider][\/divider]<\/p>\n

Address Your Weakness<\/h3>\n

\u201cEvery big idea has an Achilles\u2019 heel. You know what yours is. Don\u2019t try and sweep it under the rug. Embrace it, so when somebody expresses concern about the flaw, you have an answer. Acknowledge the potential pitfalls. You need to be ready with an answer, and it can\u2019t just be, \u2018Oh, don\u2019t worry about that.\u2019 It\u2019s got to be a legitimate response of why it\u2019s not going to stop you from succeeding.\u201d
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n

[divider][\/divider]<\/p>\n

Focus to Maximize Clarity<\/h3>\n

“We make great effort to ensure that the sharks know nothing about the businesses beforehand. The entrepreneurs have to come in and quickly communicate their idea with clarity so the sharks can understand the opportunity and how the business works. I advise them to demonstrate the problem first, then present the solution their business provides. The most important element for a shark making a decision to invest is if they think a person at home \u2014 you or me \u2014 is going to need the business or product. Does it solve a problem or improve upon something that currently exists? Does it save people money? That\u2019s the clarity.\u201d<\/p>\n

[divider][\/divider]<\/p>\n

Practice … and then Practice Again<\/h3>\n

\u201cYou don\u2019t want to walk out of the pitch and think, \u2018Oh, wait a minute. I forgot to tell them this, this and this.\u2019 You can avoid that by practicing so you know it frontward and backward. You\u2019ve only got one shot to impress someone. Whether it\u2019s the sharks or anybody else you may be pitching, you want to nail it. And you\u2019ve got to practice to ensure that.\u201d<\/p>\n

[divider][\/divider]<\/p>\n

Persevere Until You’re Successful<\/h3>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re going to have plenty of people tell you, \u2018This will never work,\u2019 or \u2018What are you thinking?\u2019 \u2014 even your friends. You\u2019ve got to be thick-skinned. You\u2019ve got to be willing to hear the noes. Rejection can\u2019t break you down. Failure is a fantastic opportunity to learn, improve and grow. A lot of entrepreneurs who come on the show take the sharks\u2019 advice and apply it \u2014 whether they get the deal or not \u2014 and have success afterward. Perseverance is not giving up on your idea just because someone told you no.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":12747,"template":"","categories":[999],"tags":[248,287,1319],"class_list":["post-12645","story","type-story","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-alumknights","tag-alumni","tag-college-of-sciences","tag-nicholson-school-of-communication-and-media","issues-fall-2017"],"yoast_head":"\nHow to Sell Your Idea from the executive producer of Shark Tank<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Clay Newbill, executive producer of Shark Tank, offers advice for pitching your idea and turning your entrepreneurial dream into reality.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ucf.edu\/pegasus\/how-to-sell-your-idea-and-yourself\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" 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