Pitch Perfect
The perfect pitch is different for every batter – no pitch is the perfect pitch to throw at all the batters all the time. The pitcher needs the scouting intelligence and the tools, and then he can customize his delivery so he can deliver the perfect pitch to that one specific batter standing on the mound.The same goes for sales presentations. There is no one perfect pitch for every situation. The sales person needs the scouting intelligence and the tools, and then he or she can customize the presentation to the specific store manager standing in front of them.
Let’s break down the components:
First, the rep needs the scouting report. They need sales data, order history, competitive intelligence and in-store shelf condition data – as well as promotion information, pricing data, and product comparison information.
Second, the rep needs the tools. The tool is going to help them bring all the data above together to create a meaningful pitch. The tool is going to allow the user to customize the pitch for the person they’re selling to, choosing which pieces of the information to bring together into that perfect pitch.
Right now, in any store you can observe field reps struggling with binders of data, trying to find the right scouting data, trying to match the generic sales materials they have in a way to create a customized pitch. But it’s almost impossible to pull together all that data manually in the few minutes or seconds available – let alone craft it into a meaningful pitch. So the pitch is usually less than optimal – in baseball terms you throw the fallback pitch – the one you throw when you don’t know what else to do.
However, today’s mobile technologies such as iPad and Android tablets enable organizations to bring highly interactive, personalized, fact-based and meaningful presentations front-and-center in every sales situation.
Technology-enabled mobile sales tools can bring together point of sale data, order history and shelf conditions such as out of stock history. They can show multi-media content, such as upcoming TV spots, pictures of successful displays and product features. They can allow the user to choose which data and materials are right to create the perfect pitch for the store manager. Finally, they can do something nothing else can – show a dynamic “What If” scenario for the store manager projecting sales and profits based on the proposed order.
Are your in-store sales efforts “pitch perfect?” Powerfully simple yet sophisticated, arming the sales force with a pitch book will ensure consistently perfect pitches every time.
