A sales pitch is the long-form expression of your unique selling proposition (USP) that communicates the value of your offering to a prospect. Salespeople deliver soft sales pitches or shorter elevator pitches to prospects throughout the sales process, such as during a cold email or call. However, at the end of the nurturing phase of the sale, reps often deliver a more formal, final sales pitch via phone, email, or in-person meeting, transitioning the deal into the closing phase.
Sales Pitch Structure & Free Script
There is a specific structure you can follow to craft a formal sales pitch that effectively convinces a prospect to move into the closing phase of the sale. The crucial elements of the sales pitch are a segue from small talk into the pitch, the identification of the problem, an explanation of how a product or service will solve it, the benefits they’ll receive, and a CTA with next steps. It’s okay to rearrange components or add your own if you feel it produces a better pitch for you.
Below are the classic sales script elements and structure:
- Segue Into the Pitch: Make a statement of confidence about your ability to help the prospect and ask them if they agree. Then transition into the pitch by framing it as a recap of the conversations you’ve had and the findings you’ve made.
- Identification of the Problem and Consequences: Use information gathered during the sales process to identify one or two primary problems your prospect needs to solve. Also, name a negative consequence of letting the problem remain unsolved.
- How Your Product or Service Provides a Solution: Briefly elaborate on how your product or service and a specific level or package solves your prospect’s problem.
- Positive Effects of Solving the Problem: Name a few of the biggest benefits that your prospect or their business will get once they purchase the solution.
- Strong CTA With Next Steps: End by laying out clear steps for your prospect to move forward with a purchase and ask them to take these next steps with you.
Typically, sales reps create one sales pitch script template that they can then tailor to fit each individual prospect before delivering it. This helps them sound confident while still allowing for personalization to each buyer’s unique situation. That said, we created a free sales pitch script article and template that you can tailor to each specific prospect you pitch.
If you’re looking for a smaller, more generic pitch that you can deliver to cold leads in under 30 seconds, check out our article about creating an elevator pitch. Most sellers choose to write the sales pitch first, then shorten it into an elevator pitch, but you can also write them separately.
How to Create Your Own Sales Pitch
There is a process you can follow to write a successful sales pitch. First, create your USP and build a sales pitch template. Next, pick which of your prospect’s problems and goals you’re going to focus on addressing in the pitch. Write down the costs of not solving the problem, the benefits of solving it, and an explanation of how your solution fixes the issue. Lastly, write your sales pitch script and then turn it into an elevator pitch.
More specifically, here are the eight steps to create a sales pitch:
- Craft Your USP: Identify what makes you different from the competition, then turn that into a polished unique selling proposition.
- Write Your Sales Pitch Script Template: Create a script template from scratch or find a template and modify it to fit your needs.
- Review the Prospect’s Main Problem and Goal: Look back on the calls and emails you've had with your prospect to fully remember their key pain point and goal.
- Name Some Negative Consequences of Inaction: Figure out how the prospect's business will be affected if they choose not to solve the problem.
- Write How Your Solution Solves the Problem: At a high level, explain how your solution works to eliminate their problem or reach their goal.
- Pick Three Benefits the Prospect Will Receive: Identify the top three ways your prospect will benefit from buying your solution.
- Write the Pitch Components to Create a Personalized Script: Write your segue into the pitch plus the problem, solution, and benefits, and end with a CTA.
- Write Your Elevator Pitch: Turn your fleshed-out sales pitch into a shorter elevator pitch to use on cold calls or at networking events.
Below, we've written a more in-depth explanation of the steps for creating your pitch:
1. Craft Your USP
Your USP describes why your product or service is better than the competition. Having a USP as your starting point makes writing the full sales pitch easier. We wrote a guide on how to create your USP. Check it out for the steps for writing one, including identifying your differentiator, turning it into the best USP, then using that USP in your messaging. Also included are the common value propositions expressed in the most effective USPs and examples from real companies for inspiration.
2. Write Your Sales Pitch Script Template
A sales pitch script is a customizable document that guides you in writing your pitch by telling you what main components you need to hit and what information about your prospect you should include. You can either use a premade script template and modify it to your needs, or you can start from scratch. If you build your own, ensure that you hit the five crucial elements of a sales pitch script (segue, problem, solution, benefits, and CTA).
