Via Shaun Brown comes this week's Friday 5: a list of the top 5 sales pitch tips. He emphasizes the importance of audience participation:

The more rapport you have with an individual or a group, the more receptive they will be to your message.

Many consultants launch right into a sales pitch, instead of taking time to connect with their audiences. It makes sense to build rapport, especially in a business like consulting. You're really selling yourself -- your skills, expertise, approach and personality. If you can't build a connection with the people evaluating your services, you'll never win.