Research reveals that people began sharing stories over 30,000 years ago. Now, storytelling is essential when convincing customers to buy goods for business and entertainment purposes. Storytelling creates a strong sense of community and brings people together as we all share the same feelings of emotion, such as joy, fear, grief, horror, hope, and anger.

In a business setting, influential public speakers use various storytelling techniques to boost their listening skills to entertain listeners, and entrepreneurs can leverage storytelling skills to further their career or business growth.

To effectively capture and maintain your audience’s attention, you must learn captivating storytelling methods. These methods will keep your audience hooked, longing to know what happens next.

The following 9 storytelling tips and tricks will help you improve your skills and strengthen your engagement with the audience.

 

1. Be Aware of The Age of Your Audience

When telling a story, take into account the age of your listeners. Age determines the content of the story, means of narration, and the appropriate time of narration.

Also, different generations have different speech styles, slang and understanding of specific words. When addressing teens, use simple, easy-to-understand language alongside imagery to paint a mental picture to your audience, enabling them to understand your message quickly. It may also be helpful to incorporate the latest slang trends and phrases, so they find relatability to what you are conveying. When addressing adults, you can vary the complexity of language depending on their levels of education. For example, if you speak to executives and professionals, you will talk in a more formal manner that suits their level of education.

With this storytelling tip, you may also need to customize your message and ensure that information intended for adults does not reach children. Share adult stories when children are asleep and children’s stories in the evening after school. Many parents shy away from listening to sensitive matters touching on adulthood with their children.

This storytelling tip helps retain your audience’s attention as your audience feels a deeper connection with you when you speak directly to them in a way they understand.

 

2. Be Creative

Creativity is the process of emerging with new ideas and techniques. With storytelling, you must find innovative ways to share your story uniquely. Also, devise a mechanism that will enable you; for example, when sharing a story with children, use drawings and pictures to make the story more vivid, lively, and memorable.

The most common storytelling method to catch listeners’ attention involves sharing visual content such as photos and videos, as it allows your audience to visualize better and follow your storyline.

By helping your audience tap into their right brain (its primary function is creativity, imagination, and visualization), your product, service, or idea will help them remember your story much better than logic and facts alone.

Incorporating creativity as a storyteller makes your story perceived as more credible, accurate, and reliable. This storytelling tip also helps build trust with your audience. As Ron Malhorta quotes, “Earning trust is the ultimate marketing strategy.”

 

3. Create Suspense

The technique of creating suspense is when you leave your audience hanging about what happens next in your story. Release information in a controlled way to create a thirst for your audience to follow you to the end of your story.

Let’s say you release too much information at the introduction of your story. In this instance, the audience will not pay careful attention to you as you progress since the audience presumes they already know everything. The plot has no opportunity to thicken. Avoid sharing important plot information, for example, the death of a significant character in the story before it happens in the storyline.

In addition, you can increase suspense in your story by introducing conflict between the protagonist and the antagonist. Doing so will keep the audience eager to listen to know what happens next. The struggle between opposing forces makes for an exciting story and an effective storytelling tip, the same way stories are written in world-class novels and movies. If there is no obstacle or challenging hurdle to overcome, there is no story.

Also Read: 13 Leadership Qualities That Make You an Exceptional Leader

 

4. Keep The Story Clear, Concise and to The Point

Avoid sharing stories that carry too much information as too many words can create confusion in the minds of your listeners. If they need to expend too much energy to understand and follow your story, you may find that they “zone out” as it’s easier to stop paying attention than it is to continue listening. Many people, especially business executives, don’t have time to listen to long stories about your product or service. Instead, carefully select your words to ensure the usage of fewer words than carry heavy and more profound meaning to keep the story short, concise, and to the point.

While doing so, it’s important to thoughtfully and intelligently order the story’s introduction, body, and conclusion without omitting necessary information about your products or services to your prospective customers.

Ensure to capture the most important details that hook your listeners, keeping them eager to continue listening. If you have an excellent memory, it will help you retain vital information during the narration.

There is always a way to share complex processes in a simplified, easy-to-understand, condensed version and avoid unnecessary details that deviate you from the story’s core theme. Once a listener has “dozed off”, it’s tough to regain their attention as they may have missed integral parts of the story that connects one scenario to another.

 

5. Choose Your Words Wisely

The diction used in storytelling influences how impactful your story is to your audience. Use enticing and fun words but avoid clichés to avoid putting a damper on your listeners’ desire to listen to your story. Also, eliminate repetitive words as it shows a lack of creativity that could lead your audience to boredom.

Use words that carry emotion to connect the listeners to your story. Emotional phrases swing your listeners into action, such as purchasing and using your product. If you must refer to a particular term multiple times, consider using its synonyms for variety.

 

6. Have a Purpose and Structure for Your Story

Ensure your reason for telling the story is clear. Have a reason for telling the story, such as enlightening the listener in a way that stimulates their imagination, or teaches them a valuable lesson.

A good story structure is also vital for keeping listeners’ attention glued to your narrative. If your story has an important moral lesson, you need to draw your audience’s attention to this lesson. As Ron Malhorta quotes, “The greatest life lessons come from painful experiences.” Your audience will find the story more intriguing if there is a valuable lesson they can take away from it. A clear blueprint navigates you in storytelling, restricting you from deviating from the core message.

