How not to pitch

It’s amazing how your perception of a product or service can change from the way it is presented to you. The little things you probably don’t spend a lot of time thinking about will really stand out when you get it wrong and your competitors get it right.

I was recently part of a team undergoing the mammoth task of finding a new CRM system with the goal of updating our Prehistoric system with something from the modern age.

After enduring many gruelling hours of CRM presentations what struck me is the vast difference in presentation skills with sadly these rarely matching up with the quality of the products being offered.

It may sound awfully petty, especially to someone who wouldn’t dream of ironing (I solely buy ‘iron-free’ clothing), but an un-ironed shirt gives you demerit points just walking in the door. Body language was another killer with several presenters looking as though they were spending an afternoon in a beach chair. Would it really have killed them to sit up for the presentation giving us the impression they take pride in their company? In one presentation, our ‘would be’ account manager fell asleep in her chair!

Dedication to Presentation

Whilst I’m all for a casual approach, especially at the office (I believe everybody works better when comfortable) when pitching to a client for goodness sake look professional. It truly reflects your service.

Two members of the team actually pointed out that they didn’t believe we would get good post-sales service because the presenters were clock watching and dashed off before we could shake their hands goodbye. Sadly they were probably right, but if they weren’t, they’ve just lost our business for nothing but sheer laziness and a poorly timed schedule.

Watching six of these presentations in the same week also highlighted that some presenters just don’t listen. Could they not wait until the question has finished, it was clearly asked for a reason. Also your nonsense sales spin didn’t fool anybody and lost our trust, fast. If you didn’t know the answer just say so.

Nobody knows all the answers but everybody appreciates honesty.

Impress your clients with professionalism, good manners, empathy and care. It sounds so obvious yet I’ve found it a rare sight lately.  On many occasions those you are pitching to aren’t technical experts and will therefore place an even higher emphasis on your demeanour and attitude making it crucial.

In a competitive world delivery is key, get it right and give yourself an easy head start in selling your product. Get it wrong and you might as well kiss your sale goodbye.