Having a great product or service to offer people is not enough to make money. To do that, you have to learn how to pitch your business to potential clients in a way that makes them want to buy what you are selling.
There are several vital elements to this, and what you need to do will vary depending on how much time you have with each prospect. However, you should apply these principles no matter what situation you are pitching in:
Know Your Business Inside Out
If you do not have an intimate knowledge of what your products and services do and what benefits they can provide for consumers, you will lose many potential customers early on in the sales process.
Ultimately, people buy from sellers who instil confidence in them. If you sound like you know what you are talking about, prospects will see you as an authority in your field. Consequently, they will trust that what you say is accurate.
Even if you think you already know your business well, it is always worth increasing your knowledge because the more you know, and the more you talk about it, the more natural you will sound when you pitch to potential clients.
Ensure Your Message Is Clear
If you hesitate and stumble over your words when trying to explain to somebody what your business does, you will lose some or all of their interest. And if you fail to describe your business clearly, potential clients will struggle to remember what you do.
This is why clarity is critical. When I decided to start my weekly show about using public speaking to make sales, I knew I needed a title that concisely described the show’s aim. I did not try to be too clever with it, and soon settled on ‘How To Speak To Sell To Grow Your Business’. It may not be as creative as I would like it to be, but it makes it crystal clear what the show is about, which is the most important thing.
Convey Your Passion
Think for a minute about The Rolling Stones. Incredibly, they have been making music for over 50 years. Despite this, they still go out and perform some of their oldest songs with much of the same swagger they used to bring to the stage in their glory days.
It takes real passion to do that. You really have to love what you do and believe in it wholeheartedly. If you can do that, you will never get tired of giving the same sales pitch over and over for many years. It will become your hit song – the one you keep singing again and again because it makes you lots of money.
Give Customers What They Need
Any successful business needs to do particular things to survive and thrive in a very competitive world. These things will vary massively from industry to industry, but the goals will be similar.
As a salesperson, it is your job to identify how you can help each potential customer achieve their goals so they can survive initially and then thrive in the future.
For example, if a company is paying too much money for the aluminium it needs for its building projects and your company offers them a better deal, you have helped that business survive.
If that company starts to grow and complete more projects and you then offer them an even better deal than before for the aluminium, you will be helping that business thrive.
Make It Easy To Buy
If you pitch a great product to somebody that will provide them with exactly what they need, the chances are they will want to buy it from you.
However, if you do not clarify how they can do it, they may leave the interaction without committing to purchase. This opens up the possibility of finding another company that offers a similar product and then buying from them because they made the process simpler.
This scenario highlights the importance of including a call to action in your content, whether it is a sales pitch, an article, a speech, or a social media post. If you tell your audience how to take the next step, they are far more likely to actually take it.
Become A Good Closer
At the end of a sales conversation, you need to ask your potential client whether they would like to go forward with their purchase. If they say yes, you can simply send them instructions on how to pay immediately afterwards.
However, if they say no or seem unsure (despite their interest), that does not mean you have lost your chance to make the sale. This is the time to ask follow-up questions like these that can turn that maybe into a firm yes:
- Can I ask you what makes you say that?
- What would it take for you and me to do business today?
- Let’s be super honest and transparent. What part of what I’ve presented to you don’t you like? Is it the price, the product, me?
- Remind me again, what would solving this challenge/problem mean to you and your business?
The first three questions aim to find out what is missing from your offer and what is holding the prospect back from making the purchase right now.
The intention of the fourth question is slightly different, as it encourages your potential client to think again about why they want the product or service and how it will benefit their business. This is an excellent approach to closing because it reminds the prospect why they are having the conversation in the first place and increases your chances of getting the result you desire: a sale.
To keep the conversation going at this stage takes lots of confidence, but it is a great skill to learn and master, so stick with it, and you will soon improve.
If you are keen to improve your selling skills, download my step-by-step guide to giving a winning sales pitch.
