After you have made contact with your prospect and

have assessed their problems, it is time to make your sales pitch.

This part consists of three tasks that often happen simultaneously.

Presenting the facts, information and anything related to the product or

services, and link any objections raised by the prospect without seeming

aggressive, and finally getting a commitment from them to buy.

Let's consider the presentation first.

When we use the words sales pitch, it brings to mind a one-way conversation.

You're pitching all this information to a prospect in the hopes that

they will go for it.

That's not how it should be.

Think of it more as a conversation, where you talk about 20% of the time,

and listen the other 80$.

If you listen effectively, then you know how best to deliver your product.

How you sell your product depends on the feedback you're

receiving from your prospect.

If price is their biggest concern, sell them on cost savings, time or

risk reduction and increased profits.

Better yet, quantify these points in ways specific to their situation.

This might require more homework on your part, but

it will increase your chances of getting the sale.

Not all people are focused on price though.

In that case, sell them on the unique features of your product and

how those features can help their business.

While you're making your presentation,

your prospect might object to your sales pitch.

It is your job to be prepared for any type of objection.

Take some time to prepare a script beforehand with answers to

the most common objections, until you are well-versed with your product.

Now some people are against scripts,

saying it sounds more natural if you don't read off of it.

A good compromise is to just list out important points you want to raise,

as well as any objectives you want to hit.

That way you can just refer to the list as you go along.

You should know the strengths and weaknesses of your product or

service, who your competition is, and why you can do a better job.

What is your unique selling proposition?

As your prospect raises each objection, you should circumvent it by providing

the appropriate answer to the question without coming off as aggressive or needy.

No one likes clingy or overly excited salespeople.

Finally, you want to get a commitment.

Your sales efforts might be successful all the way up to the end, but

unless you get a commitment from your prospect you haven't made a sale yet.

To be best prepared to do this,

go into a sales call with a commitment objective in mind.

The objective can be anything you want the prospect to agree to.

Now, this might not necessarily be getting an order.

It could also be scheduling an appointment with all the relevant decision makers,

getting the prospect to attend a product demonstration, and

anything that gets you closer to your ultimate goal, which is making that sale.

The sales process is not a one-time process, and

that's where you can go wrong.

For example, most people are daunted by cold calls because they think they have to

pick up the phone, call a random person, and make the sale right there.

That's not how it works.

Making the sale with a single prospect can take multiple sales calls,

each with its own process and commitment objectives.

Once you've made the sale, you proceed to the last step of the sales cycle,

and that's servicing your client.

This isn't really a last step.

If you have an ongoing relationship with your client, and

you should, then you leave the door open for future sales.