Sales is an important subject for any business person, entrepreneur; or even hustler too. One of the things either of these people always has to do is to deliver a sales pitch. The sales pitch is a popular term for an inflexible ‘formula’ or ‘canned’ sales presentation delivered in every sales situation without regard to the needs of the prospect. Remember what a prospect (also known as a sales lead or simply, lead) is – a potential customer qualified based on their purchasing authority, financial muscle, and or willingness to make a purchase. Your sales pitch must answer certain questions and that is what we are discussing.
What Are You Selling? – Benefits Or Value
When someone comes to you it implies they are searching for something. They are looking to purchase something but that is objectively not necessarily so. They do not just want to buy; they want to address a particular problem or challenge. This means when a prospect looks at options, they are looking for benefits or value. They want to know exactly what it is you are addressing (i.e. the problem) and how. That is why you are encouraged to sell benefits or value, not products, services, or features per se.
In so doing, you should also highlight the options that are there in what you are offering. This would be ideal for most prospects as they typically want options to explore. It might sound obvious that your sales pitch must answer this question but it is foundational. Believe it or not, there are some products or services that are unclear or ambiguous. Your sales pitch makes it crystal clear to the prospect the benefits or value you are selling.
How Much Does It Cost Them? – Price
This must be answered in your sales pitch right after covering the first question. This should also be coupled with payment options and any other important details. For example, can one pay in instalments, do you have delivery options (and the costs), and so on? These details will help a prospect assess whether or not they can pay. Usually, most prospects will be willing but the financial element will be the overriding factor.
Revealing the prices aspects are particularly of concern online. Most businesses, especially in Zimbabwe are performing badly on that. You hear statements like, ‘inbox for price’; that is not it. If only people knew that by not immediately revealing your prices you ruin your sales pitch. Many prospects will gladly consider other options simply for being secretive with prices.
Why Must They Buy From You? – Unique Value Proposition
Chances are high that countless other brands are offering what you are offering. You could even be offering the exact products or services offered elsewhere. What will set you apart from other players is your value proposition which should be unique. Generally, your products or services will impact your customers technically, personally, or commercially. This means your unique value proposition must be along those lines. Everything in a sales pitch is connected as you will soon see. The foundation of a compelling unique value proposition is in understanding the customer’s pain points.
Your product or service must wield benefits that address those pain points. Figure out how to differentiate your brand in offering that value. That is the essence of building a unique value proposition for your brand. This implies you must know your competitors well enough to offer something different from and superior to them. Your sales pitch must make it clear what your unique value proposition is. Another related issue could be why the prospect should buy now. You should make it apparent to them why not buying now would be a loss for them. Ideally, you have to convincingly leverage on people’s natural affinity for loss aversion.
Are You Trustworthy And Authentic? – Credibility
It is normal for people to be sceptical of your brand at first. Many people have been victims of shady brands several times. They could have also just heard of other people’s experiences with some brands. This leads to them being critical of your brand and what you have to offer. You have to allay their fears by proving that you are authentic and can be trusted. Credibility comes in so many ways so you have lots of talking points to use. If you have testimonials from past satisfied customers, that would be the time to use them.
It could be notable accolades such as awards or collaborations you have done with noteworthy people or brands. It could be successful projects you have done or big clients you have successfully served. Your financial or sales performance can also be a metric to use here. These are just examples but you need to prove to your prospects that you can be trusted.
If you see to it that your sales pitch answers these questions, you are good to go. Most people do not take the time to structure their sales pitch strategically like this. By paying attention to these issues, you increase your chances of closing on sales. You would have put yourself in the prospect’s shoes so you will better understand them. Prospects prefer brands that exhibit relatability, not just those eager to make sales despite being insensitive to their needs.
