The 5-Point Pitch: A simple way to create a stronger sales message

We were on a farm in the North Georgia mountains with a group of urban hipsters talking about B2B sales messaging. PitchMaps had been asked to conduct a workshop at the sales retreat for an uber trendy, premium apparel company. Their focus? Driving new growth in the branded merchandise space. The challenge? How do you create a B2B sales message that quickly communicates value for a product costing up to 3x more than the competition?

It was a fun group and a stimulating session. They quickly caught on to the concepts we presented around brand positioning and sales messaging. But the most exciting part for us was to see what they did with the 5-Point Pitch.

A simple framework for any sales message.
The 5-Point Pitch is a tool we use with our clients to outline their core pitch. And it works for just about any sales conversation – the 30-second elevator pitch at a networking event, a formal presentation to a new prospect, an investor pitch, or an internal pitch to your boss about your new big idea.

Here’s how the 5-Point Pitch works:

1. Definer – What do you do, really?

2. Eye-opener – Why should I pay attention?

3. Solution Pillars – How are you solving my problem?

4. Reason to Believe – How do I know you’re for real?

5. Action Step – What’s the next step?

After we presented this framework to the apparel company, we had them split into small groups to work on their own 5-Point Pitch. They could craft a pitch for a single product, a specific customer, or for their company as a whole. When we brought everyone back together and listened to their pitches, we were blown away. The messaging they had begun to develop in less than five minutes was more creative and compelling than many of the B2B sales messages we hear every day.

Easy to use. Easy to remember.
The 5-Point Pitch is so simple it almost seems obvious. But that’s why it works so well. We’ve found that it provides just the right amount of structure to quickly get to a strong sales message without forcing you into a canned-sounding elevator pitch. Also, the fact that it’s in a five-point outline and not a long paragraph makes it much easier to remember.

Don’t start with a blank sheet of paper.
So, the next time you’re coming up with a sales message, instead of staring at a blank sheet of paper (or just winging it and hoping for the best), give the 5-Point Pitch a whirl. You’ll be surprised how much easier it can be to create a killer sales message.