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Anyone can come up with a good idea. But, selling that idea is what stands between most people and success. A pitch is a short presentation of your idea. It could be a 10-minute presentation along with audio/visual assistance in front of a crowd. Or a two-minute fast-talking sell in an elevator.

Whether you’re selling yourself to an employer for your dream job, or wooing investors for your startup idea, it’s important you know how to convince your audience to believe in your product. Again, having a good idea is not enough. We live in a competitive world. If you can’t communicate your idea (or who you are) and its value to your audience, you might as well have not thought of it at all.

Daniel Pink, author of five best-selling books about changing the world of work, identifies six new pitches for the 21^st century in his book To Sell is Human. Think of pitching as an intriguing invitation to have a conversation. We profile the six pitches here and look at ways to prepare for the big sell once you have your audience’s attention.

Image: HipHopWired.com

There’s a new ad for the Duracell Powermat, a wireless charger kit that, as the clip shows, will keep your cell phone juiced up all day. Not only does the video feature a bunch of busy New Yorkers yakking away on their mobile devices, but Jay-Z makes an appearance on the soundtrack and, briefly, in person.

Turns out that Jay-Z is an investor in the joint venture between Duracell and Powermat, which was announced September 2011. “Mobile devices have become essential tools in business, entertainment and managing our social lives,” Jay-Z has said. “Being able to charge wirelessly is a necessary step into the future.”

The Duracell Powermat will be available at Jay-Z’s 40/40 club and the video will be showing online (check it out below) and in taxis across New York City.

(Wall Street Journal) — With the markets serving up nothing but lemons, it is high time Wall Street started helping investors make lemonade. Stocks have gone nowhere for a decade, bond yields are near record lows and you couldn’t find the return on your money-market fund if you put it under an electron microscope. But the 10 major publicly traded fund-management companies had a combined $21 billion in revenue last year. Their net margins—the percentage of every dollar they take in that turns into pure profit—still are running at up to 25.5%, a rate most businesses could reach only in their dreams.

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(December 21, 2009) RJR Communications, Inc. announced today that it is seeking new investors for the company which includes its flagship publication American Legacy.  “We recently had a deal pending with an investment group that unfortunately could not follow through on their commitment and therefore at this time must discuss our investment opportunity with other interested parties” said Rodney J. Reynolds, founder and publisher of the magazine.

For nearly fifteen years American Legacy has been educating and entertaining its more than 2 million readers with in-depth stories of African-American history and culture.  Over the years the magazine has developed several ancillary products which include a television program, children’s magazine, a black history curriculum guide and most recently, a board game based on the magazine.  The magazine also has produced an 18-wheel mobile truck exhibit that has toured numerous cities across America.

The company announced in November that advertising pages and revenue were trending up in 2009 despite the economy and major changes in the media industry.

American Legacy magazine is distributed nationwide to over 2.25 million readers through black churches, educational and cultural institutions.  Also available on newsstands and through paid subscriptions, American Legacy is owned by RJR Communications, Inc.  In addition to the magazine, other brands include American Legacy’s Black History Curriculum Guide and its “Know Your History” board game.