Sales pitch: examples and 5 steps to build it

Sales pitch: definition

What is the sales pitch

Presenting a good sales pitch is at the heart of being a salesperson. This is the moment in the sales interview when the salesperson will use their selling points to lead to commercial proposal and at the conclusion of the sale.

The right argument is one that comes at the right time, that is adapted to the needs of the prospect and that allows the potential customer to express themselves on the resolution of their problem easily.

The main difficulty in reality is to understand what are the right arguments to use and why one argument will work on one prospect and not on the other. To do this, you need to understand the place of the sales pitch in a sales process.

The sales pitch in a sales process

All sales processes go through three main steps:

• The qualification : Understand the needs of the prospect and who they are
• The value proposition : This is the phase where we meet the needs of the future customer, the sales pitch is part of this phase.
• The closing : It is the conclusion of the sale, the one that transforms a commercial process into turnover.

We mistakenly believe that this is the most important phase of the sale, the one that makes the difference between the good commercial and the bad commercial.

That is not true at all.

The sales pitch is the step that makes it possible to link the discovery phase To the Closing phase.

That is all.

‍ The sales pitch is just one step in a sales process

There is no good commercial speech for someone who has not asked enough questions (open questions if possible) and has shown enoughActive listening during commercial maintenance.

Good news, this step is very easy when you follow the right method!

How to design an effective sales pitch in 5 steps

Step 1: Qualify your prospect's problem

In three words: Ask questions. To build a good sales pitch, you need to understand what your prospect needs but also and above all what are the problems they are looking to solve. To fully understand the difference between need and problem, I have the perfect quote:

People don't need a quarter-inch drill bit. They want a quarter inch hole

Theodore Levitt

Why does that change everything? Because by digging we will realize that what the prospect is looking for is to put his kitchen (potential turnover 2,000€) not simply a drill for his drill (potential turnover 5€).

Step 2: Understand the prospect's decision process and profile

Once you have fully understood what your future customer really needs, you need to understand how they will choose the product or service they want to buy, but also what they are sensitive to. This happens as soon as contact is made and methods such as SONCAS method or Q2C selling conversations can help you.

This step is particularly important because it will allow you to choose the right sales arguments to convince this specific prospect.

Step 3: Submit the right arguments

The long-awaited phase of the sales speech is now when you present your sales arguments to your prospect. But be careful, you don't have to do it just any way!

First of all, keep in mind that among the dozens of potential arguments around your solution, you will only choose 2 or 3. The most important, the most powerful for your prospect! They are simply those who resonate with his decision-making process and psychological profile.

There is NO point in being comprehensive.

Also, leave some breathing room between each argument to give your prospect the opportunity to voice any objections.

Step 4: Dealing with objections

An objection cannot be “opposed”; the worst you can do is try a quick counter-argument.

The objections are positive, not negative.

They reflect the fact that your prospect is involved in the decision-making process and is trying to project themselves with your solution. The best method for dealing with an objection is the CRAC method.

The idea is to fully understand where the objection comes from, validate that you have understood it, then comes the complementary argumentation and finally the check with the prospect that the objection has been raised. We have written a dedicated guide hither

Step 5: Validate that the sales pitch has been understood

What's true for objections is also true for your arguments in general: you need to check that your message got through.

A good technique is to focus the discussion on “the future made possible.” This technique comes from Q2C selling and allows us to discuss with the prospect what he will be able to do with the proposed solution.

You will very quickly see which arguments worked and which were integrated by your future customer.

Sales pitch: the 3 mistakes you should definitely not make

Arguing too quickly

The worst mistake a salesperson can make is to fall into arguments too quickly. That is to say, start presenting the advantages of your solution without having taken the time to finding and without your prospect waiting for them.

Nothing is more counterproductive than trying to convince someone who has not yet fully identified their problem or who you are. It also highlights the importance of commercial prospecting controlled beforehand.

Have a typical sales pitch

So that's an enigma. Moreover, it is often not the fault of the salesperson but the sales management who loves PowerPoint with a perfect, limited, scripted argument and imposed on all salespeople at all times.

Do not hire salespeople who have 3 to 5 years of study and as much experience if you want to impose that on them. A chatbot on your website will do the trick very well and will cost less in psychoanalysis.

The job of a salesperson is to fully understand the customer and their problem in order to precisely choose the relevant sales arguments and present them in the most impactful way possible. If you are naive enough to believe that everyone is the same and thinks the same, you are making a big mistake.

Stop at the presentation of the arguments

You have made the commercial speech of your life, impacting, fluid, effective...

You are the best of the best, a rising sales star.

Or not.

In theory everything always goes very well, until in practice your prospect has understood absolutely nothing about your great argument and leaves the competition.

Use the conversation about the future made possible by Q2C selling, this will allow you both to verify that the argument has passed but also to help the prospect to reappropriate it in order to better talk about it around them.

