Fall in Love With Prospecting: 5 Tips to Make Filling the Pipeline Suck Less [Webinar Recording]
Fall in Love With Prospecting:
5 Tips to Make Filling the Pipeline Suck Less
[Video Recording]
Sales Pitch (SWIIFT℠)
3 Quick and Easy Tips to Craft a Powerful Sales Pitch
IMPORTANT: Your Value Prop (aka Sales Pitch) and your Intro are very different things. If you’re using them together, take a stroll over to my post about the SWIIFT℠ Intro. You’re welcome. 😉
Now, let’s talk about value propositions. Also called your elevator speech (when’s the last time you pitched in an elevator, am I right?), a hook, or a SWIIFT℠ Pitch (if you’re a friend of Factor 8).
It’s the answer to, “Who are you with again?” or “What do you do?”
Most of us grabbed this from our marketing departments. This guarantees our response is about 10 seconds too long and contains at least three five-dollar words.
I’m not sure exactly where this works, but it sure as hell isn’t virtual sales. I mean, even on websites, how often are you half a page in and saying, “Um, WHAT?!”
If you drive a truck, you’re not the ‘Head of Mobile Logistics’. Just say you drive a freaking truck! How totally refreshing, right!?
Here are a few general rules for a great sales pitch:
- Make it focused on what you do for other people (So What’s In It For Them? = SWIIFT℠). Because, ”I help people sell their goods online” sounds SO much better than, “I sell services so that I can make more commission.”
TIP: Try starting with, “We help people” or “We help companies”
- If your Grandma wouldn’t understand it, simplify it. Acronyms, jargon, and five-dollar marketing words need to be ditched. Remember, you’re trying to get people to talk to you, not to smile, nod, and vacate. This isn’t about you feeling important, it’s about them feeling comfortable, get it?
- If you wouldn’t say it after three drinks at your High School reunion, revise it. Again, if your marketing department wrote your sales pitch, you’re in danger here. Imagine bumping into your old locker mate and them asking, “What are you up to these days?” Sure, you want to feel successful, but they aren’t a potential customer. Just be real, okay?
Finally, pitch until they ask. If your value prop feels like your last name in your delivery, it’s like forcing your business card into strangers’ hands on the subway. The best time to deliver the pitch is when someone says, “Wait, I’m sorry, who is this again?” NOW they’re listening! Lay it on them and then ask a question!
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Fix Your Sales Pitch! 5 Easy Ways to Get More Leads [Webinar Recording]
Fix Your Sales Pitch! 5 Easy Ways to Get More Leads
[Video Recording]
5 Tips For Mastering Your SWIIFT℠ Pitch
After reading the title, you may find yourself wondering “what even is a SWIIFT℠ pitch?” A SWIIFT℠ pitch is a modern-day phone sales version of an “elevator pitch.” This pitch allows potential customers to visualize what it would be like to work with you.
SWIIFT℠ stands for: So What’s In It For Them?
So what’s it in for them? This is what you have to prove to the customer. A SWIIFT℠ pitch can happen anywhere at any time. However, it needs to answer these two questions:
- Who are you with?
- What do you do?
When answering these two questions in your SWIIFT℠ pitch, you need to explain who you are and the value of what you do. This is the best way to grab their attention and get them to start listening.
Here’s how to master your SWIIFT pitch every time:
1. Keep it Short & Simple
A SWIIFT℠ pitch is a clear, brief message or promotion about your brand or organization. So remember to keep it concise and to get your point across efficiently.
An effective SWIIFT℠ pitch should only last between 10-15 seconds — after that, you’ll lose their attention. Remember this when you’re coming up with what to say. The easier to understand, the better!
2. Don’t Use Marketing Terms or Jargon
Using big marketing terms or jargon right off the bat is just confusing. It also causes customers to immediately put their defenses up because they know they are being given a sales pitch.
Use words that you know your potential customer will be familiar with and want to engage with.
3. Have 1-2 Memorized
Once you’ve come up with what to say during your SWIIFT℠ pitch, have 1-2 memorized and ready at all times! A SWIIFT℠ pitch can happen anywhere, so it’s important to always be prepared.
It’s also helpful to ask people in the office to share their SWIIFT℠ pitches and you can share yours back. This will allow you to practice as if you were giving the real thing, and you can receive helpful feedback.
4. Remember To Sound Natural
Don’t sound rehearsed! Your potential customer doesn’t want to hear a pitch that sounds like you’re reading a script word-for-word. Go with the flow, and just have a regular conversation! If you mess up a few words, that’s totally fine.
As long as you are getting your point across (by answering the two questions) and reiterating the value to them — that’s all that matters.