 

7. Create Conflict Between Story Characters

One of the most essential tips for good storytelling is creating conflict in the storyline. Conflict entails disagreement or opposition between the story’s central characters in storytelling. You can use three types of conflict to develop your story’s plot; the main character’s conflict with self, the conflict between two main characters in the story, and disagreement between the main character and the society.

This storytelling technique offers you an opportunity to build tension that affects your listeners’ moods and emotions. Craft your story by introducing conflict at the start of the story, developing it in the body, and solving it at the end. This acts as a compass that directs your story. Conflict advances your story and aids the characters in developing and growing their problem-solving skills.

Create conflict in your story by determining what the main character intends to accomplish, and then place an obstacle along the way. It is best not to devise your story in a way that enables your main characters to obtain what they intend to obtain too quickly because when your characters have obtained what they want too easily, the story loses meaning.

 

8. Concentrate on One Person At a Time

When addressing a large audience, craft your message as though you are speaking to one person only. Trying to speak to the entire crowd may take away your concentration from the story, and have you to lose your trail of thoughts.

To be a compelling storyteller, you need to be able to connect well with your audience by communicating in a lively manner that keeps your listeners entertained. To help you do this, set aside time to get to know and understand your audience before you commence your story.

Mentally assume that you are talking to one person and address all the questions they may be having. This allows you to understand their expectations, guiding you to share your story in a more relevant and captivating way with them.

Also, engage your audience to bring more excitement to the room. You can liven up your story by asking your audience questions. This interactive storytelling tip and method allows your audience to be entertained and feel involved and valued throughout the entire process.

Also Read: Dos and Don’ts of Public Speaking with Pro Tip

 

9. Capture Your Audience’s Full Attention First

When you gain your listener’s full attention, you can start to share your story. Begin by setting the story’s mood by employing tonal variations and hand gestures to make the story more lively. Start your story with a shocking opening statement to best capture your audience’s attention.

People are always searching for solutions to their challenges. Therefore, general remarks in the introduction dampen your audience’s interest. Instead, use an eye-catching statistic that motivates your audience to learn more about it and how it could potentially help solve their problems.

If your listeners are not paying full attention at the start of your story, it is difficult for them to understand the series of events if they only begin to pay attention halfway through the story.

To Conclude

Storytelling has evolved from traditional means of passing the time in the evenings to a modern marketing tool for businesses to connect and engage with an audience. Entrepreneurs can leverage these storytelling tips and tricks to create a more memorable brand image. Consumers are less likely to remember a product or service based on its features and benefits and more likely to remember a story that pulled on their heartstrings.

The most profound way to get the most out of storytelling is by helping your audience tap into their imagination through your story. Your audience needs to visualise how your product works and the value it can provide. These storytelling techniques all save you time and allow easy transfer of information to customers.

These types of storytelling methods are not so much innate as they are learned and refined by practice. By practising, you can develop and perfect your storytelling method. The more you relay your story, the more you can gauge how people react, what words land with them, and what tone of voice engages them the most.

Growth in all aspects of life is beautiful, compulsory, and incredibly vital. However, in commerce, growth can make or break a successful business.

Unfortunately, while it may seem like a prominent part of the business life cycle, many entrepreneurs do not possess the acumen or the know-how to grow their business efficiently.

According to SmartBooks, only half of small business owners anticipate growth, ultimately contributing to only approximately one-third of all businesses lasting more than ten years. Start-ups across all industries halt when faced with scaling and its impending changes.

The development of a company is directly correlated to its ability to approach growth strategically. But how exactly do start-ups and other entrepreneurial outfits excel at business expansion?

Essentially, there are four types of business development growth, and five stages in the start-up life cycle process. With a proper business development strategy executed flawlessly, any company will seamlessly transition through the phases of business growth. As Wealth and Business Mentor Ron Malhotra stated:

What is Business Growth?

 Growth of any kind is advantageous for any business. A company that is expanding will usually look to increase its sales and strengthen its market position. Unfortunately, growth isn’t a concept that is easily defined.

A growing business can expand in singular or multiple ways. There is no single metric or determining factor used to measure company growth. Instead, several factors and data points can be highlighted to show the growth of a company. These can include revenue, sales, company value, profits, number of employees and number of customers.

It is typical for companies to grow in some of these metrics, but not register growth in others. It is also possible for one metric to increase, while another plummets.

 

 Types of Business Growth

While there have been many attempts to draft a business development strategy that serves as a one-size-fits-all for growing a business, most have failed, as some methods fail to consider smaller enterprises and the unique challenges they face. However, the following four stages of start-up development have successfully proven to lead businesses through the start-up life cycle. These will help guide entrepreneurs through company growth, by identifying where they are, and identifying which business development strategy works best.

Organic business growth

In its simplest form, organic growth is when a company utilises existing tools to create growth internally. Organic growth is usually achieved by enhancing sales internally, and increasing output. It must be noted that organic growth does not consider growth garnered through acquisitions, mergers or profits.

Past research shows that fewer than 30 percent of businesses systematically scan for and evaluate new growth opportunities. In the process of cost-cutting and overcoming short-term pressures, this leads to executives greatly underestimating the value of organic growth.

Organic growth wholly centres around expansions and sales through the organisation’s resources. In contrast to inorganic growth, which is solely attributed to external forces, organic growth can be achieved through various factors. These include business development strategies, typically through relocation and reallocation of resources, new product offerings, and optimisation. New product offerings are a core tenet of organic growth. It fosters vertical scaling by providing a current customer base with a new product.

