3 Strategic Pitching Hacks: Evidence-Based Tips to Win Buy-In Without The Hard Sell
In his bestseller Atomic Habits, James Clear shows how tiny changes can produce outsized results.
He tells of his near-fatal injury as a teenager and how, through relentless “one percent” improvements, he not only recovered but surpassed his own expectations for success.
Inspired by Clear, we’ve dug into the research to find out what science tells us about gaining buy-in without the hard sell.
Here are some of our One Percenters—simple shifts that make a big difference when influencing high-stakes decisions.
Get in early to get in early
When are you pitching? Because timing matters.
Psychologist Daniel Kahneman’s research uncovered a disturbing trend: in an Israeli parole court, judges reviewed a case every six minutes. Their default was to deny parole—only 35% of applications were approved.
But here’s the kicker: approvals spiked to 65% right after meal breaks and dropped to nearly zero just before the next one. Hunger and decision fatigue killed rational judgment.
Your audience isn’t judging parole cases, but they are making decisions. A fatigued audience defaults to no. A well-fed, fresh-thinking audience is more open to new ideas.
So be strategic. Pitch when they’re at their best—not when they’re mentally wiped.
Sweeten the Deal (Literally)
Decision fatigue doesn’t just make people more resistant to change—it makes them less rational.
The science is clear: self-control is draining. When people force themselves through back-to-back decisions (think boardrooms, competitive pitches, and panel interviews), and their ability to think critically nosedives.
And the culprit? Low blood glucose.
When engaged in intense cognitive work, blood glucose plummets, making people default to gut reactions—which are often wrong.
Translation? If you’re following a dud pitch or pitching to an exhausted room, you’re at a disadvantage.
Fix it before it happens. Bring Snakes. Gummy Bears. Kool Mints. (And if you're pitching to the Pitch Camp team, Snakes. Always Snakes.)
A simple sugar boost can reset decision-making capacity and make your audience more receptive to your ideas.
When making a first impression, make it in person.
Yes, virtual pitching is convenient, but it comes at a steep cost.
It strips away two of your biggest influence levers:
Your ability to read the room
Your capacity to make a powerful first impression
Albert Mehrabian’s famous 7-38-55 rule breaks it down:
7% of first impressions come from words
38% from tone of voice
55% from body language
Let that sink in.
More than half of your ability to engage is visual—but in a virtual pitch, you’re often just a floating head on a screen. Worse, when slides take over, you become a disembodied voice competing with email notifications.
This isn’t about ditching online pitching altogether. It’s about maximising impact. If it’s a high-stakes pitch, find a way to get in the room. If you can’t, at least make sure they can see you clearly—full frame, good lighting, eye contact.
You wouldn’t show up to a pitch hiding behind a curtain. Don’t let Zoom do it for you.
In a competitive marketplace, the smallest shifts can create outsized advantages.
And none of these tweaks require hard selling—just a sharper understanding of human decision-making.
We’ll keep sharing them, but if you can’t wait, there’s more here.
Happy pitching!