Today we talk about the part of the process that is key to the whole pitch. Everything up until now has been purposed to get you to this moment. Because, if you make a great first impression, qualify a person, and build great rapport with them but don't present your product/idea, then all you've done is make a new friend.
While there may be many important components to Educating and Informing your prospect, I have found these to be 3 of the most effective.
1. Paint a picture.
This may be one of the most under utilized tools in our tool belts. As humans, we are drawn into stories and narratives. Nobody wants to hear a bullet-point fact list. That is boring!
For example, if I was buying a new pair of soccer cleats (I'm still recovering from World Cup fever) and the associate just told me basic facts about the cleats: materials, stud type, added technology, and cost. While there wasn't anything incorrect about what they said, it just isn't that compelling.
What if, instead, that same associate told me to picture myself on the field racing toward an attacker and that I'd feel like I was barefoot because of the lightweight material.
I never feel that I'm slipping as I run full speed because of the new stud material and configuration. Then I take the ball and am able to pass it accurately because of the grip on the cleat.
That is a world of difference from a list of features!
2. Put it in their hands.
Few things are more persuasive than being able to actually hold, touch, and feel what it is that you're thinking about buying. So, do this with whatever it is that you're pitching. Let's think about the soccer cleat example from this angle.
The associate can show me the display of the cleats that I want. He can tell me about how light it is and how it will conform to my foot. Those things sound great and that may be a feature that I want, but I'll only be able to imagine what it will feel like.
However, if the associate gets a pair in my size and lets me try them on, then grabs a soccer ball for me to juggle or kick at a net that they have set up. It is then that I'll be able to experience the features the associate was describing. This is far more convincing than just hearing about the features.
If you're pitching something you can't observe with the 5 senses (like insurance), then you can create a brochure or another document that shows your product/idea's uniqueness and key benefits to the person.
3. Put yourself in their shoes.
Features about your product or idea that you think are key benefits may not be actual benefits to the person to whom you are pitching. This is a common error and is usually the result of qualifying poorly. If you don't know your prospect, then you don't know what matters to them.
Back to our example, the associate highlights how the cleats will increase my shot power and accuracy because of increased surface area due to asymmetrical lacing.
However, he failed to find out that I was a defender and don't shoot the ball frequently. Instead, if he had found that out, he could tell me about the light weight for speed and the grip on the inside of the foot for ball control and I would be far more interested.
Final question...
Think of a time when you did an excellent job of educating or informing someone. What did you do that made the difference? Please leave your comments below.