What do you want to achieve from a good sales pitch?

Typically, people hope a good sales pitch will impress the customer, be memorable and finish with the customer wanting to buy the service or product. Yet many salespeople gravitate towards formats, styles and presentation methods that have been proven to no longer be effective.

There are five techniques that apply no matter what you’re selling. They will ensure you make a positive impression, come across memorably and help towards a sale.

Five techniques for a good sales pitch

Good sales pitch technique 1 | Don’t present

Instead, speak to the people in front of you – it is all too easy to fall into the trap of “giving a presentation” when you really need to speak to the potential customers in a natural, convincing way. Yes, visual aids (slides) and handouts have a role, but they should be “aids” to support what you say, rather than guiding what you are saying.

Good sales pitch technique 2 | Find out what the customer wants

Ideally do this with a pre-meeting call, or start the meeting by just asking them. Most people are very happy to talk about themselves and their needs. You can then spend the rest of the meeting addressing the points that the customer has raised, rather than the ones you guessed that they might raise.

Good sales pitch technique 3 | Keep asking questions through the meeting

Is what you are saying of interest? What do they like about other suppliers? What concerns do they have? If you can establish and remove each of those concerns, you are closing in on a sale.

Good sales pitch technique 4 | Tell stories

Your stories and anecdotes can make you stand out from the crowd when you are competing against other firms with very similar products or services. What are the best examples of the difference that your services have made to another customer? People remember stories, not bullet points. Even better, encourage the prospect to phone up that customer and hear it from them direct.

Good sales pitch technique 5 | Reconsider your use of PowerPoint

There were sales pitches before PowerPoint, and many successful sales teams have now abandoned it. Could you use A3 boards, short videos or maybe a scrapbook-style document that you’ve clearly prepared just for that client? Be creative and you will stand out and be remembered.

We can support you to create and deliver successful sales pitches

To discuss your sales pitches and hear how we’ve helped others become more effective, contact Louise by calling 020 7193 0130 or emailing louise@nullbenjaminball.com.