Forbes Riley: Pitch Like a Pro! Sales Secrets That Get People to Say Yes | Sales | E409
July 27, 2026
AI Summary
5 min readForbes Riley, who has generated over $2.5 billion in product sales, argues that most entrepreneurs sabotage their pitches by focusing on the wrong thing: themselves. On the Young and Profiting podcast, she explained that 55% of how you show up is visual, 38% is tone of voice, and only 7% is the words you use—yet founders obsess over the 7%. The core problem, she says, is that founders know too much about their product and want to tell its backstory, which does not sell it. The real skill is making the pitch about the person in front of you.
The "As Someone Who" Credibility Shift
The most common mistake Riley sees is opening with generic labels: "I'm a speaker, author, entrepreneur." That tells the listener nothing useful. Instead, she recommends leading with the phrase "as someone who," which instantly establishes credibility without sounding like bragging. For example: "As someone who's generated over $2.5 billion in sales, I now coach entrepreneurs to master their message." The phrase frames your experience as relevant context, not self-promotion. Riley also advises against saying "I help so-and-so transform," which she calls a dead giveaway of network marketing. The listener does not care what you do; they care what you can do for them. So the goal in those first few seconds is to connect, not to recite a script.
The Question Flip and the Yes Ladder
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What you'll learn
- 1 (00:00) **The 7% Trap and Why Your Pitch is Failing** - Forbes Riley opens with the 55/38/7 rule (visual, tone, words) and explains why most founders fail by obsessing over the wrong thing.
- 2 (01:34) **The "Broke Forever" Words to Eliminate** - Forbes identifies the verbal tics and phrases that immediately signal an amateur pitch.
- 3 (02:59) **The Magician's Mindset: Control the Conversation** - Forbes reveals how to shift from "throwing up words" to creating a magnetic, human connection.
- 4 (04:19) **How to Make a "Boring" Business Exciting** - The technique for drilling down into any business to find a compelling, emotional hook.
- 5 (06:18) **The "As Someone Who" Credibility Frame** - A single sentence structure that delivers instant authority without bragging.
- 6 (08:42) **The Three Voices and Building Confidence** - Forbes breaks down the internal voices that sabotage confidence and how to overcome imposter syndrome.
- 7 (11:06) **The Pivot: From Acting to the Pitch Queen** - Forbes shares the story of losing her acting career and how a devastating low led to her massive success in infomercials.
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Show Notes
Having generated over $2.5 billion in product sales, hosted nearly 200 infomercials, and built a multimillion-dollar online business, Forbes Riley has spent decades mastering the psychology of getting people to say "yes," earning her the title "Queen of Pitch." In this episode, Forbes shares the Ultimate Pitch Formula that helped her make billions, teaching entrepreneurs how to confidently communicate their value, build instant credibility, and win people over in seconds.
In this episode, Hala and Forbes will discuss:
(00:00) Introduction
(01:10) Pitching Mistakes That Keep Entrepreneurs Broke
(08:42) How to Speak With Confidence and Credibility
(27:23) The Elevator Pitch That Opens Powerful Doors
(33:34) Forbes’ Pitch Formula and Storytelling Secrets
(41:48) The Difference Between Selling and Pitching
(48:01) How to Build Real Confidence Before You Pitch
(1:02:35) The Power of Writing Down Your Goals
(1:12:15) Creating the Best First Impression
(1:15:22) Why Demonstrating Value Drives Up Sales
(1:30:23) How Childhood Struggles Shaped Forbes’ Success
Forbes Riley is an entrepreneur, author, communication expert, and sales strategist. Known as the “Queen of Pitch,” she has hosted 197 national infomercials, and her work has generated more than $2.5 billion in product sales. Her new book, Pitch Secrets A to Z, helps readers strengthen their confidence, messaging, persuasion, and negotiation skills so they can get more people to say yes.
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Resources Mentioned:
Forbes’s Book, Pitch Secrets A to Z: More from this podcast