Ah, the dreaded sales pitch. Whether you love or loathe these presentations, the reality is that you need a pitch to introduce your awesome product or service to potential clients. Avoid giving a monotone elevator pitch or a braggy story about your successes. Your pitch should be elevated and focused on the client and their needs.
To avoid having a sales pitch that sucks, follow our tips below.
Focus on the Client
Your audience doesn’t care about the awards you’ve won or the growth you’ve made. They want to know what your company can do for them. Find a pitch that you like but change it to focus on the client. Ask yourself these three questions:
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Who is your audience?
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What problem are they experiencing?
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How can you help solve it?
When you deliver the pitch, restate the problem they are having and your solution for fixing it. Storytelling is effective, so think about a story you can share. It can be about helping a business overcome a similar barrier or experiences shared at a charitable event.
Throw Out the Jargon
For some odd reason, the corporate world loves jargon. Maybe it makes them feel special or educated or professional, but it’s not something that should be included in your sales pitch. This doesn’t mean you need to revert to talking like a 3rd grader, but you should use words that your audience will understand. A friendly, professional, and conversational tone is best.
Start a Conversation – Not a Lecture
So many people imagine a sales pitch with prospective clients sitting around an executive table listening to the presenter. However, sales pitches are not lectures; they are conversations. While it’s tempting to show off your love for numbers or awards won, refrain from doing so. Human connections are far more effective, so focus on initiating a great conversation, not a monologue.
Practice Makes Perfect
Practice your sales pitch on anyone who is willing to listen. If it’s a good pitch, it shouldn’t be painful. The more you practice, the more comfortable you will be. This confidence will show through and make the pitch more personable and inviting. For anyone that tells you that practicing too much will make you sound robotic, ignore them. It’s just not true.
Your sales pitch should be flexible, as you’ll share it with many people in many settings. As long as you put your audience first and stick to a friendly, conversational tone, you will continue to develop better pitches.
