How to Disrupt The Sales Pitch

Founders: it’s high time to disrupt the sales pitch!

You know where I stand; selling isn’t about pitching — it’s about having sales conversations, specifically consultative sales conversations. 

Yet mastering sales skills isn’t easy for subject-matter experts selling B2B services. It’s especially challenging for consultants whose buyers are conditioned to expect a presentation or prospectus. I see you, my creatives!

For you, here’s how sales meetings typically go:

You walk into a room, and everyone greets you with a polite “Hi, it’s so nice to meet you. Thanks for bringing the sandwiches. Go ahead,” as they nod with a mouthful of turkey & brie.

After all, they and you know how this is supposed to go. They passively watch while you do “the dance.” But here’s the thing: this approach isn’t effective for you or your potential buyers.

So, what can you do when you inevitably find yourself in this situation? How do you upend the conventional pitch culture/dog-and-pony show to have a deeply productive conversation?

In this post, you’ll learn how to disrupt the sales pitch, set the tone, take control of the conversation, and engage your buyer. 

With this approach, you’ll get the information you need to solve their problems and put your best presentation forward. 

Before we get into the specific steps, let’s elaborate on why traditional pitches don’t work for B2B consultants and creatives selling high-value engagements.

The Problem with Conventional Pitches

First, let’s address the elephant in the room: the “dog and pony show” culture. 

You know how it goes — you walk in, set up your glossy presentation, and everyone’s just waiting for you to dazzle them with your charisma and fancy slides.

You’re an expert/badass at what you do. You can put together a compelling presentation in your sleep!

But here’s the kicker: those slides have nothing to do with actually solving their problems.

Presenting what your buyers already know about you (because buyers do their research) leaves no room for genuine conversation or problem-solving. 

It also does nothing to distinguish you from the other firms vying for that business—after all, chances are they will follow the pitch status quo.

So, how can you change the dynamics of the meeting to get what you need to know from your buyer and make yourself more impactful and memorable?

Next, you’ll learn three steps to apply to your next sales conversation.

Three Steps to Transform Your Sales Approach

Step 1: Call Out The Difference Right Off The Bat

After the standard pleasantries, set the tone and expectations by stating upfront that you do things differently. 

You might try something like this: 

“Before we start the presentation, I’d like to take 10-15 minutes for some dialogue. I want to hear from you so that when I go over our case studies and examples, I can focus on the most important aspects for you.”

By doing this, you demonstrate your ability to lead and signal that you are a partner, not a vendor, right off the bat. 

Once you’ve set the stage for what’s to come, it’s time to warm up the room.

Step 2: Start With Conversation

Instead of launching straight into your pitch, kick things off with a real conversation about the problem to be solved.

Get their voices in the room and understand where they believe their pain points and opportunities are. This isn’t small talk — it’s about the job at hand.

I worked with a consultant recently who was preparing for a high-stakes meeting with a group of c-suite executives. She knew two things going into this meeting:

1. They were expecting a presentation. 
2. They were already coming in with money objections.

This consultant normally would have been the dutiful vendor, doing her best to knock their socks off with a killer presentation, hoping her well-designed slides would overcome their big objections around money.

Yes, and pigs might fly. 

Instead, I helped her kick off the meeting with dialogue — but not just any dialogue. Her first question went a little something like this:

“I speak with a lot of leaders who believe investing in this type of work is a waste of resources. Where do each of you stand?”

Was she nervous to kick off the meeting like this? She sure was! But she did it anyway. 

Their response? 

She reported that they chuckled — the question had broken the ice — and they all settled in for a frank and authentic conversation that resulted in a next step! 

Once you engage them in real conversation, it’s time to show your capabilities and connect the dots.

Step 3: Connect The Dots 

Now, when you get to your pitch deck (because, let’s face it, in some industries, you can’t avoid it), you’re aware of their pain points and desires. 

As you go through your presentation, highlight what’s relevant to them and always connect the dots back to what you heard in your earlier conversation.

For example, if your buyer expressed a desire to incorporate AI to design a corporate event, you might say,

“Lucy, you mentioned you’re looking to use AI. Here’s a case study of an event where we used AI to organize seating layouts by factoring in elements such as attendee choices, traffic trends, and past data. Does this hit the mark?”

Bonus points for asking for feedback. 

As you go through your presentation, check in with your buyer with questions based on what you learned at the beginning of the meeting.

Am I checking this box? 

Are we going bigger?

This way, you get rigorous feedback in the moment, and you connect your work to the value they most want to see.

In the next section, we’ll apply these strategies to a real-life example of a sales meeting I attended with one of my clients.

A Real-World Example: The PR Agency Meeting

Picture this: my event management client and I enter a frenzied New York City PR agency. 

My client puts down the overflowing tray of gourmet sandwiches and sets up her PowerPoint presentation. 

Predictably, the team files in. Everybody gets their sandwiches (some were only there for the sandwiches), claims their spot at the table, and your main buyer says, “Go ahead, show us what you got.”

Usually, my client would stand there and start presenting into the void, but we did things differently this time. 

She grabbed a sandwich, sat down, and spent 15 minutes talking and eating with the group about the problems they were looking to solve and goals they were looking to achieve.

She told them she wanted to hear from them first, and then she’d delve into the presentation she’d prepared for them.

The difference was like night and day when she got up to present. She was more confident and knew precisely where to focus. The clients were way more energized and engaged throughout the meeting.

She successfully disrupted the pitch and won the business. (And has continued to do so since!)

How To Disrupt the Sales Pitch: Key Takeaways

Did imagining yourself as the leader rather than the performer of the sales meeting make you feel like a rockstar? 

Are you relishing not having to endure the pressure of pitching your capabilities to a cold, silent audience?

The essence of consultative sales is making it a two-way street. 

By setting expectations, starting with a conversation, and connecting the dots back to what you heard, you’re not just pitching your capabilities like most, if not all, other consultants they’ll meet.

You establish a rapport by engaging in a meaningful dialogue addressing their needs and desires. You’re also challenging your buyer to collaborate with you, as sophisticated buyers report wanting to be challenged.

As a subject-matter expert and creative who is more interested in delivering value and impact, you’re also doing the essential work of establishing yourself as a strategic advisor and consultant, not a vendor.

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