The words you use in a sales pitch affect your leads and potential customers in many ways. In this article, know the best words to use in a sales pitch so you can convince them to take action.
When communicating with your prospects, your words have a large impact on your ability to make them excited about whatever you’re trying to sell them.
Different words can trigger different behaviors in different people. They can elicit positive, negative, or neutral emotions and reactions.
Speaking your prospects’ preferred language builds rapport and makes you easier to trust. Thus, choosing the right words maximizes the weight of your message and is crucial to the success of your sales pitch.
In today’s article, I list down 24 persuasive words to use in a sales pitch to inspire your prospects to buy from you. You can also use these words in your calls to action (CTAs), headlines, or elsewhere that draws your prospects’ attention.
Note: These are arranged in alphabetical order.
When you’re making a sales pitch, you should be highlighting the features and benefits of what you’re offering. Not only should your product or service offering be awesome, it also needs to have an edge over similar offers from other merchants.
Identifying a specific advantage of your product over everyone else’s leaves your prospects with a detail they can keep in mind when shopping around for the same products from other merchants.
Example: “Our product has [characteristic], giving it a huge advantage over [rival product/the usual product].”
Your prospects don’t want things that are merely “nice” or “good.”
They want to be amazed.
When something is amazing, we feel excitement and joy over that thing and we want to have that for ourselves. We want to feel that over and over again, and so we’re convinced that we need to buy that product.
Be careful here, though. If you describe something as amazing when it’s actually not, your prospects will tend to distrust everything else you say. So make sure it really is amazing before describing it as such.
Example: “Check out this amazing product/feature/offer!”
In addition to showcasing features and benefits, explaining what losses your prospects stand to prevent will keep them interested.
Aside from what your prospects stand to gain, they’re also interested to know what risks or problems they can avoid by getting your product.
Example: “Avoid [problem/risk] when you buy our product!”
Your prospects are thinking of what they stand to gain from believing your sales pitch and getting the product you’re offering. The lower the price you can offer them, the better the chances they’ll go ahead with the purchase.
However, when you offer discounts, you don’t want to use the term “cheap” because it implies “low-quality.” It’s better to describe the reduced price as a bargain instead to correctly indicate a lower price but not lower quality products.
Example: “Get your products now at bargain prices.”
If you tell your audience to do something and provide a reason or justification for that action, your audience is inclined to do it.
Even if that reason doesn’t entirely make sense.
This is illustrated in the oft-cited study by Dr. Ellen Langer, a professor of psychology at Harvard University.
You can read the original study here, but in a nutshell, Dr. Langer had her researchers cut random people in line to use a copy machine.
They would ask the subject one of three questions:
Notice that the second question gives a reason, but the reason doesn’t make sense, since they’re ALL in line to make copies, and that doesn’t justify cutting in line.
But the second and third questions worked almost equally in terms of how often their subjects let them cut in line, implying that providing a justification for an action makes an audience more motivated to do it.
So how do you apply this concept to your sales pitch?
The word “because” introduces a reason for your audience to take a specific action. It indicates a cause-and-effect relationship, in that they must buy a product because they’ll get the desired outcome.
However, just because the study used an irrational reason doesn’t mean you can, too. Be sure to give a good reason for them to get your product.
Example: “You will love our product because [benefit to them].”
You know that your product is the best; but your prospects probably don’t. So tell them!
If it’s not the best in its class but has a feature that stands out among its competition, then play that feature up.
Describing your product with superlatives may sound a little salesy, but use it honestly and sparingly and it can work to your favor.
Example: “Our product has the best [feature] of any other product you might have seen.”
Prospects don’t want to spend time on sales pitches that are long and winding. They want to know the features and benefits of your product as quickly and as concisely as you can give it to them.
Emphasize that you’re going to be brief so they don’t lose interest and tune you out. What’s great about this word is it can be an adjective, a noun, or a verb, so you can use it three different ways.
Example 1: “Here is a brief summary of the benefits of the product.” (adjective)
Example 2: “Attached is a brief describing all the features and price comparisons you asked for.” (noun)
Example 3: “Let me brief you on the advantages of our product compared to others on the market.” (verb)
You’re offering a solution to your prospects; something that will help them. Explain how easy their lives can be with your product.
Prospects also dislike unnecessarily complicated products. They want to make their lives fuss-free. Rave about how your product is easy to use to convince your prospects that your product is worth getting.
You can also use this word to highlight how painless the actual buying process is. Prospects dread tedious checkout processes, so tell them how easy it is for them to get your product.
Example 1: “Look how easy it is to use!”
Example 2: “Ordering it is so easy!”
People love being the first to know, first to access, first in line.
Using “first” grabs your audience’s attention in a good way. It denotes something they’ve never seen before and introduces an element of surprise.
Being first doesn’t mean much if the product isn’t very unique or your offer isn’t that special. Ensure that if you hype their being first in line, it’s for a product or offer that’s worth the hype.
Example: “Be the first to experience our product!”
Your product is ideally a solution to a pressing problem.
Telling your audience that your product is going to fix their problems will make them pay attention to what you have to say.
When you explain to your prospects exactly how well your product can resolve their issues, they’re more likely to convert and turn into customers.
Example: “You have a problem? Let me show you how our product can fix that for you.”
No one can resist getting something for nothing. Not even your prospects.
This is why offering them free stuff, like a free trial, free gift with purchase, or free shipping excites them.
