How to Deliver a Killer Sales Pitch That Closes the Deal + Sales Pitch Examples

The #1 thing you hear about sales pitches is how annoying they are.

Log on to LinkedIn and search “sales pitch.” The results are dozens of posts of users fed up with the endless, irrelevant pitches they receive daily. 

Good sales pitch examples often only sound good to the person pitching them. But are you really in touch with what people want and how to make a sale?

Selling is rough any way you cut it. People feel financially pinched and irritated before your pitch even starts. 

You need a better approach if you want to deliver a sales pitch that closes the deal and leaves everyone at the table happy.

Let’s break down the elements of a good sales pitch and how to approach selling to anyone.

Understand what you’re up against

Generally, people don’t want to be sold to. The job of the sales rep is difficult. Many people already feel harried by ads and sales pitches. Some perceive common sales tactics as manipulative and bullying. (And admittedly, some indeed are.)

This is the playing field you’re entering. You must understand the deck is stacked against you before going forth with a generic templated script, bright eyes, and high hopes of closing dozens of high-value deals.

It’s not hopeless, however. The fact remains that people do need help with things.

Two sales reps shaking hands with sales skills appearing in circles around them

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Companies need CRMs and marketing campaigns, and small businesses need to be found through SEO. Every household needs appliances, and homes need roofs repaired, gutters cleaned, plumbing fixed, stable internet, and more.

Whatever you’re selling, someone somewhere needs (or wants) it. But making yourself a pest to fatigued, overburdened people isn’t going to give them what they need, and it certainly isn’t going to help you reach your sales goals.

So, let’s start with the number one rule: know who you are selling to. 

Know your target audience

I once worked as the Content Director for a company specializing in job interview preparation. One day, I received an email from a company selling equipment to fast food chains.

The irrelevance was staggering. I wracked my brain, trying to figure out why this person thought someone in my industry would be remotely interested in what they were selling.

Then I realized that about a year earlier, we had published an article about how to write an entry-level resume using fast food jobs as an example.

The sales rep had no doubt scoured the web for articles matching specific keywords and assumed—without further research—that the companies that published them must be in the fast food business.

They were wrong.

The lesson here is to never go blind like this. You may think your data is good. But if you’re delivering a sales pitch (and a cold sales pitch, no less), at the very least, know who you’re talking to.

Know their name, their industry, title, company, and know what they sell.

Infographic on how to identify target audience.

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The number of pitches received that have nothing to do with the receiver’s work is staggering. Receiving irrelevant and unwanted sales pitches is colloquially known as a “pitch slap,” and no one enjoys it.

Templated cold pitches with [Name] at the beginning are particularly egregious. You’re not going to get any traction this way. 

Imagine being on the receiving end of a message like this. It has nothing to do with you, and whoever sent it didn’t care enough to type out your name. Would you feel inclined to buy something from them? Do you feel assured they care one whit about your problems?

Beyond empathy, the data backs up the personal approach. Look at these personalization statistics compiled by the trend analysis site Exploding Topics:

  • 89% of marketing campaigns using personalization see positive ROI
  • 60% of customers receiving a personalized marketing experience become repeat customers
  • Only 60% of consumers receive personalized marketing, while 80% of marketers think they’re providing it.
Graph showing 89% of marketers see positive ROI with personalization.

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This leads to the second most important part of delivering an effective sales pitch: be a human first. 

Humanity first, sales second

Michael Lewis, author of The Big Short and The Blind Side, among many other impactful non-fiction works, said this in his MasterClass on writing: “One of the things that will strike you about my books is that almost every subject was someone who was basically ignored. So pay attention to the unusual, powerful interest you have in other human beings.” 

This is an incredibly useful sales tip (as well as a life tip). Be interested in people. Genuinely. Your goal is to make a human connection, not a sale.

The happy outcome of a genuine relationship is that sales often follow. 

Build real relationships

In sales, the emphasis is often all about closing. Do whatever it takes to close the deal. But that’s not a relational mindset.

Instead, a more effective approach is openness.

Think about how you can open opportunities for your potential customers. How can you solve their problems? Help them get a little closer to their goals? 

Reach out, offer help, expecting nothing.

It’s not a wasted effort. It’s the first step in relationship building. When people:

  • Feel seen
  • Feel heard
  • Feel valued

They are far less likely to see you as some annoying sales pariah and more like a friendly peer eager to help.

The importance of relationship selling infographic.

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Sales pitch examples for different formats

Now for the technicalities. So far, you’ve got your priorities in order. You’ve done your research, you understand the terrain, and you are prepared to take a people-first approach.

How do you deliver your sales pitch?

Let’s look at a few different sales pitch examples by format.

Cold sales pitch examples

uSERP cold sales pitch.

Image provided by the author

Cold pitching is rough, no way around it. You’re approaching strangers about shelling out money for something they’re not considering buying. But it’s a part of the job. And there’s a way to do it right.

Cold call examples 

For cold phone sales pitches, here’s your framework.

