Pick the right audience to fail in front of to trial your product, pitch, or material.

Tracy DiNunzio is the founder and CEO of Tradesy, which is on a mission to make the resale value of anything you own available on demand. Tracy has raised $75 million from investors by picking the right audience to fail in front of. She says that in the beginning, there is a good probability that your pitch or product won’t go perfectly. When you think you are ready to pitch or show your product or service, the real world can deliver blows to your credibility and your confidence. By choosing audiences that can’t ruin you, Tracy perfects her material and achieves success in front of the people who really count.

1. Create your pitch, product, material, etc.
   Get it to the stage where it is ready to trial.

2. Assemble your target audience/investors/product users, etc.
   Make sure the first few times you do this your audience is not your A-list; not the ones you really want or need to impress. Even famous people or big companies trial their new offerings in small venues or out of the way places.

3. Once you have refined your offering, show your A-list audience.
   Now you can confidently pitch or sell to the people who really count.