People don’t like to be sold, but they love to buy
An effective sales pitch should be a two-way street that adds value for both parties. It’s an opportunity for you to learn more about your prospect’s pain points, requirements, and expectations. And it’s an opportunity for prospects to get the answers they didn’t find in an online search.
An effective sales pitch doesn’t try to prove how smart you are, or to focus on how your company is the best, and it shouldn’t go straight into pushing your agenda without asking any questions.
A good sales pitch is more about understanding than convincing. It starts long before you set foot in the door. It requires upfront work so that you’re familiar enough with your prospect that you can personalize your presentation instead of trying to stick to a script.
With that in mind, here are 10 tips how to improve your sales pitch:
1. Do Your Research
To make an effective pitch you must know and understand your prospect. You should know (from research) what their problem is, what their pain points are, what other solutions are out there, who is/are the decision maker(s)… when you’re selling B2B – you should also research their company, industry and competitors…
2. Ask Questions to Qualify and Engage Them
Before the meeting, make a list of questions to identify any pain points that you didn’t find in your research. Their answers to those questions qualify and engage them, while showing them how much you care. Once you know exactly what they are looking for, tailor your pitch to show how your solution solves their main problems.
3. Sell Yourself First, and Your Product Second
People buy from people. You are more important than your product. Make sure they get to know, like and trust you first… because without that trust… making a sale would become ‘mission impossible’.
4. Focus on What’s in It for Them
Remember… no one cares about your product or service. They only care about themselves and their problems/challenges. Think of your pitch as a way to communicate how your product/service can make their life/business better.
5. Show Them a Vision of Their Future
No one wants to miss out on an opportunity. It’s your job to describe their life right now (health, relationship, finance, business, etc…) and paint a beautiful (but achievable) vision of how their life could be (after using your solution).
6. Emphesize What Sets You Apart
Find out what sets you apart from your competitors and communicate clearly why they should pick you over someone else. To do this, become an expert on your competitors’ products/services and how yours are different and better than theirs.
7. Highlight Past Successes
Buyers want to know they are in competent hands. To reassure them share specific achievements, past clients, and the results they had using your product or service. Testimonials, reviews and social proof are key…
8. Communicate with Enthusiasm and Confidence
Speak with confidence. After all – you are an expert in your field and THE expert about your product/service. Get excited for the opportunity to help another client with your solution. Your passion and enthusiasm will make them want to hear more.
9. Be Ready to Answer Questions and Objections
Your ability to answer your prospect’s concerns will show how knowledgeable you are about your product and whether you are someone they can trust. The most common sales objections fall into four categories: money, expertise, need, and time. Be prepared to discuss each of them.
10. Have a Clear Call to Action
After overcoming any objections about your product, the next key step is to agree on the next steps. Letting them think about it and get back to you does not qualify as a next step. You need a concrete call to action. Add a sense of urgency to encourage them to take that action.
Now It’s YOUR Turn
For five minutes… come up with as many ideas as you can… what could YOU do to improve your sales pitch?
Let's Brainstorm
Please share your ideas (all of them or just one) in the comment box below… and let’s get WOWing.
Live fully, stay awesome,
Nisandeh Neta
Top Commenters – last 30 Days
Let's Brainstorm
Please share your ideas (all of them or just one) in the comment box below… and let’s get WOWing.
Live fully, stay awesome,
Nisandeh Neta
201 comments
1. NETWORK EVENT:
Start with I AM A ........I HELP ...............WITH...................
My biggest successtory is........................
I gave this student a change in life..........
ON THE PHONE/AT MY OFFICE
1. Questions; THEIR PAIN, HISTORY, WISHES
2. Then I give my suggestion
I can help with................
to accomplish...............
it will take me .................amount of time
3. The the options and investment
94 comments
1. I am always doing my homework; for their company, their sector and any economical and social events around their business / sector
2. Story telling; a story from me and a story from another business
3. The discussion will always include future plans and how they can grow and be better than their competitors
181 comments
Always use a roadmap that you know by heart. Step by step unfolding the need s of the clients and give them an oppurtunity to choose between different scenerio s meeting their needs and investmentpossibilities. Make shore every choice for a program can lead to a next step program.
409 comments
besides al the good tips yet given.
What words do your client use for the problem they want to be solved? Use them. This helps in the trust.
Know how much thinking time works for your clients
Get your client in the yes mode.
keep your clients engaged in the accelerated learning way
112 comments
All good ideas and tips. As my clients are kids and their parents contact me it is a challenge to do research on them. When they are on social media I could try and find them to learn a bit more about them, but have to get to know them and their painpoints in a one-on-one conversation.
