Tips to Improve Your Sales Pitch

After 7 years of navigating sales and leading teams in price-sensitive markets across Southeast Asia, I've broken down my experience into these 10 lessons: 1. Leverage real-world examples: When addressing prospects' questions, anchor your responses in actual experiences with other clients. This illustrates social proof without sounding boastful. 2. Showcase intimate understanding: While discussing your product, be tactical, not theoretical; see #1. Display an in-depth understanding of the problem and the client's workflow. 3. Demonstrate first, ask second: Highlight the efficacy of your solution without pushing clients into an immediate commitment. Consider giving consultations, hosting workshops, delivering event talks, or writing articles. 4. Engage, don't oversell on LinkedIn: Stay active on LinkedIn, but refrain from frequent direct selling. Instead, genuinely engage with prospects' content and assist them. Ideally, they shall approach you first. 5. Outbound sales done right: If reaching out, ensure you a) contact 3 to 4 individuals within target organizations, b) A/B test email content and subjects, and c) follow up 3 to 4 times. Rinse and repeat. 6. Emphasize social proof: Populate your digital channels with client testimonials. Create a prominent “Wall of Love” on your website to host all testimonials and case studies, then distribute these across emails, ads, website, social media, blogs, and onboarding materials. 7. Build a lot of social proof: Consider the following to gather more testimonials: a) Offer to draft them for your client, b) Provide services at a reduced/no cost initially, and c) Incentivize the sales team not just for closing deals but also for acquiring testimonials/case studies. 8. Experience on the ground matters: Invest time in your target markets. Begin pitches by sharing personal anecdotes and what you cherish about that particular country. 9. Optimize commission structures: Continually refine your commission structures. Experiment until you find the sweet spot where the team is incentivized optimally for maximum output. 10. Streamline your deck: All supplementary slides should be in an appendix, displayed only if required. The deck structure I like follows this: a) introduce you and your company b) the as-is state c) why existing solutions are not effective d) requirements for the new world e) your solution f) demo g) social proof h) next steps What have I missed?

5 proven tips to nail your coaching or training sales pitch (even if selling makes you nervous) For years, I struggled with sales calls. I'd ramble, jump around topics, and often leave prospects more confused than convinced. The reason? I didn’t have a clear structure for my pitch. Once I learned to prepare my pitch properly, everything changed. Here’s the exact process I now follow — and it’s helped me (and my clients) feel confident and close more deals without pressure. 1️⃣ Present your statement of expertise Before diving into your pitch. Boost your prospect’s confidence in you. Recap what you've heard during the discovery phase. Then confidently say something like: "𝘉𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘥, 𝘐’𝘮 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘧𝘪𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘺𝘰𝘶. 𝘞𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘩𝘰𝘸?" 2️⃣ Start with a strong value proposition This is your hook. The moment that frames your offer in a way that sticks. Then show your visual (if you have one) to provide a clear summary of your offer. Use a simple statement like: "𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘮𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘦𝘦-𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘱 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 [𝘟 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘭𝘵]." 3️⃣ Outline your 3 key points These should focus on outcomes not features. Highlight the benefits. What they’ll gain, not just what they’ll get. Instead of saying, "We’ll use my coaching framework," try: "𝘠𝘰𝘶'𝘭𝘭 𝘸𝘢𝘭𝘬 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢 𝘤𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘳𝘰𝘢𝘥𝘮𝘢𝘱 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘦𝘹𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘰 𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 [𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘭𝘵]" 4️⃣ Preempt objections If you know your prospective clients often hesitate on timing, weave a solution into your pitch. For example, "𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦 𝘱𝘦𝘰𝘱𝘭𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘰 𝘮𝘶𝘤𝘩 𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘦 — 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘰𝘴𝘵 𝘤𝘭𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 3 𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴 𝘢 𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘬." Or try, "𝘞𝘦 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘱-𝘣𝘺-𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘱 𝘨𝘶𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘴𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘭𝘦𝘧𝘵 𝘨𝘶𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨." 5️⃣ Wrap it up with confidence End by connecting the dots between your offer and their goals. Recap your points, then connect everything back to their dream outcome. End with something like, "𝘛𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘴 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱𝘦𝘥 𝘥𝘰𝘻𝘦𝘯𝘴 𝘰𝘧 [𝘢𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘢𝘳] 𝘭𝘪𝘬𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 [𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘶𝘭𝘵𝘴] — 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘱 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘵𝘰𝘰." Then pause. Let them process Silence often creates space for them to seek further clarity and ultimately say ‘yes’.