Below is our free generic sales pitch script template:
3. Review the Prospect’s Main Problem & Goal
Consider the prospect’s main goal and the key problem preventing them from reaching it. Review your notes, especially from the discovery call, and emails with your prospect to refresh yourself on their main issue and goal. Knowing these before you start writing will help you create a script that expresses your business’s value in a way that’s meaningful to this specific prospect.
4. Name Some Negative Consequences of Inaction
Brainstorm ways that the prospect will suffer if they don’t buy your solution. Including this in the script will raise the stakes and give them more reason to purchase quickly. For example, a negative consequence of not fixing an outdated business website might be that visitors hop right off and head to the competition’s sites. Playing to your prospect’s fears and worries increases the likelihood that they’ll have an emotional response to your pitch.
5. Write How Your Solution Solves the Problem
Next, in 1–2 sentences, explain how your product or service works to remove this prospect’s main challenge. Before this formal pitch, you’ve likely already given them a demo or presentation, so keep the mechanics surface level. There’s no need to get overly technical. Just jog your prospect’s memory. Name the 1–2 relevant features or services that directly solve the issue. Including this in the pitch will help them believe that your solution makes sense and will work.
6. Pick Three Benefits the Prospect Will Receive
Think of three benefits that your prospect will receive once they buy the solution. Your marketing materials likely list numerous benefits of your product and service, but pick just the three that will relate most to your buyer. Relatable means they help the buyer reach their specific long-term goal or they are something the prospect has already mentioned they want.
For example, a prospecting tool rep selling a VP of sales might say “your team will find better leads, research them more quickly, and send better emails, enabling you to reach your revenue targets.” Placing three benefits in the pitch serves to further excite the prospect and raise the chances they say yes to the purchase when you ask for the sale at the end of your script.
7. Write the Pitch Components to Create a Personalized Script
Now, referencing all the notes you’ve jotted down, write out each of the sales pitch components we discussed earlier in this article. This is where you really dig into and personalize the segue, problem, solution, benefits, and CTA:
- Segue Into the Pitch: Craft a transition into the pitch by restating the problems and goals of the client.
- Identification of the Problem and Consequences: Write your prospect’s key problem and negative consequences of inaction in a compelling way.
- How Your Product or Service Provides a Solution: Remind the prospect how your solution will solve their problem in 1–2 sentences.
- Positive Effects of Solving the Problem: List a few of the biggest benefits and state how it will help them reach their goal.
- Strong CTA With Next Steps: Write a call-to-action that asks them to take next steps with you.
If you’re using a sales pitch template, you can simply fill it out, or just use it as a guide. Regardless of your approach, you should now have a written personalized sales pitch that you’ll be able to deliver to your prospect in 2–3 minutes. Also, consider checking out our article on unique sales pitch ideas culled from sales experts to find ways to enhance your current sales pitch.
8. Write Your Elevator Pitch
Having an elevator pitch in your back pocket will make it easy for you to quickly explain the value of your product or service to a potential buyer when you’re short on time. Delivered in under 30 seconds, the elevator pitch keeps only the bare necessities of your sales pitch: the identification of a common problem you solve, how your product or service solves it, and a CTA. Check out our guide on how to create an elevator pitch for the exact steps and examples.
After you're comfortable with how you've written your sales pitch, it's time to prepare to deliver it to your prospect, then actually give your pitch with confidence.
How to Deliver Your Sales Pitch
Once your sales pitch is written, choose when to deliver it, practice saying it out loud, and set up the meeting space with any sales materials. Lastly, hold the sales meeting, begin with some small talk to lighten the mood, transition into and deliver your written pitch, and make your CTA.
These are the key details on the steps for delivering your sales pitch:
- Choose When to Deliver Your Sales Pitch: Understand when your prospect is ready for a sales pitch so they respond well to it.
- Rehearse Your Sales Pitch Script: Practice the pitch you've written so you can sound as natural and confident as possible.
- Gather Your Sales Materials: Prepare any physical or digital visual aids, and get the room ready if you're pitching in person.
- Begin the Sales Meeting With Small Talk: Be friendly with the prospect rather than diving straight into business so you come off as a helpful peer.
- Start Your Sales Pitch by Framing It as a Recap: Segue into your pitch and explain what you've learned about the prospect and their needs.
- Deliver Your Sales Pitch: State the problem, the consequences of not fixing it, the ways in which your product solves the issue, and the benefits it'll bring.
- End Your Sales Pitch With a Call-to-Action: State the next steps and ask your prospect to take them with you.
