3 Actionable Tips for Pitching Your Startup’s Potential Clients
One of the biggest mistakes entrepreneurs make is placing the focus on their product or service, rather than looking into what the customer would want. In such a situation, the entrepreneur does an excellent job explaining a product, but falls short when it comes to the most important part – that of connecting with the customer. To avoid falling into the same trap, ensure that you carry out a thorough, unbiased analysis of your service or product by looking into whether you are solving a problem, the market is ready and others.
After the analysis, create a presentation that shares details about your young company; however, the most effective pitches are those designed to address a customer’s pain points. This includes giving a concise list of benefits your service or product in relation to solving problems, or lessening them.
The focus here is on feasible and realistic tips for pitching your initial customers. Here are three tips that will help you avoid making the same mistake many other startups make when pitching to potential clients.
Understand Your Customer in a Real Way
Research and figure out who your potential customers really are and what are the most important things to them. If you are pitching to a company, for example, selling steel aircraft hangars, understand their goals and vision, the people on the management team, and such details. Spend time on the customer’s website like https://www.americansteelspan.com/hangars.html to glean general company information and even their annual report; you may be surprised how much information you can get working out of your computer.
The point of doing the research is to incorporate some of the information you get in intersections showing how their operations and your product can merge into your presentation. When you can, use their wording to explain your points and why you make a good partner. Another obvious benefit is that your audience will appreciate the great effort you have put into your product to address their pains.
Plus, since you will be pitching to different audiences, research helps you create a customized presentation for each. For example, angel investors will be more interested in hearing about the ROI, while reporters want something that stands out for their readers. Get in the head of your audience and understand what they want to hear, and you can also anticipate potential questions they may have.
Know What You Want
When it comes to your “ask,” be as specific as possible; do not step into the presentation room hoping to create some kind of relationship, but you have no idea what it should look like from your perspective. Your perspective is informed from the research you carried out earlier, so what you “ask” is in line with the expectations of your potential customer. Do this and you have a clearer shot at success.
If you come across to your customer as another “me too” startup business, chances are high that you will not get a foot into the door. Even if your product or service may look similar to others on the market, always stress on what makes you different. The research you did earlier can help you create these unique selling points and may include things like better pricing, better service, better marketing or better anything.
Close Like a Champion
Your pitch should never spiral down into the dark abyss; wrap it up with a clear call-to-action. Ask for a follow-up meeting or have the client sign on. The most important thing is to ensure that everyone in the room understands the next steps before you all go your own ways.
All in all, failing to prepare is the fastest way to failure. Follow these pitching tips and you will get into the presentation room confident of getting a deal.
About The Author
Jim Thompson is an influencer marketing pro with brownboxbranding.com who is passionate about building authentic relationships and helping businesses connect with their ideal online audience. He keeps his finger on the pulse of the ever-evolving digital marketing world by writing on the latest marketing advancements and focuses on developing customized blogger outreach plans based on industry and competition.
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