Here's the Pitch: How to Pitch Your Business to Anyone, Get Funded, and Win Clients

CHAPTER9

The Sales Pitch

“You've got to start with the customer experience and work back toward the technology.”

—Steve Jobs

Although most of the advice contained in this book applies equally to sales pitches as it does to investor pitches, there are specific issues that arise when pitching for new business that I'll address in this chapter.

For most entrepreneurs, the success of their business depends on their ability to secure new clients for their product or service.

Time and time again, start-ups with great products or services go out of business because their pitches fail to secure a sufficient number of customers to survive and grow. This chapter will show you how to develop contract-winning pitches and avoid deal-killing sales pitch mistakes.

It's About Them, Not You

One of the most frequently made mistakes during a sales pitch is when presenters focus on their companies rather than on the audience's problem and their solution. Companies will buy and hire your solutions to their problems, not your products and services.

The first minute of your pitch is critical. If your audience believes you understand their pain and can provide them with a solution, then you're more likely to gain and keep their attention than if you start by talking about yourself. So always begin by ...