I've pitched in various roles for about a decade now. Here's my best tips to win more pitches. 1. Pitch only when you can win. 2. Evaluate each prospect on budget, strategic fit, creative potential, and culture. Pass if two of the four fail. 3. Open with the client's problem, not your show‑reel. About us goes in the appendix and gets no more than two slides, one of which should be your team. Give the first 90 percent of the deck to their challenges, market, and goals. 4. One person from your agency should introduce everyone. Do not go around the room. It should sound like, "This is Zachary Carpenter, he's responsible for X, and in just a moment, he'll tell you the interesting things he found about your consumer that informed our creative." Tie every introduction to the pitch. 5. Frame the pitch as one clear story. Ruthlessly cut anything that doesn't respond to it. This is not the time to pile on. Do that in a leave behind. Draft a two sentence narrative that states the tension and the future state. Use that line to police every slide, visual, and transition. 6. Prove you understand them before day one. Mystery shop their product, scrape reviews, speak with past agency partners, and walk their stores or site. 7. Open the meeting with a finding they have likely never heard before. 8. Win on chemistry. Be a friend before you are a salesperson. Friends are far more likely to listen. 9. Bring only the core team who will work on the business. 10. Rehearse until the talk track feels like muscle memory. Schedule three full run throughs on camera. Time each section, trim five percent, and fix every stumble the same day. 11. Design slides for three second comprehension. One idea per slide, no more than eight words in any text block, 60 point minimum font, full bleed images whenever possible. Slides should be visual aides, not drivers of the presentation. 12. Offer a bold point of view. Ask yourself if it's actually bold. State a provocative insight or strategic bet in the first five minutes, then back it with one killer stat and one case example. 13. Close with the next steps, not questions. End with a simple chart showing timeline, decision gates, fee structure, and kickoff date. 14. Leave a more comprehensive leave-behind that includes anything you cut from the pitch and loved. 15. Run a post mortem every time. Within 24 hours gather the team, list three wins and three misses, capture client feedback verbatim, and update the pitch playbook before the memory fades.

Sales calls don't need to be long. They need to be structured. I've been on both sides of the table in over 4,000 deal conversations. The ones that close follow a tight 30-minute structure. No rambling, no guessing, and no "let me follow up next week." Here's the exact call flow, broken into 6 parts: 1) The 30-Minute Sales Call Agenda ↳ Small talk + one magic question (1-2 min) ↳ Their story (2 min) ↳ Your story (5 min) ↳ Show, don't tell (5 min) ↳ Q&A (5 min) ↳ Discovery (5 min) ↳ Next steps (5 min) Every minute in this structure has a purpose, and that's what keeps the call moving. 2) Sales Prep Essentials ↳ Deck: Keep a 5-10 slide backup, but don't lean on it too much. ↳ Offer: Say the exact price and deliverable so there's zero confusion. ↳ Research: Check their LinkedIn, find mutual connections, and understand their pain before you get on the call. 💡 The more you know going in, the less selling you have to do on the call. 3) The 3 Magic Questions ↳ "What led you to take this meeting?" This makes them sell themselves on you before you say a word. ↳ "What makes our time together a 10/10?" Now you know exactly what to deliver, and they feel heard. ↳ "Tell me more about you." This builds rapport and gives you everything you need to tailor the pitch on the spot. 💡 Skip these three and you're guessing what they actually want. 4) Show, Don't Tell ↳ Run a live demo instead of describing features. ↳ Flash a real client result instead of making promises. ↳ Show a before/after instead of saying "we improve outcomes." 💡 A graph showing growth from 2% to 8% will always beat the best slide deck in the room. 5) Closing the Meeting ↳ Book the follow-up call on the spot instead of saying "I'll send some times." ↳ If they hesitate, ask "What concerns do you have?" and pull objections into the open. ↳ Send a recap email within the hour with notes and action items attached. 💡 A calendar invite plus a follow-up email is the real close, not the handshake. Takeaway: ↳ Control the meeting by setting the agenda early to build trust. ↳ Lead with a strong story because people buy from people, not products. ↳ Lock in next steps before the conversation goes cold, because speed protects deals. Stop treating sales calls like casual conversations and start treating them like a system. The founders who close consistently aren't better talkers. They just run a tighter meeting. You either control the meeting or the meeting controls you. Where are you right now? ♻ Repost if this helped.  ✅ Follow Kinza Azmat for posts on growing, leading, and scaling a business.

