Have you ever been in the position where you needed to convince someone of something? Maybe it was convincing a client to purchase your product. Or maybe it was getting your boss to approve funding for a project. Whatever the situation, there are certain things you should do and certain things you shouldn't do when trying to nail your next sales pitch. Here's eight simple tips.

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1. Name Pain Points

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Your sales pitch is your chance to convince the customer that you are the answer to their problem. If you don’t name the enemy, then how can they know that you're going to solve it? It's important to be specific about what exactly is wrong and how your solution will alleviate their pain points.

Don't just say "it takes too long" or "you get frustrated." Be more specific: "Your customers are frustrated because they feel like they're wasting time when they need to make a purchase decision."

You can also go deeper into why this is happening by asking questions like "Why do customers feel this way?" or "How much money does it cost them?"

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2. Agitate the Problem

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A sales pitch isn't a conversation; it's more like an argument. If you don't have a compelling reason why your customer should do business with you, there's no reason to pay attention and it won't get very far.

To understand what makes a good argument, think about the last time you debated something with someone. What did they say that made you change your mind? Probably, they focused on the problem (or problems) at hand, while also making sure they kept their tone positive and respectful. They might have said something like "If we don't act now, things will get much worse" or "If we keep going in this direction, our lives will be really difficult."

This kind of language is known as agitation—the key ingredient for any successful sales pitch. Agitation means identifying the problem (and its consequences), then showing how the solution can solve those problems for all parties involved!

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3. Spark Intrigue

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You can use a story to get the audience's attention, but only if you make it clear where you're heading. Audiences are used to hearing stories that start in one place and end somewhere else; they enjoy guessing how the story will go and what will happen next. They want to be engaged as well as entertained, so give them some interesting details at first, then pull back so that your audience doesn't get lost along the way.

For example, when pitching an idea for a new mobile app I might say: "Do you remember when Facebook was just for college students?" I could then tell them how my parents told me about using their computer for emailing friends or shopping online but didn't even know what Facebook was until much later. The point here is not whether my parents were right or wrong; rather, by relating this story (and many others), I am able to show them how social media has changed over time while also demonstrating that I understand its value today. This helps make me more credible as someone who knows what he's talking about—and makes him more likely to buy into whatever product or service I'm selling!

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4. Offer the Missing Piece

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When you're pitching, you want to give the prospect a vision of what they'll get if they work with you. This is where the really big sales come from: when the prospect sees how your product or service fills a need that's not being met by anyone else. The best way to do this is by offering them something that's missing right now—and showing how getting it will help them reach their goals.

Consider your audience: What needs to be achieved in order for them to get there? Ask yourself where you can contribute value in addressing these challenges, then demonstrate how your solution will allow them to overcome those barriers and achieve their goals.

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5. Show - Don't Tell

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Imagine you're in front of a prospect, who's asked you to tell them more about your solution. What do you do?

The right answer is not telling them how great it is, but showing it! You want to bring the solution alive and make it personal to them. If you can't get in front of your prospect, record a Loom video that demonstrates how easy your product or service is to use. If they don't want to watch the video now, they'll be able to view it later when they have time on their hands (and hopefully will become even more interested).

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6. Sell Benefits - Not Features

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It’s important to realize that most people don't care about the features of a product or service. They want to know how that product or service will make their lives better. Helping them understand how you can help them reach their goals is critical to a successful sales pitch. This doesn’t mean that you should just list boring features of your product, though! You want to sell the benefits of those features in an understandable way. For example: “Our product is easy-to-use and saves time," or "We're already working with over 100 clients across the country."

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7. Create Urgency

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With so much time and effort spent on perfecting your pitch, it's easy for the prospect to get excited about how awesome it will be and forget that there's actually something at stake here—namely, their money! This is why it's important to create a sense of urgency with them so they know they need to act fast if they want this amazing deal before someone else gets their hands on it.

Give them a reason to act now rather than later. When someone says “yes” during a sales pitch, what do you think happens next? They think about how much fun the product will be...and then decide “Why wait? Let's buy one right now!” That's right—the longer you wait after someone says yes (even if he or she hasn't officially agreed yet), the less likely he or she will buy from you later on down the line when all seems well after getting home from work or school each day.

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8. Build Trust

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When you're building trust with potential buyers, it's essential that you share case studies and testimonials. By showing them how others have benefited from your product or service, you're demonstrating value and credibility. You can also help remove uncertainty from your pitch by giving a demo of the product or service, which will help buyers feel comfortable with committing to making a purchase.

Another way to build trust is by showing that you care about their needs as much as they do—and that’s where passion comes in! In order to show passion for what they do, salespeople need to have expertise on their product or service at all times and must also demonstrate integrity.

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