3 examples of effective sales pitches

You have seen that good arguments are simply a question of timing and method. It is the most important thing. Then, there are some simple sales techniques that can help you structure your pitch to make it more convincing. We therefore give you 3 examples of arguments based on a sales technique effective.

Example of arguments with the CAP method (or its evolution CAB)

These methods are very simple and effective enough to present technical arguments for a product, for example. There are three dimensions to each argument:

• specifications : Describes the technical characteristic, the attribute of the product that you want to highlight.
• Benefits : We describe what this characteristic brings as an advantage to use.
• Proof/Benefits : We prove the advantage/we emphasize the impact of the advantage.

Example with a marketing automation tool that would send emails automatically at the best hours for each of your contacts: ‍

Characteristic : “Our marketing automation tool automatically sends your campaigns at the most suitable time for your contacts”

Advantage : “This allows you to spend less time programming campaigns and your emails will be more likely to be read by your customers”

Proof : The average opening rate of our email campaigns is nearly 80% compared to 35% for competing solutions.

Example of an argument with Stories

The Storytelling is the most impactful and powerful form of communication ever used by humans. It is as old as the world and some stories have the gift of staying etched in our memory instantly and for decades.

The ultimate thing is that to sell you pretend that it doesn't exist. So you can either choose to use them or wake up and get hold of them.

To build a good story, Q2C selling offers a very effective story creation channel:

Succeed in your sales pitch with the story creation canvas

An example of an iconic story: The story about the future made possible

It is a story diagram applicable to all products or services and allows for an effective argument because it projects the prospect with your solution.

• The objective of the story : increase the added value of its solution by going beyond solving the prospect's initial problem.
• When to use : during the value proposition, it is the logical next step in presenting the solution.
• The initial situation : your prospect is the hero of this story, he became a customer and implemented the solution you just presented to him.
• The final situation : your customer who was able to solve many more problems than expected and who even seized new opportunities that are now inaccessible.
• The moment of truth : the moment when its main problem is solved.
• The complications : the secondary problems that he will now have to face, but which are in fact treated thanks to your solution.
• The resolution : how did the implementation of what you offer finally allow for much more things than your prospect thought?

There are lots of other stories to create for your needs, the power of a story comes from the fact that it plays on the emotions, the projection and the imagination of your prospect.

Example of arguments with SIMAC

Much more academic and widely used, this method makes it possible to structure the value proposition phase and therefore your arguments:

• S for Situation : Understand the context, needs and challenges of the prospect.
• I for Idea : Present an idea to the prospect that would solve his problem.
• M for Mechanism : Explain how to concretely implement the proposed idea using a detailed action plan.
• A for advantage : Describe the benefits of deploying this solution in the context of your prospect.
• C is for Conclusion : Obtain feedback from the prospect and validate its relevance.

It is useful in contexts where the sale is short and can be done in a single appointment because it integrates the concept of qualification (the Situation). It can be combined with the two previous ones for the most skilled among you;]

Present your pitch at the right point in the sales process

Now that you know how to structure an effective sales pitch, it's critical to understand when and how to present it in the overall sales process.

‍ The ideal time frame to present your arguments

The presentation of your arguments comes at the perfect time: after a thorough qualification phase and just before closing. It is the turning point that will transform an interested prospect into a convinced customer.

Here's how to incorporate your pitch into the sales process:

1. ‍Full qualification : Make sure you have collected all the necessary information about the needs, the decision-making process and the profile of your prospect
2. ‍Natural transition : Clearly state that you are going to present your solution, recalling the key points identified during the qualification
3. ‍Presentation of the arguments : Follow the 5-step structure detailed above
4. ‍Transition to closing : Once your pitch is presented and understood, naturally guide the conversation towards decision making

Materials to strengthen your arguments ‍

A good pitch can be reinforced by appropriate supports that will help your prospect better visualize and understand your proposal:

• Visual presentations : Use clean slides that highlight the key points of your pitch
• Product demos : Show concretely how your solution solves the problems identified
• Similar customer cases : Share concrete examples of customers who have encountered similar problems
• Encrypted data : Base your arguments on statistics and measurable results

These materials do not replace your arguments; they complement and reinforce them.

It should therefore not be forgotten that the sales pitch is a pivotal step that, well controlled, considerably facilitates closing. By following the 5 steps presented in this article and by avoiding the 3 major mistakes, you now have all the tools to build powerful sales arguments adapted to each prospect.

Remember that the pitch is only one step in the sales process, but an essential step that makes the link between qualification and closing. This is the moment when you demonstrate your understanding of the needs of the prospect and when you present your solution as THE answer to their problems.

Once your pitch is presented and understood, you are ready for the next step: closing, which will turn your prospect into a customer. And last tips for the road, don't forget to regularly follow your commercial performance indicators to measure the effectiveness of your arguments.