Ask HN: How do I go about delivering my first sales pitch/demo?

[dudeofjude]

I have been working on this project, it is sort of CRM but targeted towards a particular vertical say, "not for profits". Incidentally, I came to an organization, they allowed me a free space to work.

They asked me about what I was into, and then, I told them the stuff, they said they were going to look for SugarCRM.

I am mostly a developer, and have seldom done a sales pitch. After talking in brief for 2-3 minutes, I asked them are they willing to pay for it? They said, they would, if they find it good.

As of now, my product is in MVP stage. So the question is -

1. What are the basics that I should keep right in my first sales pitch?

2. How much should I charge them? What should be the basic pricing plan, that I should talk of?

3. What should I keep in mind, to convert the first sales of my life?

4. Any other advice, is always welcome :)

Thanks everyone!

[amarghose]

Give your sales pitch to anyone and everyone in your life you have easy access to. They may not be the most critical but it will get you more comfortable and will improve your flow. You'll find that by the 3rd time through you phrase things slightly more clearly and are less likely to ramble. I would not go to these guys and be making your pitch for the absolute first time. Even if you do great it could be better with just a little practice.

1. Basics: go over the benefits for them. Benefits... not features. They'll ask about features they need after you're done so focus on what your software can do for them, how it will help their business, etc.

2. No one is going to be able to answer this without a hell of a lot more details on your product. Best bet is to look into competitors and price around there. These are your first customers and this price isn't permanent (maybe for them but you can raise the price on anyone after) so don't worry about it too much.

3. The biggest thing is actually selling yourself. Your software is not perfect right now. It's not going to have all the features they want. So, with that in mind, you need to be confident enough about both your product and your personal ability to improve it to sell these guys on the FACT that you're going to solve their problems. Period.

4. a. I'd like to emphasize again that you should give this presentation as many times as you possibly can to people who "don't matter" before doing this first time pitch. b. Relax. It's difficult to ignore how awesome it would be if you landed these guys but just keep it in the back of your head that you'll still be in a great place even if they pass. Managing your expectations this way will go a long way to help you keeping even keel, both in general and specifically in the presentation itself.

I'm sure plenty of people here can give you better input with more detail but if you'd like feel free to email me (info in profile) with more questions and/or more info on your product.

Good luck!

[Peroni]

All solid advice.

I'd like to add to it with some absolute basics:

1. Avoid sounding scripted at all costs. I'm sure you'd be more comfortable practicing a certain pitch but a rehearsed script is obvious to everyone in the room. Sounding natural, confident and passionate is absolutely critical.

2. Stay honest. No product or service is perfect. Don't make excuses if someone attempts to pick holes in your product. Acknowledge it, thank them for the feedback and move on.

3. Be persistent. The hardest part of selling is picking yourself up and doing better the next time after being rejected over and over again.

[orangethirty]

Realize that your first presentations will be shit. You will probably not close a sale. Dont get discouraged. Its part of the process. Do develop your pitch in a structured manner so you can later on a/b test it. Think as the pitch as a script to a short movie.