Are you frightened by the idea of pitching your services to customers? You’re not alone. The process of making a sales pitch is challenging for most business owners, though you will most certainly have to do it at some point while trying to expand your business.
If you are a new business or small business with a limited marketing budget, pitching your services is a highly effective way to get new customers and grow your business.
In this article, we will explore
- What a sales pitch is
- What’s important in a sales pitch
- How to write a great sales pitch
- A checklist to cross off before you send out your pitch.
What is a sales pitch?
Hubspot describes a sales pitch as “a condensed sales presentation where a salesperson explains the nature and benefits of their business, ideally in less than one or two minutes.”
If you run a small business, you are most likely the ‘salesperson’ responsible for gaining customers. You could be a tailor who wants the contract of sewing school uniforms for their students. Maybe, you sell stationery and would love to be in charge of supplying that to the school. People need your services but the only way they can know if you are the right person for the job is if they understand what you do and why you are the right fit.
What’s important in a sales pitch?
While you can present a 20 slide pitch deck of your amazing service to a company, a sales pitch can also be a phone call or an email. Basically, the purpose of a sales pitch is to persuade your ideal customer to buy your product or service.
However, the most effective sales pitch emphasizes the value you bring to your customer, not how great your service is, especially when you look at the buying behaviour of modern consumers.
The average person today has access to a lot of information. When we need something, we check Google for available services in our area, research on social media or ask for referrals. In a study of how buyers prefer to be sold to, “60% of buyers want to connect with sales during the consideration stage after they’ve researched the options and come up with a shortlist. While 20% want to talk during the decision stage, once they’re decided on which product to buy.”
During your sales pitch, you have the opportunity to not only present yourself as the right fit but also demonstrate that you understand your customer’s needs and can provide a solution. So, you can’t give the same pitch to different businesses even if they are all in the same industry. Personalize your pitch to show the customer you care about their business. Relate it to the choices they already have and how your services can be of more value to them.
So, how do you create a great sales pitch that shows you understand your customer’s pain point? Let’s get to that.
How to write a great sales pitch
The first thing you need to know before you write a sales pitch is that simple is best. If you are a baker, and you walk up to 10 shops and tell them “ I make baked chin-chin and can supply a paint for N7K only.” That’s a sales pitch!
If you are invited to an event and you have the opportunity to introduce yourself and you say “Hi, I am Nkechi, I make tasty and healthy baked chin-chin. I supply to fast food chains for a minimum of 50K per order.” That’s also a sales pitch.
The more simple and clear your pitch is, the better. It’s easier for people to understand quickly and you can memorise it to sell anywhere.
Before you create your sales pitch, here are 5 steps to follow
- Identify your prospect
- Do your research on who you are selling to
- Appeal to their emotions
- Show what they can gain from doing business with you
- Establish credibility
Identify your prospects
A whopping 40% of salespeople say that identifying who to pitch to is the toughest part of the sales process. If you want to send a successful sales pitch, you must know who your ideal client is. You can make a list by clearly stating the problem you solve and what type of businesses have that problem.
For example, you can decide if you want to sell to small businesses or larger corporate organisations in a specific industry. What are their challenges and how can you adjust your pitch to answer that? Find out who the decision-makers are and reach out to them. It’s important to be clear on your target market because your pitch will most resonate with them and get you results.
Do your research on who you will be selling to
After you’ve identified who you will be pitching to, you should learn about their business. Have they made any notable achievements recently? What is it about their business you find most appealing?
Your research can unearth information that will be significant to your pitch. Maybe the company just moved offices and needs someone who can supply office equipment. Who knows?
Appeal to their emotions
Use storytelling to appeal to their emotions. When pitching to a business, always remember that people make the decisions. These are people who could use some extra time in their life to spend with their family or engage in a fun activity. A baker can highlight the healthy options they provide to appeal to those who are conscious of their health. Use storytelling to explain the problem they are facing and how your product or service addresses their needs.
Show what they can gain from doing business with you
Be clear about the benefits they gain from working with you. How much time will it save them if they used your product? Describe how your solution addresses their needs.
How much money can they save with your service? Arm yourself with numbers and a clear offer. If you are a freelance writer pitching a media company, your pitch could be “ I’ll write 4 search engine optimised blog posts monthly keeping your website fresh and updated for readers.’
Establish credibility
Before buying from you, people are often going to do some background research on your business. Social proof convinces buyers that you know your business. Your website should feature testimonials from past clients, and you should keep your social media channels up to date.
Having a business bank account provides your new business with credibility which is especially important when you’re pitching to potential customers. Prospa makes it easy for freelancers, entrepreneurs, and small business owners to open a business bank account. Download Prospa on your iOS or Android to get a business bank in 5 minutes. For web, sign up here.
After you’ve written your sales pitch, what next?
- Keep it short: A sales pitch should be simple and straightforward. You only have a few seconds to get your prospect to pay attention. Go through what you’ve written and edit out unnecessary information.
- Spellcheck: Go through your sales pitch to be sure there are no errors. Check that the recipient’s name has been spelt correctly and any links you’ve added to your email are working.
- Verify that you are sending it to the right person: Check that you are sending it to the right person. Tiny mistakes in the email address means they will never get it.
- Be prepared for any further questions they have: After your pitch, expect questions. Make sure you are prepared for any questions they might have as this could make or mar their decision to buy.
- Guide them on the next steps to take: So you’ve told them what you can do, what’s next? Always include a call to action (CTA)
- Be prepared to sell: You should be prepared to sell your product! Your inventory should be up to date. You should have the capacity to provide the service as soon as they want it. Delay can put off buyers.
- Don’t forget to follow up: After you’ve sent a pitch, don’t forget to follow up.
Always remember to keep your pitch clear, concise and straight to the point. The focus should be on the value you provide, not the pricing of your services.
Though you wouldn’t get a ‘Yes’ to all sales pitches you send out, the more you send them, the more you refine your message. You’ll also learn what your prospects respond to more about your pitch and focus on it.
Do you have any more questions about creating a sales pitch? Share in the comments and we’ll respond.