To stay up to date with consistent growth, businesses will utilise earnings growth at set time intervals, to track organic growth. The most commonly used time range performance metrics to track organic rates, are quarterly or annually.

Organic growth is crucial, as it allows investors to have a transparent purview of the current or potential value. It also shows investors that the company has prime consistent earning capabilities.

Strategic business growth

Strategic growth is next in line for businesses that have reached organic business growth, and are now forced to expand into additional markets.

A strategic growth approach may reach untapped markets by creating new products, or implementing new and improved advertising campaigns. Updated marketing strategies, streamlined for new target demographics, will ensure companies make a long-lasting impact on new prospective customers.

Also Read: 10 Tips for Business Success in 2021

Strategic business growth is catapulted by money generated from organic growth. Though organic growth poses long-term benefits, businesses should not expect to experience watershed acceleration. However, they should stick to the strategy, which will guarantee a gradual and consistent increase in sales.

Merger, partnership, or acquisition 

For some businesses, it is beneficial to create a partnership, merge with another entity or acquire another business. A company undertaking any one part of this trifecta, will open itself up to opportunities for market expansion and other unique benefits.

An exceptionally executed acquisition, merger, or partnership can aid a business to expand service offerings, enter a new market, manufacture more products, and most notably, piggyback off the existing customer loyalty cultivated by another brand. An increase in production capacity can make introducing and developing new products or services in a new market much smoother.

Merging, acquiring, or partnering, though considered the riskiest type of growth due to its many moving parts, is also viewed as one of the business development strategies with the most potential for success.

Internal business growth

The primary goal of internal growth is to leverage the power of existing resources to  initiate growth in your business. While internal growth may share similarities to organic growth, it varies because it does not provide output solutions.

Ironically, internal business growth is considered the most challenging way to jumpstart business growth. Rather than seeking growth from external sources such as production, this stage of business development strategy analyses current resources and determines how they can best be used.

Internal growth can include a company implementing automated workforce management systems, or even lean systems. Additionally, this phase of business growth is often deemed the hardest because it curtails a complete shift in how the business is conducted internally. Rather than simply creating or expanding a product line or entering new markets, a company must do a full 360 internally. Undoubtedly, this much change is no easy undertaking, and is quite daunting for employees and leaders alike.

 However, internal business growth serves a great use when it falls between strategic and organic growth. Internal business growth is a terrific way to maximise resources without a hefty capital outlay. Furthermore, this business development strategy can allow a business to maintain production, by exploiting fewer resources, essentially recouping any costs spent maximising processes. Internal business growth has also proven to be a convenient approach to business growth strategy during lowered outward growth.

Importance of Business Growth

All businesses must aim for business growth. However, what will determine the necessary type of expansion will be the development stage a company is at.

A company in the start-up stage usually requires business expansion to cement its market position. They use this to rapidly develop in size, to generate adequate income to cover all expenditures and guarantee a profit.

On the other hand, a more seasoned organisation does not require rapid or aggressive business expansion. However, steady growth in mature organisations goes a long way in maintaining market position, and provides a defence against future risk.

But perhaps the most significant benefit of company growth, is that it significantly contributes to the longevity of a business. Business development growth contributes to the life span and success, by helping ensure the company acquires assets, fund investments, and attracts and retains new talent. Business expansion also drives profit and performance.

Business growth is also crucial to helping organisations respond to market demand, capitalise on growing brands, and increase their market share. Moreover, the business expansion provides you the opportunity to differentiate yourself from peers, and stave off competitors while spurring innovation. Company growth can also boost the credibility of your business, allowing you to broaden your supply base, while also increasing stability and resilience in the market against fluctuations. However, for business growth to be successful and sustainable, the growth has to occur for the right reasons and at the right time.

 

What Are the 5 Stages of Business Growth?

 As equally as significant are the five stages of growth of a start-up life cycle. These are:

 

1. Development

The very first stage is development. You have an idea for a product or service, and it’s time to get it out of your head. This part of the business growth stage is where the ‘seed’ is initially planted. At this stage, you analyse the market, identify gaps and trends, figure out the problem you are trying to solve and ascertain if your business prospects are feasible. Ask yourself: Who is my market? Where is my market located? Is my market ready for my business? How will my business be structured?

Does my proposed solution solve it effectively? If you have a definitive answer to these questions and are confident in your abilities, it’s time to start pressure testing your idea.

2. Start-up

You have completed the ideation and have decided to go ahead with your business. Now, you will be formulating strategies and ways to sell your services or products. You will now make initial communication with your market to better understand their needs. This will allow you to tweak your business to suit your demand. Patience is your best friend at this stage. While you are focused on becoming profitable as quickly as possible, keep an open mind and be prepared to quickly adapt to the changing needs of the market and clientele.

Also Read: Common Mistakes Young Entrepreneurs and Small Business Owners Make

3. Growth

When you arrive at this stage of company growth, your business will have cemented a more solid position in the market. Rising sales characterise this stage, which means your company is turning a profit and providing ample cash flow to cover ongoing expenses. Also, at this growth stage, you will be experiencing a growth in customer base and a revolving door of recurring patrons, as you have maintained a reputation for quality and reliability. You will also have a stable talent cohort at this stage, due to your ability to remunerate talent adequately. However, the challenging part of this phase will be your ability to effectively manage the rapid demands from start-up to growth and manage the business’s roles and needs. It is best to delegate by establishing clear roles and responsibilities at this stage.

