When the time comes to roll out an updated or improved sales pitch, it’s imperative to not stumble through this process. Your sales organization needs to be unified on communicating the value of your product or service.
In order to get your team unified, you first need to establish buy-in. Take these five vital steps to make that happen:
5 Crucial Steps to Roll Out a New Sales Pitch:
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Get input from different teams.
Before you roll out the new sales pitch, collect input from teams both inside and outside of the sales organization. Start by interviewing 4 or 5 salespeople on what they think of your current pitch and what should or should not be included.
You should also talk with other key stakeholders in the company. Interview your head of product and ask what they think should be communicated more effectively in the sales pitch. Talk to your customer success leader and find out how the sales pitch could set better expectations within the sales process. You don’t need to include every person’s input into your final sales pitch, but making people aware that you spent time interviewing will create buy-in from the very start.
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Gather the troops.
This seems obvious, but it needs to be said. When you’re ready to unveil the new sales pitch, bring together your whole company — not just the sales team. It’s important to keep everyone on the same page about messaging and how the sales organization is selling the product. When everyone feels like they’re being included, they’ll be much more likely to buy into the new pitch. (Of course, there will need to be additional training sessions with buyer-facing employees).
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Present new pitch in open forum.
The key here is to get upfront buy-in. Start by presenting the sales pitch as if you were selling it. Go through the entire thing once and then go back and explain each part slide-by-slide. Explain why you’re telling your sales story in a new way.
When you go through each slide:
- Elaborate on the messaging and purpose of that particular slide.
- Explain the format of the slide (images, design, word choice).
- Give examples of different ways reps can use each slide.
- Demonstrate reasoning for every slide included (or not included).
- Allow time for questions and feedback from sales team.
Asking the team for feedback also helps with buy-in, along with sharing the background on how the new messaging was developed. Don’t forget to share the pitch deck document with all your reps afterward so you can get everyone using the same slides as soon as possible.
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Provide supplementary resources.
In addition to sharing the new pitch deck with your sales reps, you should put together a rebranded supplemental slide pack. You want to ensure that nobody will use the old deck slides for anything, so even if there’s a slide you’re questioning for the new deck, create a version with the new language and put it in the supplemental pack. This will help avoid the chance of reps pulling up outdated slides during meetings.
You can also provide reps with other resources to use with your new sales pitch. A great example of this is a PFAB- a document that outlines your:
- Pains
- Features
- Advantages
- Benefits
Put all of this on a single worksheet to provide your reps with a quick reference guide for talking to prospects about your product or service. This helps them communicate the problems that your offering solves for your specific buyer.
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Follow-up with training and feedback.
After the initial presentation, continually create excitement around the new sales pitch to reinforce buy-in. You almost want to obsess over it. Include the new messaging in your team meetings and weekly one-on-ones with sales reps. Use something like SalesHood to have reps record themselves presenting the new pitch and then have their peers leave feedback. Run small spiffs around pitching the new messaging deck, and offer fun incentives to reps who really start to embrace it.
Use these steps when you introduce a new sales pitch to your team, and then follow up with them to consistently obtain feedback. Keep the conversation going and be open to potential changes in the pitch deck based on what you learn.
