5 Keys to a Great Sales Pitch

Building a great sales pitch is both an art and a science. Sales and marketing professionals work very hard to get to the right person with the right message and have them agree to take time out of their increasingly busy day to hear what they have to say.

With all of that effort and such a small window of opportunity, delivering a great sales pitch is essential.

So many times, sales calls are bad experiences for both the sales professional and the prospect. Proper qualification long before getting to a person-to-person discussion goes a long way to avoid mismatched expectations or the dreaded “not the right person” realization. Using poor communication tools or slide-sharing systems only exacerbates the problem and takes precious time out of the agreed-upon amount for the meeting. Salespeople must not just focus on having meetings and delivering sales pitches to show they are doing their jobs, but be laser-focused on the quality of the interactions and the results produced.

Great sales professionals constantly work to polish and perfect their craft to make the most of every conversation.

The following five keys to a great sales pitch provide the foundation for that process and will help improve the time you spent selling and the results from those efforts.

1. 1. Prepare with Company and Prospect Profiles: So much information is available and curated for use that not being prepared is inexcusable.

1. 1. Address the Need and Desired Outcome: Stop talking about what you do and focus on the problem or outcome the prospect seeks. Set them up for success, not just you.

1. 1. Align with the Buyer Journey: Things have changed, buyers collect information long before talking to you, and orchestrating your sales efforts with their journey will help you stand apart and close more deals.

1. 1. Demonstrate Knowledge and Ask Informed Questions: Since you are so well prepared, you are in a position to ask meaningful questions that highlight your knowledge and understanding of the problem. Don’t slack off on this one.

1. Earn the Next Step: Each meeting should be about the next step. What is the desired end state at the conclusion of each meeting? Know it, live it, judge yourself by it.

Building and delivering a great sales pitch is not as elusive as it may seem. Apply some discipline, understand how the prospect buys, and deliver the pitch in a format that appeals to them, and you are well on your way. Remember to properly prepare using all the information available, focus on the customer’s need versus what is being sold, map engagement to the buyer’s journey, and always earn the next step.

Learn more about how to craft the perfect sales pitch with examples, templates, and best practices.

By Jeff Day

Jeff is the VP of Marketing at Highspot and an 18-year veteran of sales enablement activities through roles in both marketing and sales. Jeff’s current mission is to elevate the role of sales enablement to a critical business function charged with driving radical improvement in sales effectiveness.