Pitching by Telephone
A well-crafted telephone pitch can get you appointments with decision makers, repeat business, media attention and more. All it takes is a little preparation, some practice, and the discipline to make the calls.
You might use a telephone pitch to make an initial approach to a prospective client, introduce a new product to your clients, remind customers that it’s time to reorder, offer yourself as an expert to the media, or inform media about an event or other newsworthy activity of your business. Whatever your purpose, your pitch should be tight and well-rehearsed.
Write a script for what you plan to say. Read your script out loud. As you do, you will make changes that make it shorter, clearer and easier to say.
Practice, practice, practice. There is nothing more boring than listening to someone read a script to you, so practice until you are comfortable with the words. Once you have learned the script, you might keep a card handy with keywords to remind you of key points in your pitch. That way you will not be reading, but you won’t forget anything important, either.
Keep your pitch to about 30 seconds or less. Time yourself. Don’t rush it by speaking fast, but keep it short and get to the point quickly. Do not rush through the pitch and not give the person to whom you are pitching a chance to respond, comment or ask questions.
Take a deep breath. If you get nervous when you make calls, taking a deep breath (or two or three) before you call can help you relax. Stress can send the pitch of your voice up to a level that is only audible to dogs, so be relaxed when you call.
Smile. Keep a mirror by the phone to remind yourself to smile. It comes through in your voice. You might also try standing or walking during your calls, to keep your energy level high. A flat voice with no energy will not get anyone excited.
Make it immediately clear why you are calling. Do they know you? Were you referred to them? What do you have to offer? Have a strong benefit message. Give them a reason to listen. Remember that the question on their minds is, “What is in this for me?”
Give a call to action. What do you want them to do? Tell them, and give them a reason to do so. If there is a deadline, tell them that.
Many times you will be pitching to voice mail. Be prepared and deliver the pitch as you’ve rehearsed. What if an actual human answers? Give them the pitch, but pause and let them get a question or comment in. Don’t forget to breathe!
What if you reach a human and they tell you they’re not interested? Say, “Thank you,” and end the call. Go on to the next one.
Although many people are uncomfortable at first, making telephone pitches gets easier with practice, and the results you get will motivate you to continue.
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