7 Sales Pitch Techniques With Examples

Forming a winning sales pitch can be challenging. You have to find the perfect balance to avoid being too informal, too formal, too pushy, too rehearsed or too relaxed. In this article, we explain seven techniques for crafting the perfect sales pitch with examples for each scenario.

Why are sales pitches important?

A sales representative often only has one opportunity to make a positive impression on a prospective client. A sales pitch is the perfect opportunity to grab their attention, deliver the details of your offering and provide a clear way for them to either purchase the product/service or learn more. It’s imperative that you have at least an outline of your talking points before meeting with potential customers.

A sales pitch is often referred to as an elevator pitch because it should only take as long as an elevator ride to deliver it. You only have one to two minutes to catch someone’s attention before they move on. Aside from attention spans, clients are busy and you should want them to feel like you’re being respectful of their time. Think of the sales pitch as a sort of verbal business card. It’s your opening line and provides all the essential information that they need to know in a concise, to-the-point format.

7 sales pitch techniques with examples

Here are techniques you can use to deliver an effective sales pitch:

1. Make a cold call.

2. Send an email.

3. Tell a story.

4. Grab their attention.

5. Leave a voicemail.

6. Start with a question.

7. Follow-up after a previous conversation.

1. Make a cold call

Though cold calling is one of the more popular approaches for reaching new customers, it can be difficult to master. You need to quickly grab the person’s attention, pique their interest and attempt to build their trust. That usually entails a fair amount of research about their organization beforehand.

Here is an example of a sales pitch made over the phone. Notice that the sales representative first makes sure that the person on the other end of the line is in the right frame of mind to talk. Then the salesperson explains how they came across their company. Lastly, the sales representative offers an opportunity to discuss the product in the future, allowing both parties to better prepare for the conversation.

Salesperson: Hello, Samuel. My name is Charles from Parsons Marketing. How are you today?

Prospect: Good. What can I do for you, Charles?

Salesperson: I’ve noticed a few ads promoting your new product line, and I feel that you could really improve their effectiveness with a few small tweaks.

Prospect: What does your company do?

Salesperson: We collaborate with eCommerce companies like yours to develop and manage their ad campaigns. In fact, within the first month, we increased the sales of our client GreenWorld by 30%.

Prospect: [thinking]

Salesperson: Do you have 10-15 minutes next week where we could schedule a brief call? I’d love to learn more about your marketing needs and share some of the strategies that have proven effective for us.

2. Send an email

Cold emails are very similar to cold calls, with the only difference being the mode of communication. However, emails do offer a unique challenge of needing to stand out among an inbox of messages. When sending a sales pitch via email, be sure that the message is short and digestible. In addition to being concise, the sales representative in the example below opens with a compliment about the brand, which is a great way to grab a client’s attention.

Subject: Marketing Strategies

Hello,

I’m a huge fan of Markedup Beauty Solutions, and have been a loyal customer for nearly five years.

My name is Ellen, and I’m a digital marketing expert with 5 years of experience creating strategies that reduce costs while maximizing conversion rates for businesses like yours. I noticed that Markedup is advertising a new collection, and I have just a few suggestions for increasing the effectiveness of the ads.

Would you be interested in discussing your marketing strategies or connecting me with someone who would be able to?

I look forward to hearing from you.

Best,
Ellen
Sales | BeamMeUp Solutions

3. Tell a story

Offering real-world examples of how your product or service has benefited others is a great way to pique the customer’s interest. Here is an example of a story that offers an anecdote that is grounded in data:

I was recently speaking with a business owner about the cost-effectiveness of our solution. They were interested, but still had concerns about the transition and training period that would be required when switching their team to new software. After I showed him the user-friendly interface and the simplicity of the design, they happily made the switch. Their company was able to cut costs by 25% in the first month alone, and their productivity experienced a 30% increase!

4. Grab their attention

If you find yourself in a conversation where someone asks what you do, you can effectively grab their attention and communicate the basics without going into every detail. A great way to do this is by responding to their question with something short, quirky and maybe even a little confusing. This will likely prompt them to ask you for more information, allowing you to clarify, explain and provide examples. Here’s an example of a short but effective exchange:

Prospect: What do you do?

Salesperson: I give businesses mouth-to-mouth.

Prospect: [laughs] How’s that?

Salesperson: I work for a digital marketing agency that helps online businesses craft and implement strategies that reduce advertising costs while still attracting new customers.

5. Leave a voicemail

Leaving voicemails is often the result of cold call attempts. Perhaps you’re calling at an inopportune moment or they are ignoring an unfamiliar number. Regardless, it is an opportunity for you to leave a sales pitch that will ensure a callback. In this example, the sales representative opens with a quick introduction, provides concrete details and then gives the prospect two modes of communication to use when replying, allowing shy clients a chance to learn about a product or service in a way that is more comfortable for them.

Hello, this is Amy Kate with Acme Company.

I noticed that your business doesn’t have customer relationship management software. We’ve been able to help Motorized Inc., Bold Solutions and MPE Enterprises manage sales, improve productivity and find new markets, increasing their income by an average of 20% in the first month alone.

I would love to link up to discuss your needs. Give me a call back at (800) 784-2354 whenever you have a chance. Or, if you would prefer, you can also reply to the email that I will be following up with shortly.

I look forward to hearing from you. Have a great day.

6. Start with a question

Rather than focusing the sales pitch all about you and your product, it’s important to begin a dialogue. Beginning the pitch by posing a question is a great way to initiate a conversation with the customer, allowing them to divulge some challenges that they are facing. In turn, this provides you with an opportunity to offer solutions. Here is an example of a question that could be used as an opener:

Have you ever paid thousands for advertising only to feel unsure about its effectiveness?

7. Follow-up after a previous conversation

Following up with prospective clients is a necessity in sales. Persistence could be the key to standing out among your competition. When following up with a prospect, make sure to begin the interaction by mentioning where and how you met previously as well as what you discussed. This will open up the conversation and remind them of your previous interaction.

Hello Joe,

I enjoyed meeting you at the convention this past weekend and discussing some challenges that you’re facing in your industry.

During our conversation, you mentioned having trouble gaining traction in your new market. I took some time to research your competitors, and I have a few strategies in mind that I think would be beneficial. I’d love to talk to you more about your company’s needs and help you overcome this hurdle.

Would you be free for a quick phone conversation around noon sometime this week?

Best,
Robert
Sales & Marketing | Dunn & Dunn, Inc.

I hope you find this article helpful.