  • Get to the point immediately
  • Prove you’ve done your homework
  • Ask a relevant question

Cold call sales pitch example script:

Hi Jane, this is Ted from WellnessNow. I’m calling because I read about XYZ Company’s new engagement initiatives and noticed you don’t offer any wellness programs. Our partnerships with companies like yours improved employee retention by 20% last quarter, and I believe we can do the same for you. May I ask what your current employee retention rate is?

Direct message examples

Cold messaging is just as difficult as cold calling, and the framework is similar.

You want to be friendly but not too casual, make a human connection, and prove you’ve researched them and their pain point.

Sample script for direct message cold pitch

Hello!

I noticed you published an interview with Kate Weaver last week, founder of Home DecorXtrodinare. I had the honor of working with Kate on some email campaigns for her business last year.

I specialize in content creation for architects and designers and noticed you publish a lot in that niche. If you need quality, optimized content regularly, I’d love to chat about how I can help you reach your goals!

This example starts with a personal connection. The author knows someone the people they’re pitching recently featured. This builds trust and credibility. 

Next, the pitch identifies specialization in the company’s niche and angles the entire pitch toward what the client needs.

It’s open, friendly, and optional. The receiver of this message does not feel obligated to answer either way, but because of the personal and conversational tone, a reply is more likely than a pitch that is robotic and generic. 

Elevator sales pitch examples

uSERP elevator sales pitch.

Image provided by the author

The elevator pitch is a sales pitch that you keep in your metaphorical hip pocket and are ready to use anytime. 

The rule of thumb is that an elevator pitch should be 30 seconds long—the length of an average elevator ride.

Here is the framework:

1. Hook (5 seconds)

A solid opening statement or question that grabs attention and outlines a pain point.

2. Value Proposition (15 seconds)

This is the “meat and potatoes” of the pitch. Directly state your product/service and how it solves the pain point. 

3. Call to Action (10 seconds)

Wrap it up with an actionable step or question that leads to an action.

Elevator sales pitch example #1:

It takes years to recover from the logistical nightmare of bad data management. We’ve seen companies lose hundreds of thousands of dollars annually due to bad data practices.

That’s why we’ve custom-designed DataLoc for booming businesses with many stakeholders, allowing them to cleanly and securely store and organize data in one easy-to-access location.

Are you interested in seeing how we’ve accomplished this in a brief demo?

Elevator sales pitch example #2

Hybrid work has cemented itself in the business world since the pandemic. Some teams are struggling to manage communication in a hybrid work environment.

We developed CollabComms to overcome these issues and keep teams aligned and organized so important details aren’t lost, and projects aren’t derailed.

Would you like to try it out with our 30-day free trial?

Try writing a few of your own sales pitch templates using the frameworks we’ve laid out here. 

Make sure you’re offering value. Outline key benefits, offer a solution to their pain point, and provide a path forward with the sales conversation.

Tips for delivering a killer sales pitch

We’ve covered the basics and the technicalities:

  • Know who you’re talking to
  • Do your research
  • Be a human
  • Build relationships
  • Craft a strategic & compelling sales pitch

But here are some more quick tips for when you’re selling.

Be confident. When feeling unsure, your voice and body language may reveal a lack of confidence. Go into every sales pitch knowing you believe what you’re saying and being armed with the facts. There is no confidence boost like good preparation, so be prepared.

Be a storytellerResearch by Stanford University shows that people remember stories up to 22 times more than facts alone. Remember this when presenting stats to your potential clients. Make the facts real to them. Form narratives around common pain in their industry and drive the point home with stories. 

Listen to Understand — Don’t get so wrapped up in your strategy and templates that you forget to listen. Active listening is a powerful tool for relationship building and trust. Make sure you are listening to understand, not merely respond.

Be Calm and Clear—Knowing that you have mere seconds to grab and keep someone’s attention is difficult, so the understandable impulse is to talk as fast as you can. Instead, be calm. Speak at a measured pace and be clear and articulate when speaking. You are setting the tone for the conversation. So start it calmly, and your prospective buyers will likely mirror you.

Go forth and sell

There are stressful aspects of the sales process, to be sure. The terrain you’re entering is often resistant and sometimes outright hostile.

While it’s only human to feel reactionary to this at first, shift your approach from aggression to human openness and contrast the differences.

Start by being authentically human. Know the facts, who you’re talking to, what they care about, and how you can help.

Then, focus on relationship building and adding value.

When the time is right, craft a friendly sales pitch that outlines their pain points, your value proposition, and how to move forward. You can use our sales pitch examples for reference.

Speak clearly and confidently. Remember that you’re steering the ship and can set it up for success by being prepared and listening to understand.

Practice and get better, and enjoy watching your sales number climb!
(If you’d like to learn more about connecting to clients with marketing techniques, visit our uSERP blog)

Picture of Alia Sinclair

Alia Sinclair

Alia Sinclair is a writer and marketer with nearly a decade of experience in content marketing. She is the editor-in-chief of Patchwork Mosaic and lives in the Pacific Northwest with her wife and ever-increasing library of books.

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