Growth

BUILDING THE

WINNING SALES PITCH

Step 1

Build trust

5 steps to put you on the path to sales success

Customers and prospects hate being sold to. Too many sales people jump right into selling, not

realizing the impact trust has on the relationship. Get to know your audience first and earn their

trust by letting them know they’re not just a way to pad your paycheck. Only then should you

delve into the sales process. Here are some places to start.

1. Give me your business’s elevator pitch.

2. What’s the role of your department?

3. What are your team’s long-term goals?

4. How do your team’s goals fit in with the company’s vision?

After this conversation: You should know this person’s business well enough to explain it to someone else. If you

don’t, ask more questions until you do.

Step 2

Identify the problem

Step 3

Connect problem to pain

Dig deeper to determine the team’s biggest challenges. There may be several — which is fine,

of course — but try to rank them by which challenges are most pressing or detrimental. Here are

some questions to help you get the right answers.

1. What challenges prevent you and your team from doing an even better job?

2. How do these challenges impact your work and your team’s work?

3. How do these challenges impact the business as a whole?

4. Why are you now in the market for a new product/provider?

After this conversation: You and the prospect should be on the same page — they have a problem and need a

better solution.

Now it’s time to bring awareness to how their current solution creates pain and prevents growth.

Be sure to stress that the issue is with the solution, not the user. Put together a quick profit/loss

that demonstrates how these challenges impact the business.

1. What problems arise as a result of your challenges?

2. How do these challenges affect your team’s ability to do good work?

3. Do these challenges affect other teams and departments as well?

4. Are these challenges affecting revenue? Efficiency? Morale?

After this conversation: You should be able to tell if the prospect is really feeling the pain from the challenges

described. Dig until you’re satisfied that he or she truly wants to erase it.

Step 4

Introduce your solution

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Step 5

Create a vision

Once you’ve got them thinking strategically about their business problems, they should be

interested in hearing a solution. Explain why having the right solution is vital for growth and

revenue. Put some numbers together into an ROI doc to demonstrate how your solution not

only makes things run smoother, but also impacts the bottom line.

1. Introduce your solution.

2. Describe how your solution works and the benefits achieved.

3. Use data to establish credibility.

4. Add specifics — use their business model, industry, and product.

After this conversation: The prospect could exhibit a whole host of emotions — from skepticism to disinterest to

unbridled enthusiasm. Think about how you’d react to each.

Now that they’ve acknowledged their problem and understand your solution, it’s time to explain

the long-term positive impacts your solution can have on their business. Paint a picture of what

success looks like and add stats, testimonials, case studies, or a demo to support your claims.

1. Address how your solution will solve the customer’s specific pains.

2. Help them see how the benefits can radiate into other areas.

3. Show how your solution will make the business more successful.

4. Don’t forget to address scalability, integration, and add-ons.

After this conversation: You should have a solid idea of how the prospect feels about you and your product; this will

determine the next step in your sales process.