The key to a successful sales pitch

I was chatting with a Creative Marketing pal today about his current success rate with new business pitches. Despite coming up with some terrific responses he just wasn't winning the pitch.  We chewed over the usual factors that arise in these conversations...Price...the client testing out the market!  But eventually he admitted that when asking for some feedback he was told that he hadn't really answered the brief.  That kind of response is of course abhorrent to any professional creative! "Well they moved the goal posts didn't they!" was his first explanation.  Followed by "They didn't really know what they wanted anyway...and they asked us to come up with ideas!"  "That must make it really tough for you when working up a responsel" I inquiringly suggested, anxious not to offend creative sensitivity.  He explained at length just how difficult and then listened attentively to my observations - That enthusiasm alone will never close a sale if your best shots are just fired off hopefully at an unknown target.  That building agreement can only happen when you know that your solutions are right on target with the prospect's needs. That only then can you present those best shots with that vital smile and nod of the head, as you use that magic closing phrase "and this will give us (their key need) which we know is important to you isn't it?   

This then allowed me to nicely loop back to the brief and to talk about the crucial need to question, probe and qualify the brief. We talked about the need to create rapport as a precursor to qualifying needs and he promised to read the blog post How to really listen and influence people.  And in the end we agreed that:

• Buying decisions are of course based on practical requirements or needs which will be prioritised in some way. But they are also and ultimately based on wants and desires. This kind of criteria are rarely articulated in the brief.  Sometimes they are not even fully clarified in the buyer's mind until the final proposals are considered.
• Decision makers do not readilly share these inner criteria. They need to be encouraged by an attentive and empathetic listener who can comfortably ask questions like:
•  "What are you looking to achieve?"
• "Why is that important to you?""
• And what ultimately does that mean to you?"
•  Suppliers who create that rapport and ask those questions will be seen by Decision Makers as the Pitch Team who "really got to understand what we wanted!" And as the Team that when presenting solutions, hit the target and closed by saying ".....and that is what you are really looking for isn't it!"  ....Not forgetting the nod and the smile!!

Bob Howard-Spink is a Partner in Persuadability. For more tips and help on improving your persuasive business messages visit http://www.persuadability.co.uk/