Manage your own state. (I am going to this sales presentation and I will close the deal.) Like the goals of 10xROI of Nisandeh.
A roadmap for the conversation is certainly something I use. Otherwise I loose the grip during the conversation.
Be YOURSELF!
Let my client tell the story and ask questions like: how do you feel about that?
See if you can find out whether they are visual, auditory or kinesthetic and adapt your words to their preferred communication styl. Visual use words like: see, look etc. Auditory: hear, sounds etc. Kinesthetic: feel, smooth, hard, soft etc.
Make notes and give a summary at the end of the conversation to check whether you understand their problem.
328 comments
Oh ja! One other great tip for any one who is doing webinars, I have a simple template:
======
when they opt-in/register: Thank-you mail with an invitation to my Community (Works like a charm!)
2 week prior to the webinar: Bonus-mail with a special bonus, keeping them awake into the process
1 week prior: Survey-mail with 1 questions (survey monkey link) ==> "What are your 5 challenges/problems concerting xyz-topic (topic of my webinar)
3 days prior: referral-mail - "We are almost there. Do you have any friends that could benefit from my webinar? Please send them this email"
1 day prior : Wake-up mail: "One day to go: are you EXCITED"-mailing with the last preparations and details
1 hour after webinar: 2 emails, 1 to LIVE audience, 2 to No-show Audience.
LIVE audience will get the replay + The offer expiration time (mostly 2 hours to go!)
NO-show audience will get "We missed you, what happened?"-mail
4 hours after the webinar: 1 mailing to every one with the 48hour-replay-link AND the new (expensive) offer
24 hours later : 1 mail with "Reminder of the replay"
36 hours later : 1 mail with "Only 12 hours to go"
=====
160 comments
Love your layout.
The "share with someone you know who could benefit" is a good one!
Thanks!
276 comments
Thank you! I might copy and adapt this whole process actually!
328 comments
WOW ! I love all these 10 steps. Aren't these actually Your 10-step methode of Selling from the Stage, Nisandeh? 🙂 (or was it a 12 step template?:))
Well I do love it and it, once again, make clear where I need to focus on. So on my end, just one tip:
+ Get Social Proof, as much as you can, as many as you can, Every Where possible (recommendations on LinkedIn, google Reviews on Google, Website testimonials, Social Media Posts, FB-reviews).
This has become My #1 Turn-the-table strategy in my Sales!
That's why I am focussing to have and publish as many testimonials as I can, Every where and yes, Especially On LinkedIn. As On LinkedIn, they are the most authentic as theses are written words of my clients that I can not "revise" or "change" like other places.
Great topic, thanks again !
276 comments
My sales pitches are built around a few ideas.
Let them sell to themselves The best salesman or saleswoman is the client. Find how you can help them and ask them what it would mean for them when you deliver.
Make it a guided conversation Prepare the main flow of the pitch and have questions ready to bring it to the next part. Like: Do you agree? Any questions so far? Always know what the goal of the conversation is and have steps to get there.
Focus on their positives Let your conversation partner explain to you what they like. What do you like about it? Which of these benefits appeal to you? What would it mean for you if....?
328 comments
Great Suggestions, Max! yess! Love Your "guidance" tip!
So let me check: how did you get your titels to be bold? hahah! Care to share?
276 comments
Nice huh?
I googled something like WordPress comment markup and found there are several tags we can use.
Wrap your text in and to have it appear bold. (it's kinbd of hard to predict what will happen within wordpress when I type it like that. So here is a second attempt 🙂 <strong<gt; and </strong<gt;)
276 comments
I almost made it work xD
Put text between <strong> and </strong> .
There is more here
175 comments
Most of the time, my sales meetings go quite well and having a genuine two way conversation is not a problem for me. But.. without a good preparation I'm lost. So:
Preparation:
1. What are all the goals and possible purposes of the sales meeting? - Yes I'm bringing in 10x ROI :)) Write down your goals and purposes and keep them in mind while pitching. It can be: a lead, gaining their trust, making them enthusiastic, selling one of your other products, etc...) If you didn't sell, you definitely won something else.
2. Do your research - everyone mentioned it already, but it's crucial for a good sales meeting. History, mission and details of the company, the career and life of the person you're going to meet. Write down questions you want to ask them.
3. Write down the story you want to tell, so you won't miss any details.
4. Make a roadmap - How do you want the meeting to evolve? Of course it never goes the way you planned it, but a roadmap gives you grip. Part of the roadmap is your story, the questions you want to ask, the things you want to show (if you have a product) and in what order.
