How to Craft a Winning Sales Pitch

Take specific steps to craft a winning sales pitch. In this post, we look at the ins and outs of creating a stellar sales pitch, including identifying your audience and relating to them, standing out above your competitors and more.?

By Brandi Fowler

Delivering sales pitches is an art: a technique that works best when you have a dynamic strategy and an understanding of the story behind your brand/business.

A sales pitch is a speech someone gives to sell a product, classes, etc., similar to an elevator pitch but it takes research, identifying your audience, and more to make a hit convo.??

“The way I see a pitch is that a pitch has to have elements of experiential concepts developed or tied to it,” The Sales Rebellion co-founder and CSO Dale Dupree said. “What I mean is if I get you on the phone and I say, ‘Hey, what's up, you know, this is Dale Dupree and I'm at this company, and here's how I can help your business,’ that is the traditional pitch.

“We believe in ditching the pitch, burning the script, and being a lot more human in the way that you speak with somebody.”?

Dupree and Perfect Pitches by Precious founder Precious “Killer Pitch Master” Williams use step-by-step methods to create stellar pitches and help their clients do the same. They believe in thinking outside of the box and have been successful in the field because of it.?

I chatted with them both for the best tips to craft a winning sales presentation.

Break Down Your Sales Pitch Creation Process into Steps?

Developing your first sales pitch may seem like a daunting task. Take it step-by-step.?

First, identify the challenge or problem in your target market and tailor the speech to those issues, Williams said.

“You need to understand [the challenge] in their words so that when you are crafting your pitch, they know you are speaking to them,” Williams said. “So, you have to know the wording that they would use.”

Next, define the problem and find the solution.?

“If you don't define the problem, it doesn't matter what your solution is,” Williams said. “And you have to provide it in a different way than what everybody else is saying. Your job is to stand out.”

After identifying the solution, show your audience why your product or service is unique.

“You have to clearly stand out,” Williams said. “How do you do that? You have to construct your pitch. What is your specific call to action? What is your secret sauce? What have others said about you or your company or your products or services or the idea you wanna put out there?”

Answer those questions, incorporate the information into your pitch, and throw in a testimonial (if you have it) to add credibility, Williams said.

Once you have taken those steps, move to your call to action.?

“What do you want them to do?” Williams said. “Do you want them to check [out your product/service]? Do you want them to take the sample right now? Leave nothing to chance. Whatever your lead magnet is, if they can do it while you're there, then you would be right there to answer any questions, objections, or anything like that.”?

Finally, give your audience a reason to care.?

“Never start [a pitch] with your name and name of your company,” Williams said. “Nobody cares until you give them a reason to, which is why starting off with a question, statistics, or quotes matters. Give me a reason to care.”

Know Your Audience and Tailor Your Pitch to Them

Identify your audience to give them a reason to care.

While you complete the steps above, do the legwork to find out who you will be pitching and what part of your brand/business’s story will resonate with them the most.?

“You have to really understand who your audience is,” Williams said. “Let's say you are selling pools and you're in a neighborhood where there are no pools. You are in the wrong neighborhood. So, do due diligence beforehand.

“I encourage those who, even as they're creating your sales pitches, to test out different types [of pitches] for different audiences.”

Dupree also emphasized the importance of research and building relationships to tailor your sales pitch to your audience.?

“I think the goal should be to connect with people,” Dupree said. “What we should be doing is seeking to serve, learning, and providing impact.

“If I can have a really good conversation with Jane Smith, then it doesn't matter if I set an appointment because if I can call her in a few weeks and she says, ‘Oh, what's up Dale.’ Then there's something there that provides much more value than someone just buying something from me, because that turns into referral sources.

“That turns into a relationship that looks more like a business friendship. And it creates more value in general, because if I align with somebody, I can create that moment of value with somebody that carries much further than just the moment. It carries into the legacy.”

Dupree recommended using Facebook bios, LinkedIn, or personal/company websites to find out more about your audience.

“You can learn about morals, principles, values, identity, vision ,” Dupree said. “There's a lot of things in two minutes that you can easily learn by reading a lot — a blog post or finding the CEO and seeing what content he or she posts on [social media] platforms.”

The research process makes it easier to create authenticity and familiarity in sales pitches, Dupree said, which helps build trust.

Don’t Be Afraid to Be Unique and Be Patient

When you get ready to pitch, remember that great pitching doesn’t always happen overnight, and patience is key. While you are perfecting your craft, try to keep your confidence up.?

“It takes time,” Williams said. “And when you own it, instead of just reading it off [your presentation], it changes things.”

Do not be afraid to shake things up, be different, and use what is unique about you as an asset in your presentation, Dupree and Williams both emphasized.?

“Know that there are other audiences that are going to teach you too,” Williams said. “Any great salesperson will tell you, in the beginning, they felt like they were trash and it took time for them to own their sales pitch.”?

Sales pitching takes work and time to perfect. Find out what makes your brand/business unique and compelling, identify and research your audience, and do not be afraid to step away from stereotypical pitching conventions.?

Finally, always kick off your pitch with confidence and in a unique way. Different can mean dollar signs.?

Top Takeaways

How to craft a winning sales pitch

• Determine your “secret sauce”, the factors that make you and your business stand out. Use that in your pitch.?
• Don’t be afraid to go against the grain and be unique with your presentation.?
• Make sure the story of your business is relatable to your audience.?
• Break down your pitch process into steps to simplify it and ensure you hit all the marks.