A sales pitch is a huge part of the selling process. It’s a huge contributor towards sealing the deal, so if you want to impress your prospective new client, it’s important to nail it.

Sometimes, you don’t have a lot of time, or the particular prospect you’re pitching to has specific needs they want to be met. It’s crucial for you to be able to get a lot across in a way that’s easy for them to understand. Oh, and you have to wow them. That’s a big one.

In this blog post, we’ll dive into the fundamentals of putting together a winning sales pitch, as well as some examples for you to glean from.

What is a Sales Pitch

A sales pitch is the act of convincing a potential customer to buy into a product or service that the salesperson is selling. A pitch should be brief, informative, and direct.

The term “sales pitch” can be a turn-off for people, but it doesn’t have to be. Think of it as a conversation—one where you’re trying to solve a problem for your potential customer. How can your product or service provide a solution for them?

How to Create an Effective Sales Pitch

The hardest part of starting a sales pitch is getting your customer to give you their valuable time to listen to your pitch. If you sold them on hearing your pitch, you’re already one step ahead.

There are three important parts to starting a pitch:

1. Present the problem. What problem does your product or service solve? If your pitch doesn’t help to solve a problem for your customer, your customer won’t be invested in your product.
2. Personalize your pitch. How does your product or service impact your customer? Research their industry or company beforehand so you are prepared to personalize how your product applies to them. Look at your CRM to examine existing customers of yours that are in a similar industry or job position as the person (or persons) you’re pitching to. It can help you uncover some insight that will give you an edge during your presentation.
3. Offer a solution. Why should they buy your product or service over any other one that is already on the market? Present your solution so well that they feel an immediate demand to buy what you’re selling.

The Anatomy of a Sales Pitch

If you’re going to deliver a pitch that’s effective, you have to break it up piece by piece. Here are the essential components of a sales pitch.

• Problem: Identify the problem your prospect is experiencing so you can tailor your pitch to their specific clients or industry. Make it as personal as possible.
• Use Stats: Memorize or include stats to share during your presentation or pitch. Bring visual data that you can show your potential customer to outline the benefits of your product.
• Value Statement: Have a clear value statement for your business. Does it effectively state your goals and vision?
• How Your Product Works: Have a quick pitch that explains in a clear, easy way how your product works. Don’t confuse your customer—it could cost you a sale.
• Proof Points: Give your customer clear examples of how your product is used. If your company has won any awards or achievements, share them.
• Customer Stories: Share testimonials and case studies with quantifiable proof of how your product or service has helped increase customer sales, growth, or conversion rates (or whatever other metric is being used to determine success).
• Engaging Questions: Designate time for questions and listen intently. Make sure they can tell you’re engaged and invested in their success. In turn, ask your prospect questions that create dialogue and show you’ve been giving them and their specific needs a lot of thought.

Tips to Remember

• • Keep it brief. Practice your pitch beforehand, so you’re prepared to present all the necessary information within a short amount of time.
  • Focus on benefits, not features. Technical details are boring. Think about your product or service’s features and then consider what benefits they offer to a customer. Focus on those in order to tell a compelling story.
  • Connect with your prospect. Is your prospect a mother or father? A student? A small business owner? A frequent traveler? How can your app help those individuals? Does it help them organize their calendar and liaise with people like teachers, daycare workers, and a second parent more easily? Does your app help a student stay on top of their budget? Does it allow a traveler to find not only cheap flights but cheap bus tickets, accommodations, and restaurants as well? You should have several buyer personas for your product and tailor your pitches accordingly.
  • Write an intriguing hook. Don’t let anyone tune you out. Lead with an intriguing hook.  Do so by thinking about three things:
    • A common, frustrating problem your customer has
    • What your product/service does differently to solve it
    • Emotional desires/aspirations
  • Ask for what you want. Don’t chicken out at the end. You have to make it clear that you’re looking to book a consultation, schedule a demo, or even put the prospect down for a few orders right then and there. It’s as simple as saying:
    • “I can get you in for a demo as early as tomorrow. What does your week look like?”
    • “Can I put you down for five bottles to start?”
    • “Why don’t you come in for a consultation with Delia on Tuesday? She’s our best trainer and only comes in once a week.”

• Follow up, follow up, follow up. The art of the follow-up is vastly underrated. A prospect may seem uninterested when in reality, they’re just mulling things over. If you actively continue the conversation, you can answer any questions that have cropped up since the last time you spoke. An interested prospect may want to pursue the relationship or come in for a consultation but never get around to calling you back. Don’t let these opportunities slip through the cracks.
• Don’t forget to check those emails. When you’re sending your pitches via email (or following up), be sure to spell check and get the person’s name right. A sloppy email leaves the impression that a prospect is one of many, and that is not what good customer relationships are built on.

Put time and care into crafting your sales pitches so that you can boost your numbers and treat yourself to a nice vacation at the end of the year!