Do you struggle to hit the sweet spot with your sales pitch? Or do nerves trip you up every time? You can nail your construction sales pitches when you add these do's and don'ts to your professional tool kit.
Don’t pitch without knowing who you’re pitching to.
This is fairly easy if you’re marketing to residential clients. However, the waters get a bit murkier if you’re working the commercial side. The person who makes initial contact with you may not be the decision maker—or they may only be part of the decision-making team.
Always make a point to find out which person(s) will make the final call on your pitch. This will help you form a sales pitch that addresses that decision maker’s pain points in a targeted way.
Bonus Tip: If you're giving your construction pitch to a home owning couple, schedule your meeting to accommodate both of their schedules so all parties understand your process and boundaries upfront. This also gives them an opportunity to ask you any questions together.
Do streamline presentations.
It’s tempting to share as much information as possible, but info overload can cloud your core message. No matter the form of your sales pitch, whether it’s face-to-face over the prospect’s kitchen table or with a slideshow in front of a board, make sure it’s as targeted and succinct as possible.
After you draft the presentation, share it with one of your team members. They can tell you if your written or oral pitch gets bogged down in redundancies that can quickly lose the intended audience.
Don’t neglect your homework.
The foundation for giving a winning pitch for a residential or commercial construction project is knowing your prospect’s pain points and how your company is in a unique position to address them. Are they most concerned about completing the project by a specific deadline? Are they worried about completing work on an occupied residential building while minimizing disruptions to residents? When you know those pain points, you can craft a targeted pitch.
Homework goes beyond nailing the content of your presentation. Delivering a stellar construction pitch also involves being practiced and prepared for any technical aspects of the presentation. For example, if you utilize an Equipter RB4000 drivable dump trailer and lift to dramatically streamline debris and material management, have a video of the equipment in use ready to play. The more you prepare for the presentation, the more the prospect can focus on your message instead of how long it took you to get the slideshow up and running.
Do act like yourself.
Making in-person sales pitches isn’t natural for many of us, and as a result many people, even seasoned professionals, can get cold and unpersonable during the presentation. The foundation for letting your personality shine through is by being prepared—a factor that will give you the confidence to be yourself and better make a personal connection with the decision maker(s).
But there are other things you can do to boost your confidence so your genuine self shines through to make a connection. Some confidence-building practices include:
- Using a relaxation technique, like meditation, deep breathing exercises, or prayer, before the pitch.
- Practicing the sales pitch with a friend or colleague and asking for constructive feedback.
- Arriving early to the pitch so you can adjust to your surroundings and set up any technical aspects, like a PowerPoint presentation.
- Using positive visualization regularly to envision a solid presentation.
Do what you say you’re going to do.
One of the top ways to build trust with construction prospects is to be a follow-through rock star. For example, if during the sales pitch, a decision maker asks you to follow up with information, do so as soon as possible. These might seem like small things, but they’re highly professional touches that can help differentiate yourself from the competition.
Don’t forget to double-check all written materials.
What does grammar have to do with whether you win construction jobs? Actually, it can mean quite a bit. Poorly written proposals can indicate to a client that a contractor too busy to run a spellcheck could also be too busy to ensure the project is completed to specifications. Use spellcheck and ask someone to proofread all written materials for errors or inconsistencies.
With preparation and polish, you can refine and rock those construction sales pitches so you can earn more work for your contracting business. Looking for more tips and tricks on how to rock your residential or commercial construction business? Bookmark the Equipter blog and engage with us on our Facebook page.