The sales-i guide to writing a sales pitch
A good sales pitch is the difference between a customer running for the hills and a sign on the dotted line. Knowing how to present your ideas well will make your ideas memorable, which in turn will help you to leave a lasting impression, and hopefully help to close the deal. Regardless of what you’re pitching or who you’re pitching to, the rules are always the same. Staying relatable and keeping your listeners interested is crucial.
So, what exactly are the finer points of a successful sales pitch?
1. Keep it simple
Keeping your ideas succinct is key to making them more memorable and leaving a lasting impression. Over-explanation and confusion will only serve to frustrate your prospect, which will leave them remembering your pitch for all the wrong reasons, if at all. The old adage of if you can’t explain it simply then you don’t understand it well enough applies whole-heartedly here. Know your ideas inside out and present them as simply as possible. Of course, your prospect’s shared knowledge will dictate exactly how simply the information has to be presented. Catering to your audience correctly is essential for achieving simplicity.
2. Be different
Though some sales pitches might not appear to have the scope to venture too far into the unexpected, something as simple as a tweak in your presenting style is enough to bring originality to your presentation. Chances are, you’ll be pitching to someone whose job involves listening to business propositions frequently, so offering them something new and unexpected as part of your pitch is a great way of leaving a positive, lasting impression. Surprising your prospect through actively involving them or deviating from the normal practices of a presentation will get their attention, leaving your ideas to do the rest of the work.
3. Inject some realism
If your prospect can’t see a tangible future with your company, or a realistic use of your product or service, then they will lose interest, fast.
The key to a good sales pitch is getting the prospect excited about what you can do for them, and there’s no better way to do that than to present them with believable projections about what you can do. Gauging the middle ground between what your prospect will find underwhelming and unbelievable is the golden area of realism. Present them with a vivid picture of what you can do for them and they’ll be left with little room for doubt, further increasing your chances of closing the deal.
4. Project your personality
One of the most universal presentation tips for maintaining prospect interest and executing an effective sales pitch is to keep it relatable. Robert Cialdini’s Influence says that ‘we most prefer to say yes to the requests of someone we know and like.’ Professionalism goes a long way, but stay too rigid and you’ll only make your prospects feel uncomfortable. Letting your personality shine through early on will automatically set the precedent for the rest of the meeting, and will make for a more comfortable interaction all round. By showing a human side, you, and in turn your ideas, will automatically become more relatable. Relatability will help your prospects make associations that will leave your idea much better ingrained on their conscience.
5. Tell stories
Believe it or not, there is such a thing as giving your prospect too much information. The use of stories is a proven way of leaving an effective lasting impression, and is ideal for breaking down information that may be too overwhelming to digest all at once. Your prospect may forget all the minute details from your spread sheets long after your sales pitch is over, but they’ll still remember that one piece of information that took them by surprise, which might just be enough to trigger all the other information you presented.
Wondering how to make a sales pitch memorable? Following our sales pitch tips above will give you the edge in your next important client presentation, and hopefully result in a successful closing deal. Effective sales pitches primarily rely on you and your ability to sell your product – while implementing the right presenting techniques take it that one step closer towards a successful deal. Try implementing them in your next sales pitch and see how successful they can be for you.
