Getting leads is hard, and closing them is even harder. Average sales conversion rates across industries sit somewhere between 2.46 and 3.26 percent. That means more than 95 percent of the conversations you have with prospects are just that, conversations. Your pitch is the difference between moving a relationship forward and watching it fizzle.
In this Master Sales series episode, I walk through the 10 elements of a successful sales pitch, and I spend time on the one thing almost every blog on this topic leaves out, which is the post sale work that turns a closed deal into a long term customer. I hate the word close because much of the real work starts when the deal is signed.
1. Research the Prospect Before the Call
The first place I lose respect for a seller is when they show up unprepared. Check the company website. Read their leadership bios. Find their latest news. Know their industry trends. Research is how you earn the right to be taken seriously in the first five minutes of the meeting.
2. Understand the Problem You Are Solving
Every pitch that works starts with a problem. If you cannot articulate the problem in the prospect’s own words, you are selling a product nobody asked for. Spend more time in discovery than you think you need. The deeper you understand the problem, the easier the rest of the pitch becomes. For more on this, read my conversation with Keenan on Gap Selling and why most discovery is broken.
3. Know Your Offering Inside and Out
Product knowledge is non negotiable. If you cannot answer common objections or walk through implementation on the spot, your prospect will fill in the blanks with doubt. Own the specs, the use cases, and the edge cases.
4. Ask Questions That Actually Dig
The best sellers I work with ask twice as many questions as their peers. Do not stop at “Are you happy with your current provider?” Follow with “What would you change?” and “When was the last time they brought you a new idea?” Two thirds of the conversation should belong to the prospect.
5. Tell Stories Your Prospect Will Feel
Here is some data worth memorizing:
- Stories are 22 times more memorable than facts and figures alone.
- Our neural activity increases five times when we listen to a story.
- Storytelling lights up the sensory cortex, letting listeners feel, taste, and almost smell what you are describing.
Good companies tell their own stories. Great companies tell their customers’ stories. If you are getting results for a client, ask if you can turn their win into a case study. That puts them in the hero role and hands you a powerful asset for future deals.
6. Use Contrast to Clarify Value
Contrast helps prospects understand what you are really selling. Describe the before and after. Show the cost of staying with the status quo alongside the upside of moving forward. A clear contrast is far more persuasive than a list of features.
7. Focus on Benefits, Not Features
Features tell. Benefits sell. A feature is that your platform has an open API. The benefit is that it takes three hours instead of three weeks to integrate with the tools your customer already owns. Translate every feature into a specific, quantifiable outcome for the buyer.
8. Differentiate With Your Unique Selling Proposition
Charles Revson, the founder of Revlon, said he sold hope, not makeup. Some airlines sell friendly service while others sell on time arrival. Neiman Marcus sells luxury. Walmart sells rollbacks. Your differentiation is not a tagline. It is the reason a customer would choose you even if a competitor matched your price.
I loved how agency owner Mike Gianni put it on one of my earlier episodes:
“We’ll spend a good 90 days proving to the customer that we can impact their online presence positively, and we can make them look better, appear relevant, and appear active.”
9. Tell a Success Story, Then Tell 10 More
Studies show that 92 percent of online consumers look at a product review before making a purchase. Case studies and testimonials are your proof of concept. Bring them into every pitch. Name the customer, name the problem, name the result. Specifics beat generalities every time.
Reviews are part of this too. Read my deeper take on how to leverage your online reputation to increase sales.
10. Always Follow Up
This is where most sellers drop the ball. The first meeting is not the finish line. It is the start of the relationship. The pitch does not end when the call ends. It continues through every follow up email, every sent article, every quarterly check in.
If you stop following up, the plane runs out of gas. You end up thousands of miles from where you were supposed to land, and you cannot course correct at that point. I have seen too many relationships die from neglect between the signed contract and the first invoice.
The Quick Recap
Research. Understand the problem. Know your offering. Ask questions. Tell stories. Use contrast. Focus on benefits. Differentiate. Tell success stories. Follow up. Do these 10 things consistently, and your pitch will move from good to great.
Which of the 10 elements does your team need to tighten up first?