Successful pitches: Making a lasting impression on customers

Do you want to convince your customers of your offer and be remembered in the long term? In this blog post, you will learn how to design a successful pitch. Find out why the ‘why’ is so important, how to use storytelling to evoke emotions and highlight USPs. Be inspired and discover how to make every pitch a success with clear visualisations, interactions and targeted preparation!

The first step: find your ‘why’

Simon Sinek explains in his book ‘Start with Why’ and in his famous TED Talk that successful companies and people not only show what they do or how they do it, but above all why they do it. Customers want to know why they should accept this offer in particular. Sinek's ‘Golden Circle’ - consisting of ‘Why’, ‘How’ and ‘What’ - is a powerful tool for designing pitches. Your ‘why’ should be clear and convincing. This is how you can stand out from the often countless competitors.

Don't start your pitch with technical details, but with your team's mission: Why do we want to help the customer? Why is our solution exactly what the customer needs? This creates an emotional connection and gives the customer the feeling that it's about more than just the product – it's about a shared vision. Make sure that you discuss this vision with the team you are pitching to beforehand, so that everyone is on the same page. Your credibility depends on your unity. It is also important that you consider the situation from several perspectives when preparing.

• If you were the customer, what would you expect?
• What questions would you ask?
• What do you find particularly competent and sustainably interesting?

To prepare, you can use the AIDA model, for example. The acronym stands for Attention, Interest, Desire and Action. At the beginning, it is important to attract attention, arouse interest and then create desire and prompt action. The following points can help you with this.

Storytelling: creating emotions and connection

Emotions are what customers remember. In ‘Tell me’, Thomas Pyczak shows how important it is to build trust through storytelling. Storytelling means embellishing content and making it more tangible and experiential by embedding it in a story. The Gabler Business Dictionary, for example, says the following:

Tell stories of other customers who have overcome similar challenges or how your solution came about. Storytelling not only makes the presentation more interesting, but also helps to explain complex topics more simply.

Present real-life successes

Tell the story of customers who have been successful thanks to your expertise. Show how your team developed the solution and what specific results were achieved. Customers want to see that your expertise works in practice. Feel free to embellish your references with emotions – it can make a big difference.

Highlight your USP

To stand out from the competition, you need a clear unique selling point (USP). You should consider several steps and be able to answer the following questions:

• Who is the target group?

  • What are their needs and problems?
  • What are their desires and expectations?
• Who are the main competitors?

  • How are they positioned?
  • What are their strengths and weaknesses?
• What makes your offer unique?

  • What special skills, technologies or methods can be used?
  • What experience and qualifications do you have?
  • What are the values and beliefs underlying our offer?
• How does your service solve the customer's problems? (customer benefit)

  • What advantages and added value does it offer?

Which emotions can be addressed?

Focus on what makes you and your team unique. Be specific and don't use general phrases like ‘high quality’ or ‘good service.’ That won't set you apart from the competition. No competitor will say that their quality or service is mediocre. Distinguish yourself clearly from the competition and focus on your customers.

Visualisations help to make your USP even clearer. Steve Jobs, for example, was a master at explaining complex ideas with simple visual tools. It can inspire you to watch his best performances again as a video.

Use graphics, diagrams or videos to emphasise your messages. Especially with complex topics, it can be helpful to visualise processes or results to make them tangible.

The same applies here: less is more. Don't overwhelm your audience with information, but focus on the essentials. The clearer and more concise you are, the greater the chance that your message will be remembered.

The successful pitch

Knowing the people you're speaking to is important for a successful presentation. Find out who will be in attendance and what their interests and expectations are. Tailor your content and style to the needs and preferences of your audience.

A well-structured setup is the backbone of any compelling presentation. Start with a clear introduction where you introduce yourself, explain the purpose of the presentation and provide an overview of the key points. In the body, organise your information in a logical and clear way. Finish your pitch with a concise summary of the main points, a clear conclusion and an opportunity for questions.

The importance of body language and voice cannot be overstated. Make regular eye contact with your audience to build rapport and use natural gestures to support your words and show momentum. Vary your pitch, volume and speaking speed to avoid monotony and emphasise important points. Also pay attention to the facial expressions and gestures of your audience, which will give you clues about their mood and level of interest.

Another key to success is interaction. Involve your audience by asking questions and responding to their answers. Encourage discussion or group activities to increase engagement. Be open to feedback and adapt if necessary. When interacting, you can also think outside the box. What does the customer not expect, but will remember positively? Surprise them with non-standard pitch elements.

Humour can be an effective way to break the ice and create a relaxed atmosphere. Use light humour sparingly and make sure it is relevant and appropriate for your audience.

Check all technical aspects in advance to avoid problems. Make sure your presentation stays within the given time frame.

Additional material, such as illustrative handouts, can help your audience to better absorb the information presented.

Conclusion: the ‘why’ is key

A successful pitch is not just about the product, but also about the ‘why’. Simon Sinek has shown that companies that clearly articulate their ‘why’ create more trust and are remembered longer. Use storytelling, interactive elements, emotions and clear visualisations to captivate your audience. This way, your pitch will not only be heard, but also remembered.

Since it's easy to forget to consider these points in the day-to-day business, here are some questions summarised from the article:

• What is your Why, How and What? How do you make these points clear to the customer?
• What is the USP? (Target group, competitors, uniqueness, customer benefit)
• What is the customer's biggest pain?
• How can the customer's expectations be assessed?
• Which story should be told?
• Which emotions should be addressed?
• What meaningful references can be cited?
• Is the pitch concise and approachable?
• Are all the people involved in the pitch aligned and do they have a common understanding?
• How can you attract the customer's attention in the long term, in addition to the content? (Uniqueness of the pitch compared to competitors)

Would you like to learn more about exciting topics from the adesso world? Then take a look at our previously published blog posts.