{"id":370,"date":"2019-02-21T13:37:00","date_gmt":"2019-02-21T13:37:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/321-growth-academy-2023.local\/sales-isnt-pitching\/"},"modified":"2023-11-02T21:12:06","modified_gmt":"2023-11-02T21:12:06","slug":"sales-isnt-pitching","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/321growthacademy.com\/sales-isnt-pitching\/","title":{"rendered":"Sales isn’t “pitching”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

It seems like every time we turn around, we receive an invite to yet another startup pitch competition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t get us wrong, we\u2019re grateful to be included, though we\u2019re unlikely to go.  Want to know why we\u2019ve stopped attending most of them?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pitch competitions teach entrepreneurs that selling an idea, or telling a story, is about \u201cpitching\u201d to an already-warm and receptive audience. And for a pitch competition, it often is just that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But when engaging prospective customers and partners, it\u2019s exactly the opposite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We think it\u2019s important for entrepreneurs to learn \u2013 and get comfortable with \u2013 more of a discovery process while working to engage prospects. Being prepared for a thoughtful, two-way dialogue. Understanding why and how the prospect buys. Listening hard \u2013 even when the prospect tells you something they don\u2019t want to hear, and seeking to understand rather than just \u201cconvert\u201d. Learning to ask insightful questions that reveal their understanding of the prospect\u2019s situation and challenges. Having done the homework to understand how a prospect might benefit from using their solution, and why. And being able to articulate that with clear, concise messaging that resonates with the buyer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In my experience, few entrepreneurs use this approach. They are taught and coached to \u201csell\u201d and to \u201cpitch\u201d. To overcome objections. To push the buyer over the line.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The challenge is that this implies that buyers aren\u2019t intelligent. That they don\u2019t know their own business and priorities. That facile tricks can convince them to buy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A dangerous assumption.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our advice for today\u2019s entrepreneurs? Flip it around. Stop pitching and focusing on your own needs to close a deal. Respect and engage your buyer. Understand your buyer. Focus instead on what they need to achieve their goals.  Stop pitching and start engaging!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Need help with your sales? Check out our upcoming courses. <\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This post originally appeared on Alberta Enterprise Corporation\u2019s Start Alberta<\/a> portal.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Pitch competitions teach entrepreneurs that selling an idea, or telling a story, is about \u201cpitching\u201d to an already-warm and receptive audience. And for a pitch competition, it often is just that. But when\u00a0engaging\u00a0prospective customers and partners, it\u2019s exactly the opposite.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":371,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-370","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sales"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nSales Tips for Entrepreneurs - Sell, Don't Pitch! - 321 Growth Academy<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"In this blog, we share one of our top sales tips for entrepreneurs - Sell, don't pitch! 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