5. Your Pitch Should Evolve Over Time
Once you feel you’ve mastered and memorized your SWIIFT℠ pitch, use it during a real customer conversation. This will allow you to test it out and see if it works or not.
But, don’t forget — your pitch should continue to evolve and change over time. You can’t keep the same SWIIFT℠ pitch for years, you’ll need to adjust it as necessary as you make more sales calls.
This is an important step in committing to ongoing self-improvement. You’ll want to continue to improve and revise your SWIIFT℠ pitch over time to maximize its results.
But, How Do You Know Your SWIIFT Pitch Is Working?!
If your SWIIFT℠ pitch is working, customers will likely stop what they’re doing and:
- Lean in and listen closely
- Want to know more
- Ask questions
If they brush off what you’re saying or have objections, you may want to reevaluate and adjust your pitch. Pay close attention to their reaction because it will likely tell you what’s working and what isn’t.
Want to learn more about mastering your SWIIFT℠ pitch? Download our free team training tool SWIIFTSM IN A BOX which gives step-by-step instructions on how to implement SWIIFTSM!
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The Single Best Sales Coaching Questions Ever (& Nerdy Science Stuff to Prove It!) [Webinar Recording]
The Single Best Sales Coaching Questions Ever (& Nerdy Science Stuff to Prove It!)
[Video Recording]
Top 3 Sales Prospecting Mistakes (and Quick Fixes)
If you aren’t getting any response to your sales prospecting outreach, you might be guilty of making these common mistakes.
Mistake #1: Pitching in your sales outreach
It’s tempting to explain why you’re sending a prospect an email, direct message, or leaving a voicemail, but don’t! This lets your prospect scan, decide “no”, then put you on auto-ignore. It also automatically makes your message too long and your tone too salesy.
The purpose of the outreach message is to gain attention and engage – to get the opportunity to pitch, not to pitch itself. That means your goal is to make them smile, notice who you are, type a quick reply – NOT take themselves all the way down your sales funnel and be ready to purchase (it takes time, folks).
Try sending 3-4 lines of a personal connection and a short closed-question (NOT related to your quota) instead.
READ: Sales Outreach: How to Incorporate Emails and Phone Calls Into Your Sequences
Mistake #2: Value propping in the message
Of course you want to explain who you are, what you do, and why they care, but if you’re trying, you’ve already typed too much! Like above, the outreach is to engage, and using a marketing-approved value prop probably sounds a little pitchy.
One sure way to get more attention instead is to make the message about THEM, not about you. Try some flattery or ask a short question instead.
Nope, don’t try to shortcut this with some social proof or other customer names, that’s cheating! Message one should NOT be about selling them, it’s about engaging them instead. You got it!
READ: 4 Time-Saving Sales Prospecting Strategies
Mistake #3: Assuming my business
A few years ago I won an award for being a top coach in sales. Since then I’ve received over 1000 sales pitches promising to help me improve my coaching business. I have a training business that uses coaching to get results, not a coaching business.
Don’t make the same mistake by using phrases like, “I work with businesses like yours,” or “I help ____ like you.” You may be right, you may be wrong, but it irks me to think a stranger thinks they know what I need more than I do.
To correct this, you could try showing your understanding and making a hypothesis instead. Turn, “I help training companies fix their SEO problems” into, “You train B2B sales right? Would I be anywhere close by guessing you get inbound leads?”
This message showed a bit more humility and didn’t automatically assume my business NOR make me wrong. Nobody wants to feel like an idiot – especially not by a young seller.
Remember, the goal of initial outreach isn’t to close a sale right off the bat but to spark a connection and get the prospect talking. By focusing on creating a genuine rapport, asking questions that matter, and demonstrating an honest curiosity about their needs, you set the stage for a dialogue that can lead to more than just a transaction—it can lead to a partnership. So, let’s ditch the pitch, tune into the specifics of our prospects, and start our conversations on a note of authentic interest. After all, in the realm of sales, a thoughtful approach is not just appreciated, it’s rewarded.
Outbound prospecting is tough. Want to get a leg up? Take our online course, SWIIFT℠ Introductions That Work, to learn how our SWIIFT℠ methodology will help reframe your messaging to capture a prospect’s attention immediately and get them talking to you.
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Why You Need To Stop Pitching & Lead With Value Instead [Webinar Recording]
Why You Need To Stop Pitching & Lead With Value Instead
[Video Recording]
How to Show Value FASTER with SWIIFT℠ [Webinar Recording]
How to Show Value FASTER with SWIIFT℠
[“Sales Shot” Workshop]
Power Prospecting: Spend Less Time, Get Better Results [“Sales Shot” Workshop]
Power Prospecting: Spend Less Time, Get Better Results
[“Sales Shot” Workshop]