Sales pitches are not an easy feat to master. It is an extremely valuable skill which is extremely effective when delivered well. We asked experts from across the UK to provide their insights and contribute advice on 3 key elements they think are essential for a successful performance sales pitch. We received some brilliant advice from various professionals. Featured in this collaborative article are the standout contributions.
See here what they thought:
Ivan Asem
Head of Marketing at EPSza
Address pain points, address concerns and create trust. Those are the three elements that should be necessary in every sales pitch, whether you’re pitching to a brand new client or pitching to a loyal customer. These elements speak to our psychology (if you believe in that).
Address pain points – This should go without saying. If you’ve done your research and you have a very good understanding of your ideal customer, then you will also know what they are struggling with in the very moment. It’s not enough to have a gut feel, you actually need to be sure that you’re offering something of value to them. If you’re looking to conduct solid market research, you can try these resources: Pew Research Center, any census data for your geographical region, Passport by Euromonitor and Glimpse.
Address concerns – Believe it or not, there is a finite list of concerns that people have when faced with a proposition. When I started my career, I just always thought sales people had a natural gift. The truth is, that they just have very good training and knowledge about the flow of a conversation. Understanding concerns and addressing them as soon as they are raised.
Create Trust – This is another one that feels obvious but you would be surprised how many people get it wrong. Trust comes from transparency and sharing a vision. Prospects can always tell when a sales pitch is only a sales pitch. What most prospects are looking for is a solution that they can rely on and a reliable partner to deliver that solution.
Mihaela Nica
Executive & Leadership Coach / Mihaela Nica Coaching
The success of a sales pitch starts way before you reach the moment of presenting your offer to your customer. Every interaction with the customer or the buying team is a step that can bring you closer or farther to a successful sales pitch.
One critical factor for a successful sales pitch is TRUST and the chemistry with the buying team. People buy from people they trust. Integrity, reputation, your behaviours, and capabilities (skills, knowledge, talents, and strengths) are crucial prerequisites of people trusting you. Trust is built overtime, with each interaction with your customers or buying team. Therefore, prepare for each meeting, have clear objectives, get in touch with each stakeholder involved in the buying process, especially the decision-makers and the users, and learn about their current challenges and priorities. Ask open questions and LISTEN! The quality of your questions and how you listen show your interest in solving their problems.
And this brings us to the second key element of a successful sales pitch: identifying and addressing the GAP between what the customer has now and what they need. If no gap exists, the chances of closing a deal are null. The selling process flows naturally by asking the customer about their situation and the issues they are facing. The information gathered in this phase will help you to differentiate your offer. You will not present a product or service, but a solution to a particular need.
The third key element of a successful sales pitch is the PRESENTATION of your solution. Based on the information gathered in the previous steps, recommend the solution you offer. Present the advantages – how your product/service solves the problem and the benefits the customer gets. Directly link your solution to the customer challenge. Present your solution and ask the customer for feedback. And LISTEN! Be prepared to handle objections and provide technical information. Finally, agree on the next steps!
Happy Selling!
Anna Morrish
Founder & MD of Quibble
Business professionals are always looking for the key to success, which includes how to make a killer sales pitch that will convert the most clients… But, I’m going to let you in on a secret…
You don’t want to sell to everyone. I often speak to business owners and business development professionals who think the world is their target market, but having this type of mentality rarely leads to success as you can’t target every type of person in your messaging and you can rarely make everyone happy.
You need to work out who your audience really is. Develop personas based on the type of people you’d like to target. Choose 2-3. Create a stereotypical vision of who that person is so you can clearly speak to them in a way they understand and look at solving their specific problems and challenges.
Plus, consider if you sold to everyone… Every sales pitch ended up in a sale… Surely that’s a little suspicious… Or you are the most perfect business with a perfect pitch… Which I’m sorry to say is unlikely. If anything it’s likely you’re pricing structure is wrong for what it is you’re offering.
I mean… If gold sellers started selling bullion for a penny, everyone would want in on the action, but that company selling at this price is hardly going to make a profit.
So, the first part of developing a successful sales pitch (once you know who you should be pitching to) is communicating the pricing correctly. Have a good pricing structure and make it easy to understand, especially if your offering contains a number of products or services. People like to know what they’re getting for their money, and they really don’t like add-ons.
What else do you need for a successful pitch?
To be genuine. It’s really that simple. If you genuinely believe that what you’re selling will help the customer, tell them why and be yourself. Be honest. Don’t try and put on a façade. People will see through it. Plus, trying to be anyone else other than who you really are will be exhausting! If you’re natural, your confidence will also shine through and they’ll buy into you and what you’re selling.
What else is there to a successful pitch?
Make sure you’re prepared. Don’t go into a pitch meeting and just wing it. There are some things you can do on the fly, but if you really care about what you’re doing, put the effort in. Do some background research and offer your potential customer advice and recommendations based on their business and needs. It’ll show you’re invested in them, that you care and that they’re not just a number. Essentially you’re treating them with respect.
James Chaplin
CEO Vacancysoft 
- Do your research before you see the client, seek to determine pain points
- Ask questions for the first ten minutes to clarify and better understand strategic objectives
- Frame your proposition as solving their problem
In conclusion, mastering the art of a successful sales pitch is no small task, but it is undeniably one of the most valuable skills in the business world. Through these expert insights, we’ve uncovered three key elements that stand out as crucial for delivering a pitch that truly resonates with your audience. Use their advice and become successful in all of your performance sales pitches.