4. Maturity

A welcome reprieve from the bustle of the previous two stages, the maturity stage is very stable. At this growth stage, your business will be actively generating reliable profits. At this point, your sales will reach their pinnacle and then plateau. No doubt, at this growth stage of the start-up life cycle, you will experience the most security. This will prompt you to prolong your business’s maturity to extend this period of security. However, while you may feel comfortable, this is not the time to grow complacent. Instead, it would be best if you put a finger on the pulse of your industry to look for signs your business may need to be adjusted.

5. Decline or renewal 

From maturity, your company will go one of two ways. It may decline, where sales growth will be negative, and profits will nosedive. This can occur because the market is oversaturated with your product/service, resulting in a decline in demand for your business offerings. However, this does not have to be the end of your business.

By employing strategic tactics such as reinvesting in your business, introducing new products and services, or adopting new marketing strategies, your company may well be on its way to renewal. At the renewal stage, sales will gradually pick up. However, it must be noted that this may be costly in both capital and time. Therefore, entrepreneurs at this stage must be prepared for extensive planning to guarantee that the renewal is worthwhile and sustainable. 

Stagnancy has no place in business. Growth and change are necessary and are factors that will see your business stand the test of time. Don’t be afraid to change and grow, instead embrace it. Just as Ron Malhotra expressed, “Be aggressive in your personal growth,” it is highly recommended to take this stance towards company growth as well.

There are very few things in life as euphoric as successfully closing a sale. The thrill and adrenaline rush of coming to the end of the sales process with a new client signed, or quota met or exceeded, is nothing short of exhilarating. How to close a sale is the line of distinction between good sales professionals and exceptional sales professionals.

For entrepreneurs who often hold multiple positions in their start-up, perfecting the art of the sale is vital to success in the initial stages of the business.

While many are born with the natural inclination to persuade, others must make extra effort to learn and exert best sales practises.

Whether you’re born with the innate ability to sell, or you have taken the time to arm yourself with expert sales skills, it never hurts to have an arsenal of efficient sales closing tips.

But before you can even get to that happy place of leads turning into customers, you have to ace the perfect sales pitch. Your sales pitch, when done correctly, creates a solid foundation for your strategy to move your client through the sales funnel.

 

What is a Sales Pitch?

A sales pitch is a highly concentrated sales presentation where the seller concisely explains the product or service offering. The pitch is continued by highlighting the advantages of choosing them as the ideal option to solve your problem or fill your need.

Ideally, a sales pitch is completed in under two minutes. Because of this, a salesperson must be able to give the best product information without sounding rushed, build rapport with the client and strike up engagement that will catalyse the whole sales process. The phrase “first impressions are lasting” is epitomised in a sales pitch.

Timing is a significant factor in sales pitches. Most sales pitches are most commonly referred to as ‘elevator pitches’, as they should be executed in the timeframe of a single elevator ride. A sales pitch hinges on getting all the proper selling points out to secure a more captive audience, ready to hear a longer spiel later. A sales pitch is the first engagement with a lead or prospective client, and doesn’t have room for error. One wrong slip and the sale opportunity ends before it even gets a chance to begin.

Yes, the pressure is on, and the expectations are high. There is a reason that for more than 40% of salespeople, the pitch is the most challenging part of the sales process, followed closely by closing (36%) and qualifying (22%). Prospecting clients, like most things in life, isn’t easy. However, Success, Wealth, and Business Mentor Ron Malhotra says it best – “You won’t know your limits unless you push yourself.”

11 Tips on Closing a Sale

There is no one way or predetermined method to close a sale. But as mentioned, closing a sale is an art or a skill. While trends will change and improve, there are a few tried and true foundational tips that get the job done on their own, or in conjunction with other methods.

Here are 11 highly effective sales closing techniques:

 

1. Be Real/Authentic

Tonality carries across all communication cables whether over the phone, text, or in-person. Most importantly, clients can sense a mile away if you are being inauthentic during the sales process. No one wants to buy from a person they don’t trust.

One of the vital factors to closing a sale is conveying to your customers that you care about solving their problems. The quickest way to lose a sale is when a client thinks you’re only focused on closing a deal. Customers must be convinced you value their business.

Many sales people make the mistake of being so prepared that they come off as calculated and disingenuous. Both of these are immediate turn offs and can signal the death of a sale.

Another component of being authentic is leveraging the power of human emotions. Never forget that people like to feel connected, like they are not alone. By inserting genuine emotions, you will convince the customer you’re not just selling, but providing them a gift that will positively impact their lives.

Also Read: How to Write a Winning Sales Pitch – Client Closing Techniques

 

2. Create a Sense of Urgency

A traditional sales closing strategy is the act of creating a sense of urgency. By creating an ‘impending deadline’, you play upon the human fear of missing out. Attach a coming deadline to persuade your prospect to commit and complete the sale. However, this sales closing tip must be approached subtly, as it stands the chance of backfiring. Yes, you want to create urgency, but you also don’t want the customer to feel as if they are being rushed or pressured.

However, if your client, for whatever reason, doesn’t feel compelled to take immediate action, no amount of urgency may convince them. You may need to provide them with more information to convince them to move forward with the sale.

 

3. Temporary Incentive

If after creating urgency your prospect still doesn’t feel compelled to close the sale, a temporary incentive could do the job. While a customer is on the fence, create a ‘now or never’ incentive.

This could take the form of a gift or a discount. This also allows customers to feel empowered in the sales process. Ensure customers know that the incentive is entirely temporary, and that they will lose the opportunity to receive it by not purchasing today.

