It goes without saying that in the game of sales, your pitch is key. With every cold call or email, you get one brief chance to not only communicate the value of your product or service but also to get the prospect to see why they need what you’re selling.
Cold emailing can sometimes feel like a shot in the dark — in fact, today, only:
It’s clear that the art of perfecting your cold sales pitch is no small feat, but by including a few key details and making it personal, you can up your odds of getting a response — and making a sale. Read on to check out our how-to guide for crafting the perfect pitch.
Sales pitches will vary for a number of reasons — depending on your industry, your prospect, and your own personal flair. But in general, a successful pitch email contains five key elements to help you engage your prospect and up your chances of getting a response. Let’s break down those elements here.
In today’s tech-driven world, our attention spans are rapidly shrinking. That’s why, when it comes to cold sales pitch emails, you need to hook your prospect right away.
Your opener is your first opportunity to build rapport, so it’s important that you have a clear understanding of your prospect and their business before you dive in.
Identify your prospect’s challenges or business goals to communicate to them why they need what you’re selling. If you can show the prospect that you are a solution to a problem they’re experiencing, you’re far more likely to get a follow-up email. Further, by identifying issues that are unique to their business, you continue to show the prospect that you’ve done your research and can benefit them specifically.
Now that you’ve identified the prospect’s challenges, you’ve set yourself up to bring in your value. This is your chance to highlight the features that make your product stand out from the rest. Tell them what you can do to solve their problem, and how you can do it. Avoid salesy language and one-size-fits-all solutions — show the prospect how your service can add value to their business specifically.
It’s not enough to talk about what you can do — prospects want proof, or at the very least, reassurances that your product or service has worked for others in the past, and will work for them, too.
Back up your claims by including case studies, client testimonials or data, and offer your own personal guarantee to demonstrate your confidence in what you’re selling — whether that be a free trial, free shipping, or a money-back guarantee. Regardless, your rep needs to know that you back your product or service.
90% of buyers won’t buy unless you ask them to. This means that, regardless of the work you’ve put in up until this point, you need to specifically ask the rep to take a “next step” at the end of the email.
Maybe you’re looking for a 15-minute call. Maybe you want them to sign up for a free trial. Or maybe, you’re going to ask them to complete the sale right away. Either way, you need to ask the prospect to take the action — don’t assume they’re going to do it on their own. Include links to make it easier, and trust that your sales pitch has done the work to get them to click.
You can include all these key elements in an email sales pitch and still miss out on the sale if the pitch isn’t personalized to your individual prospect.
It’s not just what you say — it’s how you say it. Every day, buyers are inundated with sales pitches, whether that be through LinkedIn, telephone, or right within their email inboxes. With so many voices to compete with, it’s harder for reps to cut through the noise — and buyers can afford to be choosy. So, how can you personalize your messaging and take your sales pitches to the next level? It all starts with having a basic understanding of your buyer.
Luckily, there are many personality frameworks to help you identify the personality type of your prospect and cater your cold sales pitch to their preferences. While there are several personality frameworks that could work well for this, the DISC assessment offers the best framework to learn how others naturally want to interact and communicate. DISC classifies personalities into a few categories that we refer to as D (dominant), I (imaginative), S (stabilizing), and C (conscientious). Below is a breakdown of common personality traits within each of the categories in DISC, and what kinds of language you should include in your sales pitch to fit their preferences:
While every cold email sales pitch should include the five key elements listed above, those elements will vary based on the DISC classification of your prospect. Thinking about the different communication styles and language preferences for each classification, we’ve broken down the components of an ideal email sales pitch for each DISC type to give you an example of how to craft the ideal pitch for your prospect.
When you pitch to a D-Type, you should shoot them a quick, informative email that gets straight to the point and highlights why your product or service will give them an edge over their competition.
Opening Statement: Hey Amanda, I’m a sales rep for XYZ Company. I love the work you’re doing for LMN Company and I’m very impressed with your 65% growth in 2022.
