How to Create a Great, and Memorable, Sales Pitch

Far from being an annoyance to the customer, the sales pitch is an opportunity for professional salespeople to demonstrate the uniqueness of their product or service. An important thing for sellers to keep in mind during their pitch is that ultimately, it’s not about them.

The perfect sales pitch is about the customer. It should clearly demonstrate the benefits he or she will receive by choosing to make a purchase. Below are several ideas to help sales professionals present a concise, customer-focused pitch that gets results.

Approach the Company from the Perspective of a Customer

Interviewing a prospect’s customers or even becoming one are both excellent ways to present an authentic sales pitch. Speaking to multiple customers allows the salesperson to identify patterns where the company is currently missing opportunities for new products or services. Buying a product or service from the company just like any other customer provides a unique perspective that the salesperson can share later during his or her pitch.

Focus on What Matters to the Prospect

A prospective client won’t always come right out and identify the company’s pain points. However, a skillful sales professional can uncover them by asking the right questions. Some of these may include:

• What experiences did you have with your previous provider that caused you to look elsewhere for the products or services your company needs?
• Can you think of the biggest challenge you face and what you would need to resolve it?
• What are some specific ways you would like our company to help you?

It’s also important for the salesperson to invest time in researching the prospect’s company upfront so he or she will come prepared to answer questions and objections. This approach also enables the professional seller to create a singular focus of addressing the client pain points.

Create a Highly Visual Presentation and Engage in Storytelling

People respond much better to visual cues and personal stories than to detached, written text. The salesperson should prepare several visual aids for the pitch, such as colorful graphs and photographs of other people engaged with the company’s product or service. Weaving a story into the pitch is critical because people remember stories far easier than they remember facts and figures. For example, the salesperson could present a short story about his or her own experience using the product or service or the struggles of a business associate who struggles because he or she fears new technology.

Prove the Value of the Product or Service

Prospective customers don’t really care about how great a company is or the wonders of what the salesperson is trying to sell. They may not say it outright, but most will be thinking “What’s in it for me?” Therefore, the sales professional must answer that question many times and in different ways. To do so effectively, he or she needs to know what matters to the client. Whether it’s increased revenue, better social status, saving time, or another benefit, the salesperson must explain and then demonstrate how the product or service provides what the prospect values most.

It takes practice to perfect the above skills. This means saying the pitch out loud, either to a trusted friend or in front of a mirror. However, salespeople should avoid getting so attached to a specific pitch that they fail to adjust it when circumstances dictate.

Published by Kidal Delonix (1200 Posts)

Kidal Delonix is a contributor to Mr. Hoffman's blog. The views and opinions are entirely his/her own and may not reflect Mr Hoffman's views.