Pitching for Business: Making an Effective Sales Presentation

In a competitive situation, winning a contract often involves pitching for business by making a presentation or taking part in a ‘tender interview' process. ProSeminar's Pitching for Business courses are intended to equip managers, professionals and technical specialists with the skills not only to present their organisation well, but also to show the client/customer that they understand their particular needs and give them confidence that they will be able to build on-going relationships. Emphasis is placed particularly on pitching for business as part of a team.

Course Outline

• Introduction to Pitching for Business
• The role of the presentation/interview in winning the business
• Setting objectives for the presentation/interview
• Choosing the presentation team - who does the client need to meet?
• Understanding the client's needs and adopting a ‘client-centric' approach
• Feature-benefit analysis and unique selling points related to client's needs
• Reviewing strengths and weaknesses of the competition
• Structuring the presentation and deciding content
• Establishing rapport
• Presentational techniques - body, voice and words
• Handling over to/bringing in other members of the presentation team
• Anticipating and pre-empting objections
• Handling questions
• Building on-going relationships with clients

Course Methods

Pitching for Business is a lively workshop. It combines informal lecture and discussion with a range of practical exercises through which participants can plan and develop an actual pitch. Participants are also helped to produce a personal action plan to implement and extend the lessons learnt from the course.

Course Times

Courses usually run from 9.30 to 17.00 each day. The training centre is open from 8.30.

Breaks & Refreshments

Coffee, tea and light buffet lunch are included in your fee. Lunch includes vegetarian option and fresh fruit. Unfortunately we are not able to cater for the dietary requirements of vegans or others who have special needs.

Dress Code

We have no specific dress code. We want you to relax and enjoy the course.

Pre Course Questionnaires & Other Preparation

To help us get to know you and understand your training needs and particular interests, we will send you a pre-course questionnaire by e-mail two weeks prior to the course. This is an easy to fill word document. Please e-mail this back to your course tutor following the instructions on the form and bring a copy with you.

For some courses you may be asked to do some preparation in advance. For others it is suggested that you may find it useful to bring samples of your own work with you.

Bringing a laptop or calculator is never essential but can be useful. Above all we want you to bring an open mind.