This sales closing approach must be approached with caution, as it can easily be viewed as a high-pressure sales technique, which can turn off a client.

 

4. Know Your Audience

This stands as one of the most crucial steps in the whole sales funnel, especially when it comes to closing. Whether you’re selling to another business or your customer base, you need to take the time to get to know your audience.

Do proper research. With information so easily accessible, don’t hesitate to learn about your target audience based on your product or service. All your best-laid plans will amount to nothing if you aren’t selling to the right audience. You will rarely have a closed sale if the person you’re attempting to peddle your wares to, isn’t your ideal customer.

 

5. Know Your Competition

This is crucial for the business, but you need to know your competitors because most likely, your customers know you. A great way to guarantee you close more sales is by ensuring you are well versed in your competitor’s offerings. In doing so, you can have the perfect counter proposition ready. Customers will not fail to mention another product or service with which you share industry space, and it’s up to you to be prepared to counter. Being caught blindsided is awkward and uncomfortable for both salesperson and client.

This leads to the next sales closing strategy.

 

6. Know Your Product

Even more uncomfortable than not knowing your competition, is not knowing your product. If you intend to close sales, then what you are selling should come as second nature. Be prepared to explain it in a myriad of ways as often as the customer requires an explanation. Always be consistent with your product knowledge.

 

7. Overcome Objections

Objections are a natural part of the sales policy, and they aren’t limited to just competitor comparisons. Objections can vary, and are as unique as your clients presenting them. No one expects you to have a prepared response for every possible objection. However, a quick brainstorming session where you put yourself in the customer’s shoes, could allow you to voice and create the best response for standard and frequent objections. Ensure you don’t ever sound as if you are caught off-guard for those objections you cannot foresee. Practice being cool, calm and collected, and focus on formulating a brief yet sufficient response.

 

8. Identify the Decision Maker

Identifying the decision maker is necessary for entrepreneurs or B2B sales, as you can’t close a deal with the person who isn’t the final purchaser. No matter what industry you are selling in, a quick close is dependent on knowing and connecting with the person who makes the final decision. Very often, decision-makers will send someone else in their place to learn all they can about you or your company. In this case, be sure to put yourself in the mindset of the decision-maker, so that you can tailor your sales pitch and closing to that person’s interests, even if they aren’t present.

 

9. Assume You’re Going to Make the Sale

This is a seemingly simple, yet highly effective sales closing strategy. By assuming you have already closed the sale, you view prospects as people who will complete the purchase, no matter what.

This method goes a long way in boosting your confidence, which will bolster your overall attitude, and be evident to clients. Confidence in sales is a critical tool to closing. By assuming this mindset, you allow yourself to see unique angles to close.

This is a common sales closing strategy that comes in handy; by asking yourself, “When are they going to buy?” and “Why are they going to buy?” you will discover new ways to secure the sale.

This sales closing tip also allows you to create persuasive lead-ins, for example, “so when can we get you started?” This technique presumes that the person is already going to purchase, and makes the sales closing process relentless, seamless and almost effortless.

Also Read: 7 Mistakes to Avoid During The Closing Remarks of a Speech 

 

10. Let Customers Convince Themselves

Another excellent, subtle and highly effective sales closing technique is utilising leading questions.

Using psychology, you ask pointed questions that unwittingly infiltrate your prospects’ thoughts, to make them gradually believe that your product is the perfect solution for them. Instead of telling them the product is ideal, ask leading questions such as, “So the product has all the features you’re looking for — it’s not missing anything?” and “this fits perfectly into your budget at the current price, right?”

Leading questions frame your product selling points into questions that prompt the buyer to answer the questions reiterating that your product is the solution they need. With this approach, they would be hard-pressed to find a reason not to continue the sale.

 

11. Don’t Say the Wrong Thing

Stay calm and as they say, don’t put your foot in your mouth. The sure-fire way to not close a sale is to say the wrong thing. Don’t overpower clients, condescend or get aggressive. Listen and speak accordingly. Don’t ever assume. Be personable, be genuine, but most importantly always be professional.

The sales process is often hard work with great rewards, from sales pitches to the highly sought-after close. But more than anything else, sales closing strategies are the bridges that connect customers to a world of products. With this in mind, sales professionals must never underestimate the power of the close.

A sales pitch is a meticulously crafted, personalised message with an aim to persuade a prospective customer to engage in business with you. Whether it is a sales pitch presentation, an email sales pitch or an elevator pitch, it is vital for businesses to hone their sales pitch into a clear, concise and brief manner, especially as the attention span of people in today’s society dwindles as the adoption of technology skyrockets. A product pitch is similar to a sales pitch, but it is entirely focused on pitching the features and benefits of a single product alone, rather than an idea or service.

Businesses must take advantage of any small window of opportunity to persuade a prospect and convince them why their offering is superior, and how it suits their needs. An effective sales pitch not only helps you optimise your time, but also maximise your efforts. As Ron Malhorta quotes “Underachievement and mediocrity is the result when people are not skilled at optimising their time and maximising their efforts.”

A sales pitch can either be formal or informal. The style and tone of voice should match the environment you are in, the audience you are speaking to, and the nature of the idea, product or service itself. According to a report published by the University of Florida, 20% of top sales reps close 80% of all sales deals, meaning that it is up to the salesperson to perfect their pitch, tone, method, and style of delivery.

