A lot of salespeople start pitching way too early in a sales call. This almost always shuts down your chances of closing a deal.
Want to know how to work your way to the perfect time to pitch? And a foolproof method to find out exactly how to customize your pitch for every prospect?
Follow these 10 steps.
1. Focus on how you say what you say
When crafting a pitch, most people spend a lot of time and energy on the content and the words they use, but not enough time on how they deliver the message. Your body language and your tone of voice need to communicate enthusiasm and confidence.
Practice in front of a mirror, in front of friends, or in front of a camera.
2. Get in the zone
Feel great when you deliver the pitch. Most people feel negative towards selling or pitching an idea because they're anxious about the outcome.
Some people visualize their goals to feel inspired and upbeat. Some people work out. Others eat healthy food or listen to music they love and dance. Do whatever is necessary to put yourself in a great emotional state before you deliver your pitch.
3. Ask to understand
Want to know the real secret to success in sales? Empathy. You need to understand your customers' wants and needs, their challenges and problems, so you can help them in the best possible way.
How to gain this kind of understanding? By asking questions. Ask them about their work, situation, frustrations, and ambitions.
Do this until you know what they care about and understand what they need. Only then should you sell them your solution, and only if it truly is the best solution for them.
4. Present solutions, not features
As a founder or sales rep, you probably love the details of your product or service. But your customers aren't interested in your product. They are only interested in what your product will do for them: How will it solve their problems? How will it help them to achieve their goals faster and with less effort? How will it save them time or money?
Always translate your product's features into benefits. Don't focus on the bells and whistles, but what they can do for customers.
5. Manage objections
Most people fail to prepare for objections. You want to identify the 10-20 most common objections and prepare answers to them. Your answers should be clear and concise. Rehearse your answers until they roll off your tongue.
When you encounter an objection in a sales conversation, you won't need to think about which words to use. Instead, you can focus on expertly answering their questions, allowing you to create trust.
6. Ask for the close
This step is all about confidence. Rehearse your close so you can deliver it smoothly. It should be a natural progression from your conversation, so that asking for the sell is the next logical step. Make your prospects feel as confident about your solution as you are. It's your job to guide your prospect through every stage of the buying process.
7. Negotiate
Once a prospect has made a buying decision internally, they will want to make sure to get the best deal they can. There are two simple rules to negotiating:
- Know your price. Sometimes if it's necessary, you can offer a client better terms or lower your price. But know your numbers in advance and decide at what point you'll just walk away from the deal.
- Be quiet. Use the power of silence to your advantage. Let the other side do the talking. If you keep your mouth shut at the right times, the client will often start to negotiate on your behalf. It's absurd and illogical, but it works.
8. Follow up
Everything we have covered before now is just 20 percent of the sales process. Eighty percent of all deals are made in the follow-up.
Keep following up until you either get a yes or a definite no. But never interpret a lack of response or any other kind of message as a no. Winning in sales happens in the follow-up. Be relentless.
9. Anticipate rejection
In sales, dealing with rejection is a core skill. You need the emotional stability to take a "no" and still go into the next meeting filled with positive energy and enthusiasm.
The number of people who won't buy will always be larger than the number of people who will. You will encounter more no's than yes's. That's the way this game works.
10. Ask for referrals
This is one of the most important steps to creating a truly scalable sales process. So make it part of your pitch. When a prospect has already made a buying decision, ask for a referral.
Put these 10 steps into practice and you will be able to craft and deliver an amazing sales pitch for your product, service or idea.
When you use a CRM that reduces manual data entry, you can spend more time talking to prospects and delivering amazing pitches.
Starting making more pitches and closing more deals with your free 14-day trial of Close.io (no credit card required).
Go get'em!
Steli
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