What is every salesperson's worst nightmare when pitching to a potential client? Spending tons of time and effort to prepare for the presentation only to find out that the client is not ready to take the next steps with you. When you have worked hard on your B2B sales pitch, the last thing you want to get is a rejection or indifference.
There are many things that might cause your presentation to fail: poorly crafted content, lack of a personal touch, or delivery that did not meet the audience's expectations.
To keep the prospect engaged during the presentation and interested in your offer, every sales rep should learn how to create and deliver killer sales pitches. There are many ways you can improve your pitch that will pack your pipeline with high-quality leads. Try to apply the following tips to your B2B sales presentation and expect to be closing more deals.
A sales pitch is a presentation by a salesperson intended to persuade a prospect to take the next steps in the sales process. It can be a phone call, an email, or a classic presentation in front of the audience. The sales pitch should not try to convince a prospect to buy your products or services but show them you have a solution to fix their problems.
In the modern, fast-paced environment, neither salespeople nor prospects have the luxury of spending an hour or more on a sales pitch. A successful pitch lasts a few minutes and follows a simple structure. It talks about the client's problem, possible solutions, and agreement to take further steps.
Having an effective script and delivery can help move prospects down the sales funnel. Use the B2B sales pitch ideas below to drive the highest conversion rates possible. Using presentation templates can help build compelling sales pitches.
When structuring a talk that serves a useful purpose, follow these six tips to get your prospect ready:
A good sales pitch starts long before the actual presentation. It begins with thorough research on the client, their needs, and their issues. Show the prospect that you have spent time on getting to know them and how you can become a perfect strategic partner.
To trust you with their business, you need to prove you are worth it, and according to a HubSpot survey, only 3% of people trust salespeople. To avoid it and build a productive and trustful relationship, find out the prospect's concerns and challenges in the business and how it links to what you're offering.
Having done that, sales reps should carefully tailor customized presentations specifically for each prospect or audience. As a result, every sales pitch is a different presentation, oriented on its particular respondent.
A good sales pitch should not be centered around the product or service but around the client's needs. Salespeople should demonstrate an understanding of the prospect's issues. Your message should grab the client’s attention and make them realize you know the status quo and can offer an efficient solution.
The first impressions you make during the business conversation are very important and may define the future of your collaboration. Start your pitch with a little hook:
When crafting a sales pitch, make sure to focus on the product benefits, not its features. The fact is that the prospect may not care about your product—they do care about how it can improve their business. They want to know what they can gain from using your services, such as increasing revenues, reducing costs, or both.
Try to put yourself in the prospect’s shoes and think of reasons that would make them care about your pitch. You can share some of the successful results that helped you gain your clients in the past. Make sure the story you tell revolves around the benefits you can offer. You can say something like:
"I’m not sure if you’ve heard about our products, but we have done a ton of business with [company´s name] and [company´s name]. We had great success with them and we still continue to be partners. So I am here now to help other businesses. The products we offer can cut costs by [. . .] since they are more resilient to [. . .] and have a longer lifespan."
Every sales pitch should contain an engaging story. The story could depict the prospect as the main hero traveling from point A to point B. The client can see where the business situation is now and get an idea of where it could be in the future. It motivates changes and gives a vision of the future.
Storytelling allows prospects to see themselves as active participants one step closer to their business dreams. You can also use a story based on customer testimonials, like this one:
Funny thing, last month we had a customer who had exactly the same issue as you are having. He badly needed us to help him to meet those deadlines. With our help, they were able to get up to [. . .] of their time during working hours and focus on other priorities.
If the presentation was delivered effectively, at this moment, your prospect would be already willing to learn more about the solutions you offer. Explain how it will eliminate their pain points and fix the issues.
Shortly describe what you can do for them, but try not to overwhelm them with information:
We have a team of [. . .] experts who can start working on your issue immediately. By integrating our products [. . .] into your business, your company's income rate can improve in the next few months.
After you have addressed the issue, delivered a value proposition, and offered solutions, you've reached the main purpose of the sales pitch: It's time to ask the buyer to take the next steps.
A good sales pitch should end with a call to action (CTA). Don't expect prospects to initiate future cooperation; in fact, 90% of them won't buy if you don't ask. Define the exact steps your buyer can take, whether it's calling you back or scheduling a free trial.
Take a look at some examples of what to ask:
If you consider all the above tips, you're very likely to create good sales pitch content. But the truth is, this is not enough for a good sales pitch presentation. You need to practice how you deliver the content with these tips:
Use affirmative words and don't express doubt. You have to be certain in what you say, so everyone else can be as well. Avoid words and phrases like “I guess so/I’m not sure.”
Use informal words, say a joke or two so your audience will feel you are one of them and relate to you. Don’t use metaphors or jargon, otherwise, you risk not being understood.
Good gestures will add emphasis to your conversation and help the prospect visualize the concept. Remember, often people remember less of what you say but more of how you made them feel.
It’s often hard to find the right approach to every prospect and to manage to close the deal. Despite the obstacles on your way to generating leads, you can adopt a few ideas on how to develop your sales pitch. By simply adding a little practice and the power of gestures, you’ll be ready to close those deals.