How to make an Irresistible Sales Pitch: A Step-by-Step Guide to Closing Deals
How to make an Irresistible Sales Pitch: A Step-by-Step Guide to Closing Deals
When I was 18, I watched ‘Wolf of Wallstreet’ for the first time. I grew up in a conservative household, so other than awkwardly skipping the explicit scenes (which was 50% of the movie), his first pitch at the insurance company fascinated me, a lot.
While watching the video, I had memories of myself at 16 years old, doing cold calling and crying by the end of the day.
Whether you’re a seasoned sales professional or new to the game, this guide will equip you with the tools and strategies needed to craft a winning proposal. From understanding your client’s needs and desires to highlighting the unique value your product or service brings to the table, each step is carefully designed to enhance your chances of success.
Ready to elevate your sales game and start closing more deals? Let’s dive in!
Sales Pitch: Your first blind date
Time is precious and your sales pitch could potentially be a complete waste of time. Unfortunately, salespeople often have a reputation of being clingy and someone to avoid as much as possible. Hence, having a sales pitch is better theorized than done.
1. Understanding your audience and their needs
Before crafting your sales pitch, it would be vital to think about your ideal customer profile (ICP) (which you can read it over here). With a clear understanding of your ICP, you can fix to speech and appeal to all of their painpoints and add value to their jobs.
Just imagine going on a blind date for the first time. You would analyze your potential partner, ask them questions and if sparks fly, you would appeal to them with a topic of interest. Fortunately for us, social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Linkedin would give us a general idea on what they are looking for.
2. Be the solution, not the problem
Next, court your client. Understand their painpoints and find out what they truly need. The most frustrating issue during your sales pitch is when you are singing to the wrong crowd and wasting your time to be productive. Should the specific ICP lead express that they have no issues with their current systems, move on. You deserve better.
Through the sharing of their painpoints, you can finally decide if your services can add value to their day to day operations. There’s a saying that facts tell but stories sell. A story-telling sales demo is an effective way through which you can address the pain points of your customers and highlight the benefits of your solution.
3. Captivate by showing just enough
After attaining your first lead, you can finally prepare for your pitch. Here, we will break down the types of pitches and how you can prepare for them:
- Two-sentence pitch: not enough time, share your mission and a general idea of what you do.
- Elevator pitch: short and sweet, but address the following points
1. What does your service do?
2. What is special about your service?
3. What are your product or service goals?
Example: Cobalt is a B2B SaaS company that is launching a proposal platform that uses AI and automatic design functions to increase in sales conversion rates. We provide additional functions such as analytics, themed templates and even an easy to edit template to suit your sales proposal needs. With Cobalt’s services, we want salespeople to increase in your closing and focus on what matters most, the authentic interpersonal relationship with your client.
3. Phone pitch: Short and sweet, focus on the benefits of using the product, rather than the features it provides.
As far as I could remember, I have hung up every cold call I received in the past five years. I would rather spend an hour scrolling on Netflix to find the right movie than to listen to a 5 minutes phone pitch.
Now that I am doing sales myself, I realised that the lack of prefacing how long the call would take made me nervous and annoyed. Furthermore, the callers were not upfront about their agenda nor bothered to ask if I needed help. How shall we do it then?
- Introduction: Remember to ask about them too.
Hi I’m from CoBalt, a proposal making platform. We met at XX do you remember me?
2. Ask about the problem: relate it back to the problem or situation you were talking about.
3. Give an escape route: Give me 60 seconds, and of course, if you are still not interested at anytime, just let me know.
4. Email Pitch: The introvert’s dream
After than prefacing your intention of the email, do not start your pitch right away before making a human connection. Suggest for a quick conversation on another medium where you can have consistent replies.
5. Sales presentation
The formal meeting where you can prepare slides and documents with images, graphs and analytics.
4. Reviews
Remember to use data and statistics in your sales pitch. Show how your solution has helped other clients achieve their goals. Use testimonials and case studies to illustrate how your solution has made a positive impact on other businesses. By focusing on the unique value you bring, you can help your potential client see why your solution is the best choice. Testimonials and case studies are powerful tools in presentations. They build credibility, create emotional connections, validate your claims, and enhance compelling and memorable.
5. Getting the most out of your rehearsal
Pitching your solution in person? It’s crucial to incorporate effective body language into your practice. This not only enhances your confidence but also makes you appear more self-assured. Here are some fundamental ways to enhance your body language:
Eye contact: As the saying goes, eyes are the windows to the soul. Engaging in and sustaining eye contact demonstrates your genuine interest in people and your commitment to what they are conveying.
Maintain a lifted chin: Refrain from looking downward at the ground. Instead, make a conscious effort to stand tall and keep your gaze directed straight ahead.
Breathing and Relaxation: Controlling your pace allows you to regulate your breathing and manage any nervousness or anxiety. This can help you maintain composure and confidence throughout your presentation.
Time Management: Maintaining an appropriate pace helps you manage time effectively. Going too fast may lead to finishing too early while speaking too slowly can cause you to run out of time for essential content.
Once you’ve created your pitch, practice it so you feel comfortable presenting it in front of prospective clients. What are the ways to do rehearsals: Standing before a mirror, recording yourself using your phone or laptop camera, or engaging in role-playing with a coworker?
Conclusion:
A sales presentation plays a pivotal role in the sales journey, enabling sales professionals to establish connections with potential clients, communicate the worth of their product or service, tackle concerns, and ultimately boost sales. It stands as an indispensable element for achieving successful sales outcomes and fostering business expansion.
