Product Pitches that win

Keep it focused

When you are in front of a decision-maker, you have a very narrow window of time to convince them of a decision - here are some tips to win the pitch

• Know your audience

  • The pitch has to win over the person who decides if budget will be spent on your product - you may need to pitch a few times before you get to the decision-maker on the funding so adjust the pitch to have them endorse / refer your pitch to the decision-maker or so the decision-maker can make a decision

  • If not decision maker, how many steps to pitch to decision-maker

  • If the decision maker – what is the driver in their decision-making process (e.g. price, simplicity of implementation, experience) - the best relationships is when your product directly solves their need to make the decision

• Start with a hook

  • Grab their attention - based on the audience, find a 'hook' to capture their attention e.g. if they like travelling, relate it to travel; if CFO is in the room, use a financial hook; if they are scaling, use examples of other scaling organizations

  • The key - be bold, thought-provoking or a surprising statistic

• Clearly define the problem

  • Clearly articulate the problem your product addresses

  • Create a sense of urgency - if there is no case for change, the decision to use your product will not be prioritized

• Introduce your product

  • Present your product as the solution to the identified problem

  • Show how it fits the user's current experience - remember humans are creates of habits, if you're recommending we will change our behaviours, show the incentive of change

  • Be concise and focus on the features that sets your product apart

• Highlight key benefits

  • Clearly communicate the benefits of your product that solves their problem

• Use compelling language

  • Choose words that evoke emotion and create a sense of excitement

  • Find powerful objectives and verbs to describe your product and its benefits

• Provide social proof

  • Include testimonials, case studies or success stories to build credibility and demonstrate that others have benefits from your product

  • Be truthful

• Address objections and truly listen to the feedback

  • Anticipate potential objections our audience might have and address them proactively

  • Take time and listen to the feedback and ensure your response has heard their feedback and is not an emotional reaction

  • Goal is to show that you understand your customers' concerns and have solutions in place to address

• Call to Action (CTA)

  • Clearly state what you want your audience to do next and be specific - time/date

  • e.g. Make a purchase, signing up for a trial, requisting more information

• Practice and Refine

  • Practice your pitch to ensure a smooth delivery

  • Pay attention to your tone, pacing and body language

  • Refine your pitch based on feedback and performance

  • Practice that your pitch ends in rejection as well as acceptance

• Be authentic and show gratitude

  • Thank them for their time at the end of your pitch

• Be patient (and have the right amount of persistency in your follow-up) to coax their decision

  • Wait a couple of days and thank them again - and add a sweetener to help entice the decision (e.g. we have our 'A-Team' here to help you implement if we can sign the deal by end of month')

  • Identify who your competition is and share ways in which you shine that your competitor does not (without mentioning the competitor)

  • Provide them with additional case studies on how you win

Leverage this template to get started

Product Pitch Template Prepared by Sara Ardiel Inc.pdf

Download PDF • 200KB