For more depth on these seven steps, expand the below:
1. Choose When to Deliver Your Sales Pitch
You will likely deliver your formal, hard sales pitch at the end of the lead nurturing phase of the sale, when the prospect is already familiar with your solution and in a buying mood. But, how do you tell if the lead is in the mood to make the purchase? Refer to your call notes and history with the prospect and look for buying signals.
Below are some buying signals that indicate your prospect is ready to enter the closing phase:
- The Prospect Asked Questions About Price: If the prospect has asked you about pricing, they’re probably starting to think about following through with the sale.
- The Prospect Wanted to See Case Studies: When a prospect expresses interest in learning how their peers are using the solution, it means they’re looking to buy.
- The Prospect Asked for Agreement Terms: Buyers will often only ask for terms and conditions if they’re truly considering making a purchase.
- The Prospect Expressed Interest in One Solution: If they've narrowed down their search to one of your packages or tiers and implied that they liked it, they're likely considering buying.
- The Prospect Asked a Bunch of Questions: If the prospect is digging deep into the specifics of a service or product, it’s a safe bet that they're excited about it.
Once you know it’s a good time to pitch, set a meeting with the prospect. This could be a phone call, in-person, or video conference meeting. Do what you find most comfortable. You might already have a meeting on the calendar if you closed out your last call in that way. If not, tell them you’d like to call to review the solution and answer their final questions. If they're as interested as you expect based on buying signs, they should accept.
2. Rehearse Your Sales Pitch Script
Before your meeting with your prospect, practice saying your pitch out loud to yourself and to a peer a couple of times so that you memorize it. If you’re using a sales deck or other sales materials, practice with them as well. Also, if there’s a specific office room where you’ll pitch, practice in there so you start to feel comfortable in the space. When you practice, you’ll become more confident, emotive, and articulate, which will make your sales pitch more impactful.
3. Gather Your Sales Materials
You don’t need to have materials when you pitch, but some salespeople might use a visual aid such as a sales deck or a handout to make parts of the pitch more engaging or clear. They might also use props or recorded demos to better illustrate what they say during the pitch. For example, a SaaS salesperson might show a video of how a software feature solves the prospect’s specific problem after explaining it. If you go this route, set everything up beforehand.
4. Begin the Sales Meeting With Small Talk
Once you and your prospect are in a meeting together, initiate a bit of small talk before getting down to business. This lightens the mood. Small talk can be as simple as asking them what they’ve been up to in their personal lives since you last spoke. You could also bring up some industry news they might find interesting. Regardless of the topic, the goal is to get them in a friendly state of mind so that they’re more likely to trust you and say yes to your pitch.
5. Start Your Sales Pitch by Framing It as a Recap
The best way to start your sales pitch is to ask your prospect if they’d like to hear a recap of what you and they have learned throughout this sales process. The recap will be your pitch, highlighting their problem, how you solve it, and more. But this transition into the pitch is much smoother and softer than saying “Alright, I’m going to give you the hard pitch now.” Instead of setting up their defenses, the prospect should remain relaxed if you use a softer approach.
Here’s an example of how to start your sales pitch:
Segue into the sales pitch from free template
6. Deliver Your Sales Pitch
Now that the prospect has agreed to hear a recap of the sale so far, start delivering the pitch as you’ve memorized it. Begin by naming their goal, the problem you’ll solve for them, and the negative consequence of not fixing it. Then explain how your solution solves the issue, and share three desirable benefits they’ll receive if they decide to buy your product or service. At this point, they should be excited about the opportunity. All you have to do now is ask for the sale.
Delivery of the sales pitch from free template
7. End Your Sales Pitch With a Call-to-Action
Finish the sales pitch by briefly explaining the next steps in the purchasing process (e.g., you send over a contract). Then, ask the prospect if they’re ready to move forward with these next steps. This is a straightforward approach to asking for the sale that works well. If the prospect says no, they’ll tell you why, and then you’ll have to overcome objections. But, that’s okay. The objections illuminate a pathway to the close — you'll know the hurdles you have to overcome.
Strong CTA & next steps from free template
As you practice creating and delivering your sales pitch, you'll sound more natural to your prospects and should find more and more success.
5 Best Sales Pitch Examples
Sales pitch examples can help you form your own sales pitch by providing you with inspiration, verbiage, and tactics. The below examples follow our ideal script structure for the most part. If the example pitches do invert or rearrange the structure, it’s only slightly. Read on to see sales pitches for products, services, marketing services, car sales, and insurance sales.
