Every business activity has its risks. Marketing campaigns may not get needed profits, and clients reject proposals for advertisements.
Each pitch is an investment and a risk. You spend time putting together information, buying market data prominent research agencies, or hiring a professional pitch deck designer to put it together for you. There’ll always be resources to invest in, all to get your client’s approval.
How do you convince clients to risk investing in you?
In his book Cutting Edge Advertising, Jim Aitchison writes about how ad agencies tackle this problem by taking a fresh idea and a different way of selling products from the competition. To challenge the risks of giving a sales pitch, listen to your consumers, then propose a new message that uses what you learned.
1. Listen to Your Clients
Everyone has a story to tell, even consumers.
Effective advertising and marketing strategies are based on how a brand’s consumer base behaves. Getting to know how the consumers feel, what their stories are and how to respond to them are all crucial parts of crafting relevant messages that sell.
Clients are no different. Consulting them before planning your pitch deck lets you know what your clients need from you. What are the business objectives they need to fulfill? What are their cost concerns, implementation and estimated profits?
2. Take the Creative Step
Take that information, match it with your most relevant offer and present it in a fresh and interesting manner. Guide presentation techniques about time and slide limits with your data.
As Aitchison writes: “Present something the audience will recognize as themselves, their lives, their dreams, but with a twist, so they are actually startled by it, or will get an extra insight from it”. Great examples of this technique he cited include the Nike Shox TV ad and Steve Jobs’ introduction of the iPod Nano in 2005.
What to Take From This
Everything will have risks, especially with your business and sales presentation.
Identifying these risks gives you time to plan in advance. Knowing what to expect, how to talk to your clients and how to pitch your products in an interesting pitch deck makes all the difference. A small moment of your time saves you from the usual headaches of making a winning sales pitch.
It’s an investment worth making, and a risk worth taking. Talk to the right people to get you started.
References
Apple Music Special Event 2005-The iPod Nano Introduction. Apple History Channel. Accessed July 27, 2015.
2000 Vince Carter Nike SHOX Commercial/Jumping Over Gary Payton. YouTube. Accessed July 27, 2015.
Aitchison, J. Cutting Edge Advertising: How to Create the World’s Best Print for Brands in the 21st Century. Singapore; New York: Prentice Hall, 2004.