Pitch Lab’s Origin Story: Est. 2016

Hi, I'm Jay, the guy in the videos above.

Years ago I thought my path to success would be headlining comedy clubs, landing my own HBO Comedy Special and scoring a recurring role on Curb Your Enthusiasm.

I was wrong.

Somewhere in the middle of a decade of slinging jokes from Denver to Miami, I found my success wasn't on stage, but in my sales job, and it was the sales job that was turning into real money. Heartbroken, or stoked, depending on which way you look at it, a lightbulb went off:

There's a connection between stand-up comedy and sales.

This felt too obvious for only me to have figured out, and yet I found not many folks are qualified to link the two together. Sure, there are hundreds of comics talking about how to be a better performer, and even more sales experts who will teach you how to win more clients, but nothing combines these two ideas into a fresh approach to sales.

Turns out, I have an edge at the intersection of comedy and sales. And it was time to do something about it.

Pitch Lab started as an open-mic, providing salespeople a stage to practice their pitch. The idea was inspired by stand-up comics who are on stage night after night, polishing their material, honing their craft in front of a variety of crowds.

On the other hand, the only pitch practice I ever received as a salesperson was in front of actual prospects. And I can tell you firsthand, that's not the right time to build your confidence. So I wondered, why aren't more sales people practicing like comedians?

More digging, more surprises: The answer is there simply weren't any safe spaces for salespeople to practice their skills. Until now.

Since 2016 Pitch Lab has been teaching sales teams to use the same techniques comedians have mastered to differentiate from the competition, build stronger connections and win more deals.

Since starting out, we've taught new skills to thousands of folks through our open mics, conference sessions and corporate workshops, and the feedback has been consistent:

"Pitch Lab is funny training that delivers serious sales results."

And now here we are, I'm still on-stage performing as a Pitch Lab instructor, but my focus is now helping sales teams succeed. Curiosity piqued? Take a peek at our sales training programs here.

Jay Mays, Pitch Lab Founder

My sales career started in 1996 when I learned to sell dial-up accounts and web hosting plans to small businesses. Back in those days, my cutting-edge CRM software consisted of 4x6 index cards inside an old Nike shoebox.

Over the past 25 years a lot has changed, but not my drive to help my clients succeed.

I've booked hundreds of “closed won” deals with marquee clients like AT&T, Red Bull, Meijer, and the Miami Marlins to name a few.

For the sake of optimism, I never kept track of my “closed lost” deals. That said, there were a handful of heartbreaks from which I pull some of my best sales stories and lessons.

Also, I'm a recovering stand-up comedian. Odd as it may seem, my experience slinging jokes helped me win more deals at work. Over the years, Pitch Lab has incorporated engagement techniques I used on stage to make all our programs more effective.

For the past 8 years, I've been a sales consultant and trainer, helping B2B business owners and their sales teams differentiate from the competition, build stronger connections, and win more deals.

My passion isn’t limited to sales, I’m also into cortados, 90s alt rock, the beach, The Onion, Larry David, dry socks, dark chocolate, and of course, my family.

LET'S WORK TOGETHER!

WE 💗 GIVING BACK!

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