The audience may know nothing about the idea, product or service, or they may have previously expressed interest. The average win rate of closing a sale after getting the opportunity to offer a proposal or give a quote, is 47%. Whether or not the deal is closed, largely depends upon the salesperson’s technique and ability to hook the prospect based on the value they offer.

Types of sales pitches include a presentation sales pitch, “elevator” pitch, phone sales pitch, email sales pitch, start-up pitch, cold call pitch, subject line sales pitch, or social media pitch. A combination of sales pitches may be required for a single prospect, across multiple touch points.

 

How to Write a Sales Pitch

 

1. Know your prospects needs before offering a tailored solution

The first step in the process of writing a good sales pitch is to identify your target audiences’ needs. The more specific the understanding you have of their needs, the more you are able to offer a tailored solution that enables you to solve their key problems.

By finding answers to the below, you will gain a strong understanding of your target audiences’ needs:

• What is your target audience demographics? (Age, profession, location)
• What is their budget or ideal price range?
• What are their pain points and main challenges?
• How do these challenges affect them on an emotional level? 
• What are they currently doing that is not working?
• What is it costing them to remain in the situation they are currently in?
• What are their desired outcomes and overall goals?

By listening with intent, and having deep understanding and knowledge of your offer, you will be able to come up with a well-crafted tailored solution with ease and on the spot if required, as you engage with your prospect. It’s vital to know the specifics of your offer in detail, so you can present your solution with utmost confidence and certainty.

 

2. Share a story to create a deeper connection with your audience

One of the most powerful and effective methods for a good sales pitch is storytelling, as it acts as a means to tap into your audience’s innate human desires. A successful salesperson will know how to captivate their audience and create an emotional connection with customers, educating them in a way that resonates with them far more deeply than just informative and educational talk alone.

The storytelling technique also helps make a product or service more interesting, which then helps your audience remember your brand. This helps keep you at the forefront of their minds, as they go through the stages of their decision making process.

Lastly, stir your audience’s emotions with your sales pitch. People love to hear about “heroes” who come up against obstacles and what they did to overcome them. Storytelling helps to create a connection with your audience in a way that is deep and meaningful. How well you can connect with your audience will have a lasting impact on the entire length of the customer relationship.

 

3. Find a hook that pulls at your prospect’s needs and desires

Emotional trigger selling is a technique that ensures the audience creates an emotional connection and bond with your brand and offer, and drives them further towards purchasing. Help your audience to deeply visualize how their life will feel as a result of purchasing your product or service, as pursuing their own personal needs and desires play a major part in their decision making process.

On written forms of copy, according to Copyblogger, 80% of people will read your headline and only 20% will read the rest. When pitching your idea, product or service, consider the below ways to have them become the “heroes” of their own story, through stirring an emotional trigger.

• The feeling that they are more unique, heroic and powerful
• A greater sense of belonging and community
• The joy of having achieved their goals
• Their relationships have improved and they are happier
• A boost in social status amongst their peers
• They are on the path of least resistance and effort

If you can convince your audience that you are the person who can take them from their current state to their desired state, they will not only find a lot more value in your offer, but also be willing to pay a premium price to have those needs and desires met.

Also Read: 13 Leadership Qualities That Make You an Exceptional Leader

 

4. Emphasize the benefits not just the features

Describing features alone, means you completely miss the key factors that help the target audience understand how those features can improve their lives in beneficial ways.

Listing features are still important however, as describing what the product or service does helps set you apart from your competition. Benefits on the other hand gives your customer a reason to purchase and helps you to justify the current price, or justify your reason to raise the price. The more you understand your audience’s problems and desires, the more you will be able to explain the benefits in a way that suits them specifically, in a tailored fashion.

 

5. Describe how their life will look after they purchase from you

The more you can describe in detail how their lives will positively change, the more they will be able to visualise it in their minds.
By nature, people seek to fulfill emotions such as happiness, joy, love, connection, significance, belonging, and freedom. Ask questions that prompt them to visualise their life if they purchased your offer. For example, a business coach or mentor could ask their prospect “in what ways would your life change if your business bought in an extra $1,000 a week?”.

Also Read: 7 Mistakes to Avoid During The Closing Remarks of a Speech

 

6. Be ready to answer any objections

Objections can throw off a great sales pitch. However, if you are prepared, you can overcome the audience’s objections in a natural and smooth manner.
First, you must actively listen and acknowledge your prospects’ concern. Make them feel heard, and understand that their concern is valid. By asking questions about their concern, you can then leverage any social proof, data or references to help back your claims. When done in a relaxed and smooth manner, you can lead the conversation into either closing the sale, or setting a time to follow up. You do not want to react negatively, or act in a defensive manner, as your audience may perceive that you are only in it for the sale, as opposed to acting in their best interests to help them fulfill their needs.

 

7. Back it up with data and references

Statistics and figures that prove as a testament to the legitimacy and effectiveness of your offering is crucial, as it builds trust and credibility. Testimonials are an example of a reference you can show your audience. 72% of consumers say that testimonials make them trust a company more. This is because consumers are more likely to trust one another, rather than a sales pitch on its own.

Backing up your claims with statistics, as well as future trends, can also influence a person in their decision making process. This way you also educate your customer in a way where they can better foresee and visualise their desired situation.