Problem Statement: You mentioned at EFG Conference that you’re doing everything in your power to outpace your competitors and avoid a plateau.
Value Statement: XYZ is a platform that can offer you a competitive edge to keep you on your growth track and take you beyond your competitors in 2023.
Proof Statement: We recently worked with QRS — you can check out their case study here.
CTA: I’d love to have a quick 15-minute conversation about what we can do for you in the new year. Shoot me a quick email if you’re interested and we can set up a time.
When you pitch to an I-Type, you should send an email using a casual, friendly tone and show an interest in what they’re doing for their company. I-Types are relational, so you should engage them in small talk before getting into your pitch.
Opening Statement: Hi Amanda, how’s it going? My name is David and I’m a sales rep for XYZ Company. I’ve taken a look into LMN, and I am amazed by your stellar growth in 2022! I’d love to hear about the tactics you implemented this year that led to your success.
Problem Statement: I listened to your keynote at EFG Conference and heard your concerns about plateauing in the new year.
Value Statement: XYZ can help alleviate those concerns and give you a way to gain even more traction in 2023. We offer several packages to help you reach new heights in the new year, and I’m confident that we could find a solution that would be perfect for LMN.
Proof Statement: Last year, we helped QRS scale its operations and increase its revenue by 35%. You can check out their case study here at your leisure.
CTA: I’d love to chat with you about a plan that would work well for your team. Respond to this email if you’re interested and we can find a time that works well for you. Thank you so much for your time, and I look forward to our conversation.
When you pitch to an S-Type, you should send them a friendly introduction email that helps them get to know you. Help them relax by asking them how their day is going and respect their schedule by being brief and honest.
Opening Statement: Hi Amanda! I’m David, and I work with XYZ Company to help companies like LMN reach new heights. I’m so impressed with the work your team at LMN put in this year to see such stellar growth.
Problem Statement: With your concerns of plateauing in mind, I wanted to reach out and see if you’d be interested in a partnership with XYZ that could take LMN to unprecedented heights in 2023.
Value Statement: We offer flexible packages and work hand-in-hand with your team to ensure your needs are met and your growth continues.
Proof Statement: I want to respect your time, so I’ll keep it brief — but check out our work with QRS here if you want more info about what we’ve done for others in the past.
CTA: Shoot me an email if you want to continue the conversation.
When you pitch to a C-Type, you should send them an up-front email that lets them know exactly what they can expect from you. Be intentional about showing respect for their time and demonstrating your expertise.
Opening Statement: Hi Amanda, I’m David, and I’m a sales rep for XYZ Company. I’ve been so impressed with the work you and your team have accomplished this year, and I’d love to have a conversation with you about how we can take you even further in 2023.
Problem Statement: I heard your concerns about plateauing during your keynote address at EFG Conference,
Value Statement: but I’m confident that XYZ can help to alleviate those concerns — and propel you into the new year ready to soar above your competitors.
Proof Statement: In the last year, we’ve helped companies like yours excel in unprecedented ways. If you’re interested in diving deeper into our credentials, check out this case study outlining our work with QRS.
CTA: If you’d like to learn more about what we can achieve together, reply to this email and let me know. We’ll find a time that works well for you!
I know what you’re thinking — even with these examples, how can you know a prospect’s DISC classification if you’ve never interacted with them before?
Fortunately, adaptive selling tools like Crystal can help you gain insight into the personality types of individual buyers by analyzing publicly available information on websites like LinkedIn. Not only can Crystal help you identify the personality type of your prospect, but its writing tool can offer you real-time guidance on your pitch by automatically reviewing the style and tone of your sales communication and matching it to the preferred style of your prospects.
If you’re interested in learning more about the difference personalized sales pitches can make for your team, you can try Crystal for free.
In the meantime, download our HOW TO OPTIMIZE YOUR PITCH PDF here, and get to work crafting your perfect pitch — no matter who your prospect might be.