As a sales executive, you should always be perfecting your pitch and for good reasons. The pitch is your control of the conversation flow. Having a well organized informative pitch also helps you uncover exactly what your customer’s desires are. If you don’t know where to start when revamping your pitch, take a look at the guideline below.
Tell a story
Whether you know it or not, you have a story to tell. You’re selling not only a product, but what you and the company stand for. Start your pitch by telling your company’s origin story. Educate the customer on where the company started and where you’re currently standing today. In doing so, you’re building a relationship between yourself, the customer, and your company.
Connect on an emotional level
Once they have heard your story, it’s time to relate it to them. Ask questions about their goals, what setbacks they have had, and what they want to be doing better. This is the part of the conversation where you gather all the important information you need for the next step.
Provide valuable solutions
It’s all about the solutions! You’ve just heard what is ailing the customer sitting in front of you, now use that information to provide them with solutions only you can provide. Explain the product or service at hand and how it can make their business run better, more efficiently, and make them more money.
Give the facts
It’s not enough to just tell them what your company can do. Provide the customer with statistics and testimonials that back up the solutions you just offered. If you service a competitor that had similar issues, do not be afraid to tell the customer about the success they are seeing. The buyer you’re sitting in front of will not want to miss out on opportunities a competitor has already capitalized on.
Initiate the close
Now that all information is on the table, go for the close. A statement as simple as, “When can we start working together?” will initiate the next steps. Here is where you may receive a little pushback. The customer may request another meeting, more information, or provide you with reasons why they are not ready. If you run into the first two situations, set up a second meeting or provide them with the information they need. Objections on the other hand require some digging. Handle the objections, but do not be afraid to walk away for the time being.
Always Follow-up
Finally, no matter what the outcome of the meeting, follow up with the customer. There are always steps to take after a meeting. It may be a simple email to gather the final information of a closed sale or checking in on their hesitations. Either way, your relationship with the client continues after the meeting and following up is vital to a strong business relationship.