 

Final Thoughts

As Ron Malhotra quotes, “Million dollar ideas are common. Million dollar executions are rare.” It is easier to believe you can come up with a sales pitch on the spot, or even “wing it”, however, it is important to venture outside of your comfort zone no matter how uncomfortable it may feel. The more times you present your sales script, the more natural it will feel and the more confident you will become in the process. Your audience will know that you truly care about fulfilling their needs and they will look to you as someone they can trust to help take them from their current state to their desired state.

 

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

 

How long should a sales pitch be?

Aim to keep your pitch concise and brief. Constantly refine your pitch by removing any irrelevant information and features that may cause the prospect to experience information overload. Your pitch will vary depending on the format. For example, a cold call sales pitch should be no longer than 8 minutes. According to the conversation intelligence platform, Chorus, 7.5 minutes is the average length of a cold call that converts into the next step in the buyer process.

An email sales pitch should be no longer than 300 words, and a sales presentation should be no longer than 20 minutes. Any longer and you can expect your audience’s attention to wane.

 

What should be included in a pitch?

Your pitch should be carried out in a passionate and confident manner and include the following:

 

1. Introduce yourself in a way that leaves a positive first impression.
2. Share a story in a way that creates a meaningful connection with your audience.
3. Acknowledge the prospects challenges to show you understand their concerns.
4. Highlight the features and benefits of your offer.
5. Present the solution.
6. Ask for the sale with an irresistible call to action.

 

What is an elevator pitch?

An “elevator” pitch is a brief and persuasive description of your idea, product, or service, where you wish to engage the prospect within a short window of opportunity. An elevator pitch is typically no longer than 2 minutes. Within the 2 minute timeframe, you should be able to describe the specific problem you help solve, and the solution you offer in its most simplest terms.

Persuasion is an art and a skill that, when effectively executed well, is a potent proponent in achieving business goals. According to Very Well Mind, persuasion is a symbolic process in which communicators try to convince other people to change their attitudes or behaviors regarding an issue through the transmission of a message in an atmosphere of free choice.

 

 

Although everyone innately possesses some level of persuasive skill, we can all become more persuasive. Many will ask in wonderment, “How does one become more persuasive?” Firstly, by following this simple communication hack by Ron Malhotra, “Delete all the words not required.” Persuasion may require convincing words, but it’s still important to be concise and strategic.

 

 

The next step is to implement persuasive techniques. By utilizing persuasive techniques such as establishing trust and credibility, comprehending the reader’s purpose to align with your own, paying attention to language, and using tenets such as rhetoric and repetition, you are well on your way to being persuasive. These principles are all rooted in the fundamental techniques of effective persuasion – ethos (speaker’s status or authority), pathos (emotional appeal), and logos (audience reasoning ability).

 

 

 

 

1. Know Your Audience

 

 

It doesn’t matter what you have to say if you don’t know the people you are saying it to. Whether it’s a large crowd, a single person, or a panel of colleagues, equipping yourself with knowledge of who you are speaking to goes a long way in making your persuasion more effective.

 

 

If you’re addressing a crowd, then it is vital to know the demographic of your audience so you can craft your persuasion to appeal to them. If you’re using your persuasive techniques for a prospective client, your boss, or as a leader, you must know their dominant personality traits, strengths, and weaknesses. By knowing these factors, you can strategically play upon them, ultimately leveraging them to your benefit. This simple technique will aid you immensely when persuading in business.

 

 

 

2. Body Language

 

 

Even before you begin to speak, your body language is shouting from the rooftop. Perhaps the most underrated aspect of persuasive communication techniques is body language. A great way to be convincing is ensuring your body language is just as persuasive as your words.

 

 

A confident stance is one of the first steps in persuasion. Presenting yourself as self-assured to your audience creates a great first expression. Our body language sets the tone for the discourse that is to follow.

 

 

Open your posture, stand tall and make eye contact. Resist the urge to fidget or constantly dart your eyes. Actions of this nature make others feel uneasy and make you appear as lacking trust and credibility. Use your hands to gesture (but not too much) and loosen your facial expression to flow with the conversation.

 

 

 

3. Value Proposition

 

 

One of the initial setbacks to fully maximizing persuasive communication is the fear of manipulating people. A practical, compelling tool of leaders is persuasive communication without compromising integrity. The solution to this is the value proposition.

 

 

Science of People states that a value proposition, or positioning statement, is basically a 30-second elevator pitch of what you do and why your product or service is valuable. When you have the undivided attention of a decision-maker or someone you are trying to convince, your value proposition answers your audience’s questions. These questions include:

 

 

• What does your service/product/expertise mean for me?
• Why should I buy this product/service or hire you over all others we’re considering?
• How is your expertise/product/service different from others we’re looking at?
• What problem does your service/product/expertise solve?
• Why should I listen to you?
• Your value proposition will serve as an effective tool for propelling your persuasion in business communication.

 

 

 

4. Rapport/Be Relatable

 

 

Another great skill to employ for persuasion in business is the ability to build rapport with your audience rapidly. You do this by ensuring that you are personal. You start off with the universal language of a smile and you follow up by making your audience feel like they just happen to be having a kitchen table talk with an expert. Ensure you speak to your audience values by speaking with them and not to them, or worse above them. Persuasion is only possible if people are comfortable enough to be open to what you’re saying.

 

 

 

5. Emotional Resonance/Storytelling

 

 

A highly effective persuasive tip to increasing your relatability and garner a potent emotional response is telling a personal story.

