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Don’t confuse preparation, research and data with a sales pitch.

I talk regularly with the sales reps I work with, gleaning any pearls of wisdom they find in the field and producing programs, processes or content to support them.  I occasionally go on sales calls, sometimes acting as the sales rep and having the rep act as the sales engineer.  I’ve done this throughout my career and have found that, regardless of what you may be selling, the best pitches grow from a simple set of real, repeatable practices.

• Presence
  Like they say, you never get a second chance to make a first impression.  Many pitches end before they started due to a lack of presence.  Dress well.  Stand up straight.  Put yourself in the role of an expert who is here to solve problems if they exist.  Come in with knowledge of what the prospect’s company does and who they compete against.  Credibility is key.  Be confident, prepared and ready to listen.
• Flexibility
  Whoever you’re meeting with has a real job too.  They may already be overloaded, overwhelmed and overworked.  Regardless of how well-prepared your presentation or collateral is, the prospect likely wants to know just a few simple things.   They want to know why your product will make their life easier. They want to know how much your solution will simplify their insane workload. They want to know how fast and easy you can tell them about the parts they want to know.  They most likely will want to know how much it costs.  That’s it.  Some reps know exactly what they are going to say before they walk in the door.  This type of approach will only appeal to around 25% of your prospects. This does not mean that you will sell to 25% of your prospects, it means that you won’t even stand a chance with 75% of them. The 25% figure comes from the fact that there are 4 major and very different personality types and each one will respond to different criteria.
• Don’t Get Lost In Translation
  The last thing you want is a “game of telephone” to ensue.  Most of you probably played it as a child. You would whisper a short sentence into someone’s ear, and they would then turn and whisper it to the person seated on their other side.  By the time the message had passed through a dozen people it was so different from the original it had everyone giggling hysterically.  Does your pitch make it easy for them to tell their boss?  And their senior executive team?  And their direct reports?  Do they see the cost in the context of all this ease?

Develop an executive summary of the meeting you had and send it as a follow-up.  Include the current state, the pain points and the change they’re driving, history, and research stats. Include a link to special articles and background information. Show how prepared you are.  

Make your pitch all about ease. Easy to understand. Easy to see how it makes life easy. Easy to tell others.

When you make your client’s life easy, they will make your life easy. That’s the secret of a great sales pitch.

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