The sales pitch: definition and tips for using this powerful sales tool
To ensure growth and business development, a company can use various sales tools and techniques. All possess particularly interesting qualities to know in order to improve sales performance. However, if used well, the sales pitch can become one of the most powerful levers in your prospecting strategy. But do you really know how to design a sales pitch that is both effective and relevant?
We invite you to discover the answer in the rest of this article.
What is a sales pitch?
A sales pitch is a sales argument generally used to present a commercial offer or a company. Short and impactful, it is based on short sentences, simple vocabulary, and should make the listener want to know more.
Often used by sales teams when facing a prospect or client, the pitch significantly improves sales performance, conversion rates, sales volume, and a company's turnover.
The concept of the sales pitch is directly inspired by the elevator pitch. The latter consists of convincing an interlocutor in a very short period of time, which is similar to an elevator ride in the United States. In other words, this pitch is based on managing to convince an interlocutor in just a few minutes face-to-face. To be effective, this commercial action therefore requires the development of a structured and targeted argument.
What are the objectives of the sales pitch?
As a key element of the prospecting action plan, a sales pitch has several objectives:
- Clearly present your company and/or your offer: this type of sales pitch primarily allows your sales and technical teams to showcase your company, products, and services through simple and effective argumentation. It also offers the opportunity to highlight certain competitive advantages, benefits, and interests of your offer to your prospect.
- Spark your listener's interest: Capturing your audience's curiosity is the second objective of a sales pitch. If your technical and sales teams can deliver a coherent and well-structured presentation, prospects should be able to identify the problem your offer solves, the added value of your proposal, and your competitive advantages.
- Develop your activity: the sales pitch allows you to introduce the sales process and significantly improve your sales efficiency and conversion rate. In addition, if your prospecting team manages to adopt this discourse in the long term, the pitch must be fully integrated into your sales action plan and become a very relevant growth lever, especially by helping to achieve your sales objectives.
The essential elements of a sales pitch.
To be effective and impactful, a sales pitch must be prepared in advance. It should include various sales prospecting elements that can help you convince your future client to book an appointment with your sales teams. These include:
This is the first sentence spoken. It should directly capture the attention of the prospective client.
The hook
The promise
The promise encompasses the various benefits that your service or product can provide to new customers.
It should differentiate you from your competitors and solve an identified problem for the client.
The unique offer
The proposal
This phase should allow your B2B salesperson to encourage the contact to continue the conversation. It is necessary to initiate appointment setting and closing.
6 steps to building an effective sales pitch
To build an effective sales pitch, we recommend following these 6 essential steps:
1. Creating the connection
This step is necessary to set the stage and put the other person in the situation. It helps create a connection with the prospect by starting to work on the customer relationship and initiating the rest of the sales process.
2. Highlighting the Obstacle in the Sales Pitch
Here, the aim is to highlight the problem encountered by potential clients and to which your company can provide a solution. It is essential to identify this obstacle beforehand in order to better address objections and better understand the discourse to be held during this phase of the sales pitch.
It is essential to use psychology during this phase of the sales meeting and to be genuinely interested in the future client's obstacles in order to move on to the next stage of commercial conquest.
3. Presenting the vision.
This phase of the sales pitch should show your listener that there is another way of doing things, once their obstacle is overcome. It is essential here to present them with an ideal vision of their situation without their obstacle. Ensure that these words are inspiring and motivating enough to encourage the contact to seek a real solution to their problem and thus trigger a move to action.
4. Presenting the different options
This step marks the beginning of the solution presentation. At this stage, it is wise to present two options to the prospect that will allow them to achieve their goal: one will be complex and lengthy to implement, the other simpler and more effective. Your solution is, of course, part of the second option.
For option A, we recommend highlighting the journey of individuals facing the same problem as the prospect, but who are not using your solution or have chosen a competitor. Subtly emphasize the disadvantages of these choices and this path, as well as their results.
For option B, we suggest focusing on the journey of clients who have already experienced your solution, the benefits they derive from it, and the results obtained to establish a fair and rational comparison with option A.
5. The demonstration in the sales pitch
At this stage of the process, option B (yours) should appear to the future client as the ideal solution. Now is the time to provide proof that your company is able to ensure this option and why it is the most relevant.
This proof is necessary to establish your legitimacy and show the listener that your company offers a concrete plan to help them. To do this, do not hesitate to highlight the resources that your company possesses or offers (expertise, team, technology, etc.), as well as your previous successes (satisfied customers, key figures, case studies, etc.).
6. Working on projection in the sales pitch
Once all the project stages have been detailed, your solution must appear concrete and effective to your listener. If your sales representative still has a few tricks up their sleeve, now is the time to pull them out to further convince the prospect and encourage them to conclude a business meeting!
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