The most anxious situation for any marketer or any business owner is trying to win a new client. Having a new client joining your company requires throwing a brilliant pitch, which means you have to prepare a brilliant presentation and practice your presenting skills.
Nailing the pitch and winning the client is the main target but how will you win the pitch? There are some steps that you can follow that can help you nail it; winning your pitch requires a mix between being creative and owning amazing presenting skills.
Both complete each other; so, if you have a pitch coming soon, here’s what you can do.
- Advertisement -
1- Gather Information About The Client and The Competitors
Start by assigning a task for yourself and your team to gather insights and information about the client and its competitors.
All of this information will allow you to spot what your client needs and what they’re missing; you want to go to that meeting and show your client that you studied them and know all of their details. Showing the client that you know what they need, will grab their attention and that might be the beginning of nailing the pitch.
2- Make Sure You WOW Them With Your Ideas
Coming up with creative ideas is out of the question.
Your and your team’s ideas are the main reason you will win the pitch; a client wouldn’t be interested unless you gave them an impressive idea. So, prepare your creative ideas and make impressing them is your goal.
3- Pick A Small Team Of Your Best Presenters
If you decided not to present alone, then pick a small team who can perfectly present the idea.
Having a team with you will boost your confidence and will show the client that you all work together. Also, you won’t be carrying all the pressure yourself, in fact, having a team will reduce your stress and anxiety because you will be supported in case if you forgot something.
Having a team who can present will deliver the idea easily to your client.
4- Simplify Your Words
Don’t use complicated words, you won’t look articulate.
Put in mind that your client might not understand your field’s references. For example, if you work in marketing and the client is from a different field, you have to be aware that not all marketing words or references will be understood so you might lose their attention.
Use simple words –not cliché ones- so your presentation and idea will be easily comprehended.
5- Learn To Sell Your Team And Idea
Treat your idea as a story and show off your team.
When you tell your ideas as a story, you will have everyone’s attention; everyone loves to imagine, this is what you will be doing; take them on a journey where your idea can trigger their sense of imagination.
Also, while selling your idea, don’t forget to sell your team, especially if your client liked the story. Showing off your team and their skills, will give the client a hint of who will be handling their business, so they will feel a bit secure.
6- It’s All About Communication
Don’t just present your idea and leave, you have to communicate.
Communication allows your audience to be part of your presentation and will help them understand your idea better. While presenting, look at them and have eye contact, ask them questions, and include them in your presentation.
Give them the space to make comments and ask questions; make your presentation more of a discussion than just presenting an idea!
7- Stay Relevant To The Discussion
Don’t talk about more than one topic, commit to the idea you’re discussing.
Some meetings tend to go on for hours because many irrelevant topics are being discussed; this is why you should stay relevant to the meeting’s topic and avoid opening any other topics. You can tell your idea through a story while keeping it direct and straight to the point.
If you kept changing the subject, it might bore the attendees, confuse them, and it might make them think that you’re not completely focused.
So, stick to the topic and stay relevant.
8- Make A Room For Questions
Right when you finish your presentation, give them the space to ask questions and make sure you’re ready to answer.
This is an essential part of any presentation, you have to let the audience ask you questions to gain more understanding of the presented idea. What you need to do is to be prepared to answer any type of question about your idea and presentation. If you struggled with an answer, you’ll be giving a bad impression and you’ll look as if you didn’t study the idea enough.
Tell us how you prepare yourself to win a pitch.