5. If presenting is a challenge for you: practice - do a presentation for your partner, mentor or a friend.
After the sales meeting:
6. Write down all the important details of the meeting and don't forget all the personal things - It will make the follow up much easier. People appreciate it a lot when you remember personal details like kids, pets, hobbies etc.
328 comments
Yes yes @Ine! I love "the Road Map" !! I have heard it so many times, Now I am going to implement it this weekend!
175 comments
I'm a little bit confused: is a sales pitch different from the famous & feared elevator pitch? Or would you call it a sales conversation or meeting?
The tips are very good by the way, thank you for giving your insights.
16 comments
I have the same question Ine. For me this is about a sales conversation.
718 comments
Good question, Ine…
And I guess you’re not the only one confused…
So… let me try and clarify.
Elevator pitches and sales pitches are completely different “animals”.
A sales pitch is a formal sales presentation.
Elevator pitch as we know it today comes from Hollywood. An aspiring screenwriter would catch an unsuspecting executive in an elevator and pitch his/her concept during the time it took to go one floor. If the executive liked the pitch they would stay on until their floor. If they didn’t, they got out at the first opportunity. The screenwriter had between 30-60 seconds to get their idea across and (hopefully) schedule a meeting.
An elevator pitch doesn’t try to sell me. It helps me understand why you’re the company I want to work with. An elevator pitch doesn’t tell me about your great team, how much you love your customers and the intimate details of your development process.
I hope that’s clearer now…
175 comments
😅 That's a relief. Thank you for your clear explanation, Nisandeh
576 comments
Fantastic. Here are a few of MY giveaways of doing more than 100 sales pitches for my new company in the past months.
GIVE. Don't be afraid to share a tip, give examples of how what you do makes a difference. I for instance gave one manager a tip on how to get their people to communicate to him about what he wants (gave him a few questions to ask) and he could instantly implement it. He was super excited and now called ME for a follow up appointment.
I use that research for my sales pitch. So I ask them for their frustrations and let them talk. I don't offer anything. The last question was: if you could hire me one day for free, how would you use me? and then they would tell me exactly what they want me to do for them. And then I tell them that I can do that and then I will offer that. I'm not having a high percentage right now that is taking my services yet so I don't know how well it works, but I am sure that this is also mainly because of timing- I think there are quite a few people who will buy my services later if I follow them up in the right time and place.
Don't be afraid to be very clear with what I want. Since then I tell them that I am going to interview them, and after that I will also tell them how I can help them. They are usually very fine with it and don't feel bought. I found this hard in the beginning, but I think it's good.
Never leave the conference room without an appointment for follow up. It can be "I call you in 2 months" or that I will send a proposal, but there needs to be a deal. Unless of course they tell me that they are not interested in me at all.
16 comments
What a great idea to ask: if you could hire me one day for free, how would you use me?
328 comments
Amazing idea's @Gerdy! Love all your tips, especially the last one.
This has always been my mantra "Cash is King, Follow Up is fortune"!
The funny thing is: I have rarely been Follow-uped by any company, big or small, Online or Offline. Even though I did buy a lot and frequent. So they all have been sleeping (especially here in NL) while they could really make some great Money with me 🙂
112 comments
Hi Aramik,
I know the mantra as follows: Cash is King, Sales is Queen.
But I lik your variation too.
111 comments
I don't do the typical sales pitch as my pitching is mostly to producers/directors/TV channels as such. However, I found out that there are some basic elements that are good for any pitch, whatever it might be.
Here is my take on it:
1. DO YOUR DAMN RESEARCH - and don't just stay on the surface, really get to know who the person you're going to meet/talk with is - what they have done, what are they looking for, their background and even something that is unique for them (social media is a great source for it). If it's B2B or just a company learn what are their main successful products.
2. COME PREPARED - have a list of questions that you would like to ask them, in case there is time for it. THose questions should be showing that you have done your research and are interested in contributing to THEM.
3. IT'S ALL ABOUT PEOPLE - you never meet with a "company" - you meet a person that represents them - so get to know that person. They also want to know if you're the type of person they would like to do business with. 9/10 cases it's all about whether they like you or not, whether they feel they could work with you and you would be a valuable asset for them.
4. GIVE THEM THE BENEFITS - Make sure that when you do present your product/service you are focusing on the benefits for THEM and not about the features of what your product/service does. Tell them what it would be the end result of using your product/service and not the process itself.
160 comments
Yes, give them the benefits, not the features...
67 comments
Totally agree on the benefits rather than just the advantages. In Dutch there is not a good translation but we define this as "what does it bring your customers to work with you in terms of money (more revenue, lower cost), time (savings) and energy (stress relief, no worries).