Three Reasons Your Sales Pitch Isn’t Working

There’s no denying it – sales is an art. Anyone who’s seen a good salesperson in action can testify to it. To sell well, you have to be receptive to a host of changing factors, and you have to learn to give people (customers) what they want. Salesmanship is hard, and it’s a balancing act. If you haven’t yet mastered the art of predictively closing a deal, here are a few tips to try on your next pitch – you may never have known you were falling into these common traps of the trade.

Your pitch is not adaptive.
When you’re making a sale, do you have a piece of copy that you stick to? Have you memorized a list of pros, and do you make sure you tell them all to every customer? Does your engagement stay basically the same, no matter who you’re talking to? This strategy could be hurting your sales performance. Every customer is different, and they all want something unique from you and your company. Let the customers’ hurts speak before you do – listen to what the customer needs, use your knowledge to determine the root cause of their needs expression, and then show them how your solution would work for them.

You’re over-pitching.
This is something we’ve talked about before on this blog, and it’s a common pitfall. So often, when you’re pushing a product, it’s easy to get carried away and to oversell. If you’re a nonstop fount of information, you will likely overwhelm your customer. “Telling is not Selling!” Have a two-way dialogue with your customer, ask questions about their situation, and don’t try to make your solution seem too perfect – they’ll wonder what the “catch” is. Be candid and open about the solution you represent, and identify with your customer.

You don’t know your audience.
Are you trying to sell to a market that doesn’t need your product? Doesn’t want it? Give yourself the gift of playing to your audience. It’s tempting to try to make EVERY sale, but sometimes your product just isn’t what someone is looking for. For instance, if your potential customer tells you that she lives in an apartment, and your company paints home exteriors, you can probably give up on the sale – renters don’t have much say in those issues, and going for a hard sell will only waste time. Wait for a customer who has a qualified need for what you’re selling – your chances of making the sale will be a lot better.