Marketing Matters: The Sales Pitch – The Deal Maker or Breaker

In marketing and advertising the crucial element that either makes or breaks a deal is the sales pitch. This can take the form of a presentation in a board room, a face-to-face conversation, email newsletter, online advertising, or a commercial on television. The presenter must lay out the benefits of the product and or service that the company or the individual is providing, along with the cost and comparison to the competitors. Most products don’t sell themselves unless they’re an absolute must have for every household, but even then, the sales pitch is what introduced the customer to that product which in turn creates sales.

Needing a new shade after years of being weathered and worn down, a local shade repairer and installer had to be called. He explained the differences between the shades that were available, their benefits, the costs, and which one would serve a better purpose. The shade that was chosen blocks sunlight to reduce glare, keeps the warmth in during the winter due to it’s depth and the material it’s made from, and keeps the cool air in during the summer. By reiterating the benefits of the shade it made his sales pitch stronger, and the price that came along with it closed the deal.

As an experienced professional in his field he knew exactly what worked and sold it to his customer. That is successful marketing, and while the decision to go with the heavier shade was already agreed upon before he arrived, his sales pitch would be effective for someone who wasn’t sure what they wanted and needed the differences and benefits laid out on a table for them to see.

For this business owner, face-to-face conversations and presentations is the only form of sales pitching he does. There’s no Facebook or Twitter account, and no website. However, because shade repair and replacement is still in demand, he’s fortunate that his lack of social media presence isn’t hurting his sales, but they could definitely increase dramatically and help grow his business.

All business owners must pitch their products or services where potential customers can see them. I use this business owner as an example because of his strong sales pitch in a verbal conversation, but he hasn’t taken that next step and marketed to a broader audience that could increase clientele and income.

As I’ve said before, contractors or anyone who has a  product or service that can be presented in pictures, should get on Instagram and start posting right away. For example, what my living room looked like with the old, worn out shade and now with the new, more durable shade that keeps the sun glare out. Facebook and Twitter can also have a positive affect. Even for a small company that provides a service that gets forgotten about, many people would switch to a shade that keeps the warmth in during the winter, and cool air in during the summer for one reason; to save energy.

The same goes for all the other small businesses out there. Just because you offer a service or product that only reaches a limited amount of people at one time, don’t confine your business to this number and get on social media if you aren’t already. In this day and age, clientele can grow at a much faster rate than in previous decades, and that can be credited to websites, blogs, and social media. If you’re a small business owner who only makes sales pitches in face-to-face conversations, I suggest to set some time aside and broaden your business’ horizons. There are probably many potential customers out there, and they’re waiting for you to approach them.

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