The One Minute Pitch

Cold calling is the most difficult way to sell anything. Your potential customer does not know either you or the service or product you are selling. The majority of salespeople do not sell the benefits of their products. Who cares what you have to sell? How can you get your message across to someone who has no idea who you are. I am going to show you how to get your message across using the 'One Minute Pitch'

I've been in retail for over 20 years. I owned a small chain of four video stores and a coffee house in Ohio. For the last eight years,I've have owned 3 ice cream & gelato stores in Colorado . In the last 20 years, our various stores have received an estimated 10,000 phone calls (about 200 per store per year) from telemarketers and unknown sales people. I would guess that I have actually considered buying something from less than ten of these people. That means I have listened to a pitch from only every 1 out of 1,000 cold calling salespeople. (My employees are trained well in the art of phone screening)

Here is how you can dramatically increase your odds of delivering your message. Use the following two sentences that can increases the odds of your pitch being heard by up to
1,000 percent. The sentences are:

'Could I please have exactly one minute of your time because I can (save you, make you) up to (dollar amount) on your (product or service you sell), guaranteed. You can time me."

If there's hesitation, try this third sentence:
"(A person in his industry or acquaintance if you were given a lead) uses this (product or service you sell) and (saves, makes) (amount per time period)".

In my 20 years of experience, I've never heard that pitch. Most cold callers will immediately start talking about their great product or service. Some will ask "How is your day going", which pisses me off. Why would a complete stranger care how my day is going? I've also heard sales people ask to schedule a meeting or ask for 15 minutes of my time. I always say no. My time is too valuable to give 15 minutes to someone I don't know. I will give him one minute to explain how he can benefit me. He just never asks.

Of Course, there are variations to this theme that you can use for your individual needs. For example,you could ask for a longer time period and use the one minute pitch as a concession. The basic point is that you are asking for an acceptable amount of time to get across your point. The pitch works just as well for a personal sales call.

The psychology behind the One Minute Pitch;

1. The time factor-Most people are very busy and don't have time for a stranger. One minute is a very reasonable amount of time to give to anyone that asks.
2. The word please-Politeness gets you everywhere.
3. The word exactly-Let's face it, many people don't trust sales people. People tend to think that when someone asks for one minute, it really means ten. The word exactly helps relieve that concern.
4. The word because. (One of Kevin Hogan's favorite words) People are more likely to comply with a request when the word because is used.
5. You are showing the benefits of your pitch to the customer.
6. You are monetizing the benefits.
7. The word guaranteed. Guarantees increase the likelihood someone will purchase your product.
8. The phrase, 'You can time me'. This puts your listener in control of the situation. He is more likely to comply when he is in control.
9. The use of the third sentence increases your credibility because someone he knows or someone in his industry uses your product. Give him a contact number or email if he asks.
   

The biggest obstacle to delivering the one minute pitch is talking to the decision maker. Employees usually answer phone calls and it can be challenging getting your message to the decision maker. Also, the content of your pitch is just as important as gaining the one minute of time from your prospect. We will save these two issues for tomorrow's post.

Glacier Ice Cream