Sins Of Sales Pitching
PITCH TO WIN
7

PITCH TO WIN
You Don’t Build
Suspense
You give a clean, mean, 30-second elevator
pitch. Then what? There's nothing left for rest of
your sales presentation. The second your listener
says "I get it," they'll immediately lose interest.
You Need to build suspense into the
presentation?

PITCH TO WIN
You Are Too Available
If you don't set up a time constraint right in the
beginning of the sales pitch, you could put your
time-conscious listeners on edge.
Say something like: "I have 20 minutes to really
explain this product for you, then let's just chat a
little bit because I have to get out of here by 1
o'clock." This will do a few things for you. First: it
will make you seem important—and needed.
Second: it shows that you're not going to waste
precious time. Third: it will differentiate you from
every other salesperson, who would likely stay
until kicked out.

PITCH TO WIN
You May Be Scaring
The Buyer
If your pitch is abstract and lacks visual cues, it
could be interpreted as a threat. This isn't mere
theory—it's backed up by hard science.
The presenter uses his or her neocortex, part of
the brain that can handle complex reasoning and
data analysis. But the potential customer
processes those messages through a more
primitive, instinct-aware part of the brain.
Consider car marketing: no one wants to hear
about gas ratios or complicated navigation
systems; they want to know how they'll feel
tearing down the highway at 90 miles an hour.
Unless asked details, stick to emotion and
narrative.

PITCH TO WIN
You BS The Expert
Suppose you're pitching your company to
investors. The investor asks what you project
expenses to be, and you choose to casually omit,
say, certain expenses you don't think the investor
would find out about. Not only is this unethical,
but it's just plain bad for business.
Should someone in the room uncover your lie,
you're likely going to bicker, which will take away
from your credibility, and you'll probably lose the
deal.
"You never want to go toe-to-toe with an
analyst," Besides, "the more you get into
details, the more you're wasting time."

PITCH TO WIN
You Are Too Nice
People come into sales presentations and they
just supplicate - They view the customer as the
prize, and so they act overly nice and willing to
do whatever.
When you grovel, you become "low status" in the
eyes of your potential client.
You need to convey status. It builds intrigue. It
says, 'I'm not here to beg for your business. I'm
the prize.'"

PITCH TO WIN
You Quote Dead People
There's a tendency in sales pitching to rely on the
words of mentors, great business leaders, and
politicians. Do everything you can to resist the
temptation. When you quote someone else, you
not only invoke a juvenile feeling, but also you
might invalidate yourself as an expert. In other
words, by deferring to someone else, you also
lower your status.

PITCH TO WIN
You Are Boring
When pitching, it's easy to rely on yield curves,
projected revenues, and other bits of data to sell
your product or service. But the glut of data
means nothing if you're not keeping the interest
of the person sitting across the table from you.
"We come to meetings to hear about new ideas,
meet new people, and learn about interesting or
even exotic people and places,"
Instead, strive to create an emotional reaction
with the person you're pitching.

PITCH TO WIN
Win Everytime You Make A
Pitch