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Planning the Perfect Sales Pitch

Why it is important?

What do you need?

What are the steps?

Now you may be thinking that you work by yourself, or you only have a few employees in a store, or you are a star salesman in a mega-salesforce, That you don’t need to or it has already been done.  But when is good, good enough? We must always try to improve, always learn, and always be open to new ideas. Being open is the foundation of success.

Don’t get me wrong, don’t change for change’s sake; change only if an improvement is found. The key is to keep looking.

You prepare to go out on a date, you prepare for a birthday party, you prepare to go on a holiday, how much do you prepare for your sales presentation? Really, how well organized is your sales presentation?

Sales are the lifeblood of your company, large or small. You can never be over-prepared for anything. You need to be organized and focused and this is where preplanning shines. Every sales presentation should have an objective that is specific, measurable, and directly beneficial to the customer. Each business has a unique opportunity.

• Sometimes people come into your place of business “just to look”.
• Others have the client come in and that have something specific in mind.
• Some firms are asked for quotes on a project, service, or product.
• In some cases, the sales process can take several, if not many meetings before decisions are made.

Finally, what happens when the sale has been made? Is the process over, I certainly hope not! You need to plan for that too.

Where do we begin:

Know your product(s), inside and out

• What will they do?
• What won’t they do?
• What warranty or guarantee is there?
• Prices, types, terms of sale.
• Come up with all the questions a prospective client would have and have answers for each question.
• Try your products. Remember you are the expert.

It’s not enough to know your products, you need to believe in your products

• Why do you think they are the best? If you don’t think that they are the best, how can you convince someone else they are?
• Test them.
• Know about production methods.
• Understand the serviceability and durability.

Believe in the company that you work for and the manufacturer of the product(s). If you can’t, how can you ask your customer to?

• Talk to the company president, your boss, your fellow employees, your previous customers.
• If it is just you, talk to your customers and listen to what they tell you.
• Study the history and policies of the firm
• Study your competition

Be enthusiastic and positive. Yes, there is the “fake it to you make it law”, but wouldn’t it be better to focus on the facts:

• that you will be able to help someone solve a problem which will make them happy and feel good,
• you are doing something positive in the world today,
• you are taking a step towards achieving one of your financial goals.

What else do you need?

1. A list of open-ended questions that will help you determine who the clients are, what they need, and if they have what you need?
   1. Depending on the context of your sales formula the first thing you do is FORM the client.
      1. Ask about them, their Family, and their needs
      2. Find out what their Occupation or responsibilities are and what they need the product or service for.
      3. Recreation – what do they do for fun? Building a relationship is so very important in business success.
      4. Finally, Motivation why are they looking at this product and your company?
2. Know what your objective is?
   1. Are you trying to get an immediate sale?
   2. Or an appointment for a presentation?
   3. The ability to provide a quote.
3. Make sure you have the tools.
   1. A scripted sales call. You do not need to sound like a clone but it is imperative that you know what you are going to say, in what order, and have the flexibility to make it a conversation and not forget anything important.
   2. An effective website
   3. Powerful sales letter
   4. Brochures
   5. Sales packages
   6. Crisp business cards
4. Flexibility. This comes through experience and practice. Always be honing your performance by role=playing with friends, family, and colleagues. One of the best things I did was join the Toastmasters, a great organization and it taught me a lot.
5. Remember the building relationships before anything will give you your best advantage.
   1. Be real
   2. Be sincere
   3. Be you
   4. Be Helpful