BY Rachel Cagle
You may be an authority figure in your industry, but there isn’t anyone who knows everything. So, you can’t blame prospective clients for wanting evidence from other resources in support of your claims. Sharing primary and secondary research in your sales pitches increases your credibility. And in turn, you are also seen by prospects as a credible source of knowledge. So, what types of research should you use to back up your recommendations for products or services?
How to Include Research in Your Sales Pitch
Information from Job Boards
According to a recent HubSpot article by Mike Renahan, a company’s job board can be a wealth of knowledge about their current needs. “The area the company is hiring for most aggressively can tell you a lot about its priorities,” says Renahan. “For example, if a particular organization has several job requisitions open in the finance department and you sell financial services, you might want to reach out.”
Sure, if you stop there and this is all the research in your sales pitch, it will just be speculation. However, if you reach out to the person in charge of hiring, you will have evidence straight from the horse’s mouth. Renahan recommends asking the person in charge of hiring four questions. “What are you looking for in a candidate?” “What are the specific skills you are seeking for this role?” And “How many people are you looking for to hire and where do you see the role going?”
It’s no hidden secret that the process of hiring new employees is a costly endeavor, especially if there’s high employee turnover. (This is also research you can list during your sales pitch). If your product or service could fill the roles of one or more new employees, you could save the prospect time, money, and effort. This research could sway a sale in your favor.
Case Studies
The experiences of your current clients can serve as research in your sales pitch, says Leslie Ye. Choose a current client of yours that had a similar need as the prospect that you helped fulfill. Then add the correlating stats into your sales pitch. Show how the client’s revenues or efficiency was enhanced and the other ways that your product or service benefited them and continues to do so. Your clients are credible sources of information. Get a written or, even better, video recommendation and statement from them to include in your presentation.
Industry Data
White papers, articles, and other research-based sources from companies in the same industry as your prospect can also be invaluable research in your sales pitch. For example, the publication could be about a common problem plaguing the industry and the types solutions the source recommends to remedy the problem. If the solutions they recommend are the types of products or services you sell, you can use it to your advantage. Display the publication in your presentation to show that credible sources agree that your product or service is just what the client needs to overcome their current problem.