The sales pitch can make or break the sales conversation. The pitch is a concentrate of your positioning and how creates value for the prospect. And ideally, you should be able to deliver it in one breath of air. Whether you’ve gone to a networking event, picked up the phone, sent an email or LinkedIn message, your communication channel matter as well. Your channel is going to have an impact on the response rate. So will a whole load of other factors, some of which you can’t control.

A pitch is a story. A short one. But like any story, it needs to contain a number of core elements.

1. A persona/character: Who are your customers? For example, tax accountants in Europe. Be specific. Even if you have multiple sectors and personas, focus on the one closest to the audience you are addressing. Talking about Fortune 500 companies won’t necessarily be useful when addressing an audience of SMB owners. Tailor your pitch to the audience.
2. Problem: What problem is your audience having that you can help solve? E.g. tax accountants always struggling with the implications of new tax laws.
3. Plan: How does your product/service solve this problem? Again, make it specific to the relevant audience.
4. Success: What does this look like for the customer? E.g. the accountants are kept up-to-date with specific national laws changing, therefore they’re able to provide excellent added-value service to their customers, increasing revenues and profitability