This example depicts a software salesperson pitching a CRM product to a prospect. It focuses on reminding the prospect about their needs and mentioning the features that provide for those needs. The pitch also follows the ideal sales pitch structure we laid out earlier. To end, the pitch asks the prospect if they’re ready to move forward with the next steps of the sale.
Segue Into the Sales Pitch: “To summarize, you told us that you need a better way to track your leads and clients because you’re currently using excel and this system is becoming incompatible with your growing business.”
The Key Problem: “Specifically, you mentioned you want to be able to score leads automatically because inbound leads have increased drastically, overwhelming your sales team.”
The Solution and How It Works: “Our CRM is therefore perfect for you. Not only does it have one of the easiest to use contact management features around. But, as you’ve seen, it also has an incredible lead scoring component that allows you to set up your own rules so that leads are marked qualified according to your standards. Plus, leads will be routed to the right sales rep automatically, according to the size of the account.”
The Benefits: “That means your sales team can spend less time trying to stay organized and vetting leads, and more time talking with qualified potential buyers.”
The Call-to-Action: “We’re very excited about the opportunity to serve your growing business, and we are confident in our ability to do so. That said, next steps would be to send over a proposal. Are you ready to move forward with this?”
As you can see, some of the examples follow the five-component script structure to a T, while others switch it up a bit so it's appropriate for the unique situation. When you create and fill out your script template, modify it to fit the needs of your business and your relationship with each prospect.
Tips to Improve Your Sales Pitch
Whether you create your own sales pitch from scratch or use a template, there are some best practices you can follow to ensure it influences your prospects to make a purchase. They are speaking with confidence, name-dropping well-known customers, trying new sales pitch formats, and addressing common objections in your pitch. Let’s take a closer look at each tip.
Your pitch will have a greater impact if you deliver it with confidence. Practice multiple times before pitching so you won’t worry about messing up. As you speak, stand up with good posture. If you’re sitting, sit up straight and take up space. These positions make you feel powerful, and you’ll speak in a more confident tone, which your prospect will pick up on.
During your pitch, it can help to mention big name clients that trust you in order to build more credibility. As for where to drop these names in your pitch, it’s best to do it after you’ve discussed how you’re going to solve the person’s problem. You could say that reputable company X used this same feature to fix their similar issue. That example can help the prospect push through any final disbelief and feel ready to buy.
Make small adjustments to your sales pitch structure and measure the results. For example, try phrasing your call-to-action as “Want me to walk you through the pricing tiers?” instead of “Are you ready to move forward with the sale?” Try that with 10–20 prospects and see if it makes a positive or negative difference. This frequent testing ensures you’re always working toward an optimized sales pitch.
Address any common objections you hear in your pitch. You might also suspect that a specific prospect has a concern they mentioned previously in the sales process, like, “Last time we used X, we didn’t get any training.” Even if you handled the objection earlier, bring it and your rebuttal up one final time to reassure them. These tactics raise the chances the prospect will be ready for next steps.
If you follow the above tips, your sales pitch will progress toward optimization and you’ll progress toward mastery over it. Your quality pitch can then be used for other purposes, such as to help establish your product positioning.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Is a Sales Pitch Different Than an Investor Pitch?
Sales pitches are similar to investor pitches in that your goal is to convey the value of your product or service in roughly the same time and format. Sales pitches are different, however, in that the intended audience are prospective customers who may buy your solution, whereas investor pitches are intended for people looking to make an investment in your business for a return on their money. For more, check out this article on the
do's and don'ts of investor pitches.
What’s the Difference Between a Sales Pitch & an Elevator Pitch?
An elevator pitch is the shortened version of a full sales pitch. It can be stated in under 30 seconds when you have a time constraint, such as at a networking event. The sales pitch on the other hand is longer, typically 2–3 minutes in duration, and is delivered to later-stage prospects. Unlike the elevator pitch, which is general and appeals to almost any lead, the sales pitch is personalized and addresses the needs of one specific prospect.
Both, however, have the goal of moving a potential buyer forward in the sales process, and they do so by stating a problem, positioning their product or service as the solution, and making a CTA.
Bottom Line: Sales Pitch
A sales pitch is a 2- to 3-minute long statement that explains to a prospect why they should buy a product or service. It usually falls toward the end of the lead nurturing phase, enabling the seller to personalize it to the prospect using information they’ve learned throughout discovery, presentations, and other conversations. Your sales pitch is often the most important short speech you’ll give in the sale and helps move prospects into the deal close phase, so make it count.