 

 

When an audience hears a personal story, they latch on emotionally. When they can picture themselves in your situation, they begin to understand you better and greater levels of trust can be built. When you manage to persuade someone from an emotional stance, half of the work of convincing them is complete. Whether you’re selling a product or service, it is always wise to ensure you find an emotionally relatable ground. Don’t ever underestimate the power of leveraging personal storytelling.

 

 

 

6. Be Bold About Objections

 

 

One of the most effective persuasive techniques is acknowledging objections to what you’re saying. If you’re a speaker, this could be opposing studies or dogmas. If you’re a seller, then your objection can take the form of product and service competitors. It doesn’t matter the capacity as long as you identify, compare, and contrast the objections.

 

 

By doing this, you present yourself as fair and unbiased. It allows you to speak about something familiar to your audience and shows how your offerings are better. Recognizing opposing forces shows you aren’t stuck in your bubble and that you appreciate other words, people, and products that aren’t your own. Giving credence to objections shows that you are confident in what you feel, so highlighting the competition only makes you look even better. Stuck asking yourself how to be more persuasive objectively? Then this is one of the best persuasive tips you will ever encounter. Always remember, “Massive success, requires massive courage” (Ron Malhotra)

 

 

 

7. Be An Authority

 

 

A persuasive conversation is only possible if you are an authority on the topic of discussion. You can only persuade someone if they believe that you are coming from a place of knowledge. You must be the best in your arena and with evidence to boot if you wish to persuade anyone.

 

 

Presenting yourself as a thought leader or an expert with accolades ensures your audience won’t think twice about what you’re telling them. If no one thinks you’re of the ilk to be dispensing the information, they simply won’t believe.

 

 

 

 

There is no such thing as too much credibility when persuading your audience. But be sure to do this without coming across as arrogant.

 

 

 

8. Be Passionate

 

 

Being passionate is just as crucial as being an expert. People love accolades as much as they love someone who is impassioned about their products or services. Don’t hold back on the love you have for what you’re doing. Bubbling over with passion also goes a long way in helping to invoke a strong emotional response in your audience. There is nothing more gripping or convincing than someone who has a genuine love for what they do.

 

 

People can quickly pick up on inauthenticity and lack of interest. No one wants to buy something that the seller does not appear to be genuinely interested in. If you truly believe that your product and service is worthwhile, people will more quickly be persuaded by you.

 

 

 

9. Be The Solution

 

 

Another critical component of persuasion is being the solution. The surefire way to achieve persuasion in business is solving a problem that almost seems insurmountable.

 

 

When you couple your authoritativeness with confidence, critiques, and a solution, you won’t have much left to do in convincing anyone that you’re the best choice. Be bold with your assertions. Don’t be afraid to say you are the best. The easiest way to persuade someone is to be clear and concise in who you are, what you do, and how well you do it.

 

 

So be bold. Don’t say, “I think” or “I believe.” Instead, confidently quip, “I know.” Stop adding qualifiers to your speech. If you think something will work, say it will work. If you believe something will work, give reasons why it will work. The minute you second guess yourself, everyone else will realize it, and you lose your advantage and the opportunity the persuasive conversations hold.

 

 

When presenting yourself, ideas, or products as the solution, you must eliminate the idea of any potential risks. By eliminating any perceived risks, you encourage people to accept your idea or try your products safely. Methods such as authentic positive testimonials, money-back guarantees, and being open to providing additional information or education surrounding the concept can help eliminate the potential loss-aversion that could prevent someone from fully engaging with your ideas or products.

 

 

 

Final Thoughts

 

 

A persuading conversation is not merely words but a mixture of engaging dialect, assertive body language, and solutions. It doesn’t matter the audience, the industry, or product; persuasive communication in business is the key to consistent success.

 

 

Pick your words carefully, be straightforward, ooze confidence, wave your accomplishments and be prepared to persuade like the professional you are.

 

 

It won’t be easy; persuasion is a time-honored skill that needs to be perfected. But guess what, nothing in life worth having is easy. Ron Malhotra said it best when he posited, “Life is hard, but it’s harder for those who expect it to be easy.”

 

 

 

FAQ

 

 

Why is persuasion important?

 

 

Persuasion is important as it allows you to directly influence someone’s thoughts and responses to a specific situation or topic. Effective persuasion will see your influence resulting in a scenario favorable to you.

 

 

What is persuasion in business?

 

 

Persuasion in business is the ability to lead customers, peers, or staff to create your desired outcome. In business, through marketing, you persuade customers to purchase products or services, thus driving up sales and increasing profits. In corporations, being an effective leader is usually characterized by the ability to persuade your team to align with each other and work with specific materials or technologies to maximize productivity.

 

 

What is a persuasive repetition technique?

 

 

Persuasive repetition is the technique utilized to elicit resonance with your audience. According to psychologists, you eventually convince your audience that what you’re saying is true when you use repetition. The more you say something, the more your listeners will be inclined to believe.

 

 

What is heuristic persuasion?

 

 

The heuristic model of persuasion is a theory detailing that persuasive messages can be digested in two different ways – systematic and heuristic. Systematic processing is the careful assessment of the merits of relevant information in the persuasive content. The Heuristic method of processing is the use of a subset of the information in the content as a foundation for determining if the message should be accepted.

 

 

What are persuasive techniques in advertising?

 

 

Ethos, pathos, and logos are the three categories of persuasive advertising techniques. Each type describes a different appeal between speaker and audience. Ethos calls upon the speaker’s ethics, or the values. Pathos speaks to the emotional resonance of the speaker to the audience, and logos appeals to the audience’s logical reasoning ability.