Step 1. Make a list of your target industries and potential clients.

• Isolate 2 or 3 industry sectors that you target.

Tip! Even if you can sell to everyone, think of industries where you’re already doing well, name that industry.

• List out other defining facts about your target audience – size, geographic location and/or other categories.
   
• Write down the title of your target customer.

Tip! For business to business sales, think about the person who makes the decision to purchase your product or service. Is it the business owner, the sales team, the business development department or the sales or marketing manager?

Step 2. Make a list of the typical problems and challenges that your target customers faces

• What problems do they have in relation to what you do… that is, what problem can you solve?

Tip! Jot down what you think would be the most common response if you had 10 potential customers in a room and you asked them “What is the biggest challenge you face?”

Step 3. Identify what you do, the benefits, the feelings and associated metaphors

• Use the following table to capture this data.

• Under the first column (What we do), write down the top 2 or 3 products or services that you deliver.

Tip! Keep it fairly high level. You may have 30 different products, but choose the top few that would increase your revenue, or choose the services that you love delivering and/or are most profitable.

• Under the second column (Benefits) write down the benefits for each product or service you named in the first column.

Tip! Try not to use technical terms. Make sure that it can be easily understood by anyone. Some example of benefits are reduction of risk, increased revenue, more customers, 10% increase in efficiency.

Challenge yourself and think deep. For example, if you write down that one of the benefits of a product is that they get a monthly report, you’ve missed the point. A monthly report fits into the first column because it’s something you do. It isn’t relevant to the second column. Ask yourself, what’s the benefit or receiving a monthly report? Do they get knowledge? Do they get satisfaction? Do they get an increase in revenue?

Use the words or phrases you’ve put in the second column across all of your platforms, such as your website, LinkedIn profile and proposals. This is a new language and a whole new set of words that will be much more easily understood and will be much better at attracting new leads.

• Under the third column (Feelings), write down how the customer will feel when they get the benefits of your product or service.

Tip! These feelings, such as satisfaction, delight, confidence, happiness and certainty, will need to be put into any presentations or pitches that you deliver. Your aim when pitching is to get your potential customer to feel something.

• Under the fourth column (Metaphors) write down at least one metaphor that helps to describe the benefits that people get when they use your product or service.

Tip! The www.gaddiepitch.com uses the metaphors “like bees to honey” and “fishing for new leads”. Think of one or two that apply to your business. If you can’t think of any, go to Google and search for “metaphor for {your target market’s typical problem}” and see what comes up.

Step 4. Craft Your Pitch

Tip! A brilliant pitch has only 3 sentences and takes 30 seconds or less to deliver.

• Write down three sentences, each starting with these words:

1. You know how...
    
2. What we do is...
    
3. In fact...

• To complete sentence 1, name the target customer, their biggest problem, and include a metaphor if you can.

Example: You know how a lot of businesses have exceptional goods and services to offer, but often the owners and the business development people struggle to find the right words when people ask them “what do you do?”. It’s like they go fishing for new customers in the right spots but they just don’t have the right bait at the end of their line.

• To complete sentence 2, you don’t use the words from the first column, you name the benefits instead. You might use one or two words from the first column, but try to focus on the benefits, and include a metaphor if you can.

Example: What we do is craft the words for them so that when they share their elevator pitch at events, on LinkedIn, or in presentations and proposals they attract new customers like bees to honey.

• To complete sentence 3, think of a few cases where you’ve delivered a sensational outcome. Pick one of those instances that backs up the promise you’ve made in sentence 2. 

Suggestion! Once you have the right case in mind, obtain that person or businesses’ permission. The more specifics you include (full name, job title, company), the more credible the sentence will be.

Example: In fact, Peter Dijkema, director of Organon Consulting, attracted a lucrative deal worth more than $100,000 the very first time he used his Gaddie Pitch.

Step 5. Test your pitch and commit it to memory

• Test it with some people you know first.
   
• Test it with some of your existing clients because they know you and your business.
   
• Take on board any feedback and tweak words here and there if necessary.
   
• Once you’re happy with your pitch, commit it to memory and share it will all of your team (sales, marketing etc..) so that they can use it too.
   
• Suggestion! Ensure your team has memorised it as well because you want a consistent message in the market.