Old school sales tactics are broken. Nobody responds to a hard sell anymore... The best pitches don't feel like sales calls, they feel like a diagnosis. When I first started Lever, I'd get on calls and try to convince people they needed what we offered. It felt forced and no one cared. But everything changed when I stopped trying to convince and started trying to understand. When you do that, the sale becomes natural. Not because you convince them, but because they can see you get their problem better than anyone else. And there are a few things that make that possible: 1. Define A Clear ICP (Ideal Customer Profile) Know exactly who you're selling to. Figure out: → Who this is built for? → What stage they're at? → What they're struggling with? → Who this isn't for? 2. Understand Their Pain Points Show you understand what they're going through. Ask: → "What's your setup now?" → "What's broken?" → "What's that costing you?" → "What changes if this gets solved?" 3. Create An Irresistible Offer Everything flows from your offer. If it's weak, nothing else matters. Make it valuable, clear, and tied to the outcome they want. 4. Build An Ecosystem That Drives Leads Build systems that generate attention, nurture it, and convert it. → Content, outbound, ads → Newsletters, lead magnets, funnels → Calls, product pages 5. Remove Risk With Proof Don't just talk. Show evidence. → Results with context → The process you followed → Predictable timelines Skip the pitch until you've earned trust with proof. 6. Make The Next Step Easy End every conversation with clarity: → "Here's what I'd do next." → "Want me to map this out for you?" No pressure. Just direction. 7. Ask for Referrals Great work leads to referrals naturally. → Deliver a clear win → Remind them who you help → Make it easy to introduce others Sales get easier when you stop trying to convince people and start helping them see what's possible. If you want more breakdowns on building trust and turning conversations into clients, subscribe to our free newsletter, Building Leverage. Each week, we'll give you quick tools to grow your influence and close more deals without feeling pushy. Subscribe here: https://lnkd.in/eqJtR_Vf

𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝑨𝒓𝒕 𝒐𝒇 𝑷𝒊𝒕𝒄𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈: 7 𝑳𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝑰’𝒗𝒆 𝑳𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒆𝒅   Over the years, I’ve discovered that pitching isn’t just about presenting an idea—it’s about inspiring belief. I remember pitching my first big idea, nervous but determined. That experience taught me some lifelong lessons, and I’m sharing them here to help you nail your next pitch.   𝟏. 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐖𝐡𝐲 People connect with purpose, not just ideas. Start with why your idea exists and why it matters. This sets the emotional foundation for your pitch.   𝟐. 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐬𝐲𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐆𝐚𝐦𝐞 Every pitch involves strategy. Pay attention to body language, tone, and reactions. Adapt in real-time to create connection and trust.   𝟑. 𝐁𝐞 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐝 Confidence is born from preparation. Anticipate every question, master your numbers, and rehearse until you’re pitch-perfect. When you’re prepared, you can focus on delivering your vision.   𝟒. 𝐔𝐬𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐨𝐧 𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐞 Keep it simple. Investors don’t want jargon—they want clarity and impact. Get to the point and make your pitch easy to follow.   𝟓. 𝐓𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐚 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐒𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐬 Stories persuade more than facts. Frame your pitch as a journey: start with the problem, introduce your solution, and end with an inspiring vision of success.   𝟔. 𝐒𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐘𝐨𝐮 Investors bet on people, not just ideas. Show your energy, passion, and expertise. Confidence and authenticity can win over even the toughest critics.   𝟕. 𝐂𝐥𝐨𝐬𝐞 𝐒𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐕𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞 End by painting a vivid picture of the future and expressing gratitude for their time. Inspire them and make them feel valued.   I’ve been on both sides of the table—as the one pitching and as the one being pitched to. These lessons shaped my journey, and I hope they help you on yours.   Now, I’m looking for recruitment entrepreneurs in the US with innovative ideas, and I’m ready to invest in your startup. If you’ve got a vision, let’s bring it to life! Drop a comment below or send me a private message to start the conversation.   So, what’s your big idea? Let’s make it happen.    #Funding #Startup #Recruitment

If you want to force yourself to boil down your story/pitch, volunteer to share it with 4th graders. 🤣 Spent the afternoon sharing my entrepreneurial journey and helping them with their pitches (for a project they are working on). I was blown away by their questions, level of engagement, and some of their concepts. Our future is bright, folks! To keep it simple, I focused on 3 lessons learned and 3 key parts of any pitch. If you had to share just 3 (in either category), any you'd swap for mine? Lessons I shared: 1. Solve real problems: work on problems that matter a lot to people. Help them fix something important. It is much easier to sell a painkiller than a vitamin (especially early on before you have any loyal customers/users). 2. Dream big, start small: it’s great to have big dreams! But first, focus on solving one small problem really well. You want your first product to be a scalpel, not a Swiss Army Knife. 3. Team > idea: Good ideas aren't the bottleneck, great execution is. To win, you'll need a world-class team to help you execute on your vision. 3 keys to a good pitch: 1. What problem are you solving? Start by clearly describing the specific problem or pain point people experience. Focus on why this problem matters and who is affected. 2. How are you solving the problem? Explain your idea or product and how it solves the problem. Highlight how your approach is practical, effective, or innovative. 3. What makes you unique? Share what sets your idea, product, or team apart from others. This could be your expertise, technology, or a creative twist.

My dad used to say: “Son, stop trying so hard to be interesting... start being interested instead.” That advice has never been more true than in sales. Because if you’re doing most of the talking during your sales calls, you’re doing it wrong. You’re not selling. You’re showboating. And it’s costing you money. Sales isn’t about you. It’s not about your product. And it’s sure as hell not about your pitch deck. It’s about trust. Trust that you understand their problem well enough to solve it. Trust that you’re not full of crap. And people don’t trust people who don’t listen. So here’s your No B.S. reminder: If you’re educating your prospect on what you can do before you’ve educated yourself on who they are and what they’re dealing with… You’re committing sales malpractice. Especially in complex deals where there’s more than one decision-maker in the room. So forget your pitch for a second. And instead ask yourself: “What do I need to learn in this conversation to see if this person is even ready for our help?” Then shut up and listen. Ask real questions. Not fluffy ones. Questions that dig deep into what’s happening behind the scenes. And don’t just listen to respond. Listen to learn. When they’re done talking, say this: “Here’s what I heard… what did I miss?” That one line alone builds more trust than 10 slides about your “proprietary 3-step process.” The more you learn, the more they feel understood. The more they feel understood, the more they trust you. And the more they trust you, the more you sell. Not just once. But repeatedly. Without all the B.S.