The 5 Elements to a Killer Sales Pitch

Adrienne Dorison
Jul 22, 2017 · 7 min read
Time to make your sales pitch the equivalent of a blazing fastball!

You know what you have to offer is valuable, and you think your sales pitch delivery is OK, but people just aren’t biting.

I know it’s frustrating to be in this situation, which is why I put together a quick breakdown of elements that guide your prospective buyer from a “Hmmmm, I’m not sure” to an easy “YES! Where do I sign on the dotted line!?”

I’ve worked with hundreds of clients, ranging from Fortune 500 companies to solopreneurs, and no matter the size or type of business…if you aren’t nailing your pitch, you’re going to struggle with sales. When you’re hearing or seeing more “no thanks, maybe later” type responses than excited “where do I sign?” from your prospects, it could be that your sales pitch is missing one of the 5 key elements that will make it an offer they can’t refuse.

{Cue The Godfather music…}

What’s awesome about these 5 elements is that you don’t have to slip into your plaid sports coat or grease back your hair and become a used car salesman-type of salesperson to make it work! In fact, they’re all about engaging in a more authentic way.

So check yo’self and see how many of these elements you’re including in your sales pitch — and where you might be able to add some more depth and value!

1. Use their words, not yours

How do you describe what you do, or the problem you solve? As an expert, you almost certainly have an understanding about what you do and a vocabulary to describe it that a novice would not have.

But guess what?

Your clients and customers are probably novices — or, at least, less expert than you. {Because otherwise they wouldn’t need what you’re selling, right??}

I think one of the best illustrations of this is the weight loss and fitness industry.

Let’s say that you’re a health and fitness coach. Because you’re an expert, you know that the best way to help your clients reach their weight loss goals is to focus on revving up their metabolism with the right foods, right exercises, etc. So you write all your emails and website copy about your fabulous metabolism fix, and you get really scientific and detailed about it when you talk to potential customers one-on-one…

And they end up confused and not buying, because they aren’t interested in fixing their metabolism; they want to lose weight.

Of course, you know that fixing their metabolism will help them lose weight but they don’t know that.

There’s a pitfall like that no matter what you do or what problem you solve. As an expert in LEAN Six Sigma and SCRUM, I could say I apply those techniques to business strategy, but if you don’t know what SCRUM is, that means exactly NOTHING to you! And to be honest, it doesn’t really sound very pleasant, right?

What will make A LOT more sense is that I help you get better results, faster, in your business.

The best way to figure out how your customers talk about their problems is to spy on them. Nicely, of course! Record or write down what people say on calls with you, save emails they send when they ask questions, and collect people’s comments from social media, blog comments, even Amazon reviews of relevant books to discover how they describe the problems they have that you solve.

2. Identify their WANT in addition to their need

I’m sure you know that every business solves a problem. {Yes, every. Single. Business. Even yours.} Your product or service meets a need that your customer has.

But it also addresses a WANT.

For example, when you buy some soap, you NEED to get clean. But you might also want to moisturize your skin, or smell nice, or feel pretty, or pamper yourself, or show your guests that you’re fancy, or… or… or…

And the soap you choose to buy to meet that NEED will vary depending on your particular WANT. So if you want to smell good, you might buy a soap from Bath & Body Works. If you want to save money, you’re going to buy the store brand at the grocery store or the one you have a coupon for. If you want to show your guests how fancy you are, you might buy a brand-name designer soap or an lovely handmade soap from Etsy.

But they’re all really just soap whether you decide to pay $5 or $45.

When you’re crafting your sales pitch, it’s vital to know not just how you meet your customers’ needs, but also how you meet their wants.

Maybe your clients want the luxury version of your product or service or maybe they want to be thrifty. Maybe they want a really incredible customer experience with your brand, or maybe they’re looking for a no-frills solution. Maybe they’re excited to show off to their friends that they’ve done business with you, or maybe they want to keep it on the down low.

Knowing what they really want in addition to what they need will help you craft your offer and your pitch so that it’s irresistible to the right people.

3. Position yourself with confidence

Here’s a gigantic secret about selling: Your confidence in yourself will help determine the customer’s confidence in you.

Positioning yourself with confidence has to do with how you talk about yourself, how you show up in the online space, how your brand makes a first impression, how you price your products and services, and more.

Recently I was at a coffeeshop when a gal came up and handed me a flyer. She then told me I could throw it away if I wanted. She thought she was putting herself out there, but everything about her and her delivery screamed “Don’t buy what I’m selling!!”

If you’re doing the same with your offers — it’s time to boost your confidence & comfort level with selling and talking about your product/service, ASAP.

How are you {consciously or subconsciously} telling your customers that they can throw away your message if they want to? Some examples I’ve seen include:

  • Apologizing for your prices
  • Putting yourself / your biz / your website down when someone mentions it. {As in, someone says, “I love your site!” and you say, “Oh, it’s so old! I really need to redo it.”}
  • Not investing in the tools you need to be successful and professional
  • Not reaching our or emailing your customers very often because you’re afraid of “bothering” them
  • Layering discounts on top of discounts till you’re practically paying them to say yes to your offer

But when you know that you are the expert, that your solution is the best for your customers, that your product blows the competition out of the water — and you let that confidence shine bright — your customers will feel confident and excited to be investing with you.

4. Cooking in credibility

OK, but we all know that confidence will only take us so far, right?

There are certain proven triggers for credibility that will make your sales pitch that much more effective and persuasive.

When you’re thinking about cooking in credibility when you’re delivering your pitch, consider:

  • Including case studies and testimonials. People LOVE to see that other people {like them!} have succeeded at solving their problems. This is why Amazon reviews are so powerful.
  • Tweaking your bio. There are certain attributes you have that are going to be the most important to your customers. Sure, it might be the string of letters after your name and all your advanced degrees — or it might be part of your personal story, your years of experience, or the results you’ve gotten others.
  • Tooting your own horn. So many times I see people who somehow FORGET to mention something amazing that showcases their expertise — a big podcast they were on, a guest expert in a group/course/etc, that they have a background in X, how many years they’ve been doing Y, etc. Believe me when I say that your sales pitch is the place to mention these kinds of details!

Ensuring that you’re including these kinds of credibility triggers in your sales pitch is key to ensuring that your customer is comfortable making the decision to buy.

5. Take away the risk

Finally, you want to eliminate as much risk as possible when someone does business with you.

Think about Zappos, which was one of the first online clothing retailers that made free shipping and returns standard. They eliminated the risk of buying a pair of shoes you haven’t tried on yet.

I’m a big proponent of offering generous guarantees that help eliminate risk. For my programs, I nearly always have some kind of risk-free guarantee that you will get results or your money back. I can do this because I’m so confident {see №3!} that my customers will get results, and I know that I will bend over backwards to help them do so.

I’ve heard people express fears that customers will take advantage of generous guarantees, but I haven’t personally found this to be true. If you’re attracting the right people, they’re not going to screw you any more than you intend to screw them!

Consider what you can offer or do that will help eliminate that sense of risk for your customers — until they believe they have nothing to lose and everything to gain.

When you combine these five elements in a single sales pitch — whether that’s from a stage, on the phone, in an email, or on a sales page — you’re going to find that your pitches are much more effective and {BONUS!} easier to deliver!

Know someone else that could use a little boost in their sales? Share this post with them. They’ll be sure to thank you!

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Adrienne Dorison

Written by

Business Consultant, Podcast Host and Founder of Good Businesses Do Good. http://adriennedorison.com/

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