Stop us if you've heard this before. Barely after a rep has introduced themselves, they've already jumped into listing product features. Nine times out of ten, the prospect certainly stops the rep in their tracks. This is not how to make a sales pitch.
A sales pitch is about creating a moment where a prospect sees that you’ve understood their world and have something of real value to offer.
Almost every buyer does homework on a company before a meeting, but 73% of buyers feel sales reps do not understand their business needs, according to Forrester. If your pitch feels generic, you’re already behind.
Before founding RepMove, CEO Dillon Baird led a successful career as an outside sales rep. His main advice is showing how you can become a trusted partner for your prospects.
"It’s about building a relationship and actively listening. A sales pitch in outside sales is not a single moment. You need to show up repeatedly to earn trust and then deliver it back ten-fold. You’re not just a sales rep. You need to be a problem solver. When a prospect or customer has a problem, you’re the go-to person to provide a solution," he said.
A sales pitch communicates the value a prospective buyer will receive from a seller. Too many salespeople make a critical mistake: they think a sales pitch is simply listing off product or service features and trying to show how amazing their company is. That’s a good way to get somebody to tune out. The way to get a prospect to tune in? A good story.
Humans are naturally attracted to the proverbial campfire and the stories it promises. Spinning an effective tale taps into this universal desire. Taking it a step further, positioning your buyer as the story’s hero makes them even more invested in the story’s outcome.
That’s all a good sales pitch is. A story. And to bring it back to the earlier point: “The effectiveness of that story, however, rests not with what you want to say, but with how meaningful it is to your customers,” according to the Harvard Business Review.
Watch RepMove's On-Demand Demo
A sales pitch starts a dialogue. You’re opening the door to a partnership. It also serves more than one role. Experts point out that a well‑prepared pitch helps you organize your thoughts and save time by limiting improvisation. And when prospects know you’ve taken the time to understand them, they’re more likely to trust you.
Great pitches begin long before you’re face-to-face. It starts with research. You need to research the prospect’s business. At the very least, be familiar with the industry’s challenges, if not an expert on them. Ultimately, you need to understand their needs and their goals. Dig into annual reports. Stay up to date on industry trends. Follow relevant creators on social media or popular industry podcasts to identify pain points.
Then you build a value proposition that speaks directly to those issues. You aren’t memorizing a script, but gathering enough knowledge to have a genuine conversation. If you’re talking to a construction supplier, for example, show you understand the logistics challenges of delivering heavy materials on a tight schedule to jobsites. For a medical device distributor, show awareness of compliance requirements and long buying cycles for providers.
The opening breaths of your pitch sets the tone for your conversation. You should always tailor your opener to the audience by asking a provocative question, presenting a compelling statistic, or sharing a short anecdote.
For instance, “Did you know that 73 percent of reps fail to understand their client’s needs? We’re here to change that.”
Your hook should highlight the prospect’s pain point and hint that your solution will solve their problems.
A field rep might say, “Most distributors I speak with are losing hours each week planning routes. What if you could gain that time back and visit more customers?”
After your hook, pivot to the buyer’s challenge. Articulate the problem from the prospect’s perspective. Put them at center stage of the story. This is where empathy comes in. You might describe the frustration of missing a customer meeting due to bad routing or how juggling spreadsheets to track deals slows everything down.
Once the problem is clear, introduce your solution clearly. Instead of saying you have inventory, tell them you can have product on their doorstep tomorrow morning. Rather than sharing how your supply better quality than the competition, talk about how the prospect’s customers will reorder twice as fast once they experience it. A strong pitch distills your unique selling proposition into a story that resonates with the prospect’s goals, and makes them feel like the protagonist of their own story.
Sign Up for a Free RepMove Trial
Buyers hear countless pitches so your pitch needs to stand out. Personalizing your unique benefits for each audience shows that you’ve done your homework enough to care. Highlight outcomes, not just features, such as better customer satisfaction or more repeat business. With so many sales reps not understanding client needs showing that you do separates you from the next rep. If you can quantify results, say so. Incorporate data to add credibility, but don’t overdo it.
Social proof involves quotes, testimonials, or customer stories from your current customers. Great social proof comes from relevant peers at similar companies and with similar job responsibilities.
It reassures prospects that your solution works. It helps build and reinforce trust. Instead of listing your customers, tell a brief story: “A contractor was behind schedule on a large project because their supplier kept missing delivery windows. They switched to us, and we not only delivered materials on time but also pre-sorted and labeled each pallet for each area of the jobsite.”
This story understates not only how your product and service works, but that you understood their needs enough to thoughtfully arrange the product to be most easily utilized.
Also weave narrative into your pitch to make it memorable. Visualize your prospect’s world and deliver a story that could naturally come from it. For example, a regional medical equipment distributor could add this to their pitch: “Imagine solving patient’s medical needs in so many fewer appointments that referrals triple over the next eighteen months.”
A pitch without a next step is just a story without a purpose. Close with a specific call to action that aligns with a relevant next step based on how ready the buyer is to make a purchase.
Pull up your calendar and ask them if they have availability next week that aligns with it. Leave a brochure and tell them if they get back to you in the next 48 hours you can take X% off their purchase. Ask about upcoming jobs with unmet needs or if they have anything pressing on current jobs. Tell them to give you a call if they have an urgent need for anything and that you’ll fill it. Then follow-through.
Although a strong pitch follows a structure, it should never feel robotic or like you’re going through the motions. A pitch should never be a one‑way broadcast. It’s the start of a conversation. It’s the start of a relationship. Don’t simply try to make a sale or hit a number. Show how you will solve their problems.
Avoid jargon and focus on clear, simple language. Don’t cram too many product features into the sales pitch. Identify each solution your product or service offers and provide the most relevant benefits they will receive. Lastly, resist the urge to oversell. High‑pressure tactics might get short‑term wins, but they erode trust over time. Instead, focus on how your solution aligns with the prospect’s success. When you listen more than you talk, you can tailor your pitch in real time and make a genuine connection.
Tell a story. Start a relationship. Solve problems. Sales are sure to follow.
"
It’s about building a relationship and actively listening. A sales pitch in outside sales is not a single moment. You need to show up repeatedly to earn trust and then deliver it back ten-fold. You’re not just a sales rep. You need to be a problem solver. When a prospect or customer has a problem, you’re the go-to person to provide a solution.
"