Keep this word in mind as well when you’re thinking of special offers. “Buy one, get one free!” has a nicer ring to it than “Get it at 50% off” even if they’re spending the same amount for two products.
Similarly, when you’re selling something like measured by volume, “Get 50% more product, free!” works better than “Get 33% off!” even when it comes to the same price per unit volume (seriously, the math is solid on this one).
Example: “Don’t miss out on your free trial/sample!”
Your prospects will be much more comfortable trying out your product if you assure them that you’ll be around to help them if they have any questions.
It’s not they need to be treated like children; they just need that extra security that you stand by your product and if they have concerns or if something goes wrong with their purchase or product, they can easily contact you.
Example: “Our customer support team will be happy to help you with any questions or concerns you may have.”
When you ask your prospect to imagine a desirable outcome or result brought about by your product, that automatically puts your product in a positive light.
Visualizing themselves using the product and getting what they desire helps reduce your prospects’ objections to the product and focus on the results, even if these results haven’t actually materialized yet.
When your prospects are able to imagine how your product helps them to be a better version of themselves, they’ll be hooked.
Example: “Can you imagine what it feels like to be free from [problem]? Now you can with this product!”
This is particularly advisable to use when you’re offering new versions of your existing product.
If you’re offering an upgrade of an older version of your product, it’s advisable to stress that you’ve enhanced the product and describe what you’ve improved.
Caution: Don’t call it “new and improved.” It’s an obsolete marketing phrase that doesn’t actually mean anything (how can something both be “new” and “improved”?).
Example: “Check out our improved product!”
People hate having to wait.
They want to get things in an instant.
If you can offer your prospects something they can access immediately, that’s a huge plus factor for you. Even if the need isn’t really urgent, your prospects want what you’re offering as soon as they can get it.
Delivery time is important but results also matter. Promising instant results (and making sure you follow through) will amp up their interest in your product.
Example: “Buy now and get instant results!”
A sense of urgency can sometimes be enough to jolt your prospects into action.
Highlight the immediate benefits of getting your product right now to imply just the right amount of pressure without being too aggressive about it.
Suggesting that now is the perfect time to get your product might just be the trigger they need to actually buy your product.
Example: “Order it now and start enjoying the benefits today!”
You want your prospects to buy, but you need them to not visualize the money going out of their pockets into yours.
Instead, keep the focus on your product and what your prospects can gain by having it. Telling them what benefits they’ll get when they own the product helps them visualize themselves using your product and get excited about it.
Example: “Own this product today!”
If there’s an important deadline coming up, like the end of their free trial promotion, or the start of a flash sale on your product line or product category, you want to remind your prospects of it.
You can also use this word to remind them of the most important feature or benefit of your product. Telling your prospects to remember it will likely cause them to pay attention and keep that in mind.
Example: “Remember, the special price is only available until midnight tomorrow.”
Asking your prospects to spend money to save money seems irrational.
But if your prospect is already interested in your product, think of it as providing them an opportunity to save money on a purchase they’re planning to do anyway.
Can’t save them money, or can save them only a tiny amount? Talk about how you can save them time or trouble when they buy from you.
Example 1: “Save $X when you order today!”
Example 2: “Save an hour each day when you use this product!”
It’s simply good manners to say “thank you” when a person does something for you.
Your prospect gave you their time of day and their attention when they listen to you or watch your video or read your email. So thank them politely.
Don’t make them feel that you’re doing them a favor and that they need to thank you. That gets your relationship off on the wrong foot. You don’t need to grovel, either. Just simply express your appreciation for their time.
Example: “Thank you for your time, and I hope to hear from you soon.”
No one really wants to do the same old things they’re already doing.
This is what makes unique products so attractive.
Underscore the features that make your product different from anything else in the market to attract their curiosity.
Example: “Our product is unique in that [unique feature].”
Unless you’re running a charitable organization (and maybe even then), acquiring your product has a price.
However, you don’t want to focus on the cost to your prospects, or what they have to spend to obtain your product.
Focus on the value of your product. That way, you make them think about what they’re getting instead of what they’re giving.
Example: “Get our product and the benefits that come with it for a $10 value.”
This is more of a relationship-building word than an actual “selling” word, and that’s a good reason why using this word is so important.
You want to connect with your prospects, not just because you’re selling to them now, but because you want to leave a good impression on them, whether or not they end up purchasing from your store.
Always tell them that any questions, concerns, and suggestions are welcome. Opening a conversation makes your prospects feel that they’re involved in a dialogue and not merely on the receiving end of a monologue.
Another way you should be using “welcome” is as a response to “thank you.” Your prospects will probably thank you for some reason. Always respond to them with the more formal “you’re welcome” instead of the more casual “no problem.”
Example: “You’re welcome to email me if you have questions about the product.”
Focusing the sales pitch on you or your product can only spell disaster; not just for conversion but for your prospects’ perception of you as a brand as well as a person .
Selling should be about your customers and prospective customers; what challenges they’re facing, what they need to overcome or alleviate those challenges, what versions of themselves they’d like to become.
Since it’s all about them, make it about them. Ideally, you should use their name whenever you can. But that gets awkward and unnatural after a while, and so “you” is the next best thing.
Example: “Do you need help with [struggle]? Then this product is for you!”
It’s mindblowing how a single word can make or break your sales pitch.
If you want your sales pitches to be effective, you need to learn the right words to use when speaking to your prospects. Let me show again the words we discussed today.
Now that you know the 24 words to use in a sales pitch, I just have a couple more reminders before I send you on your way.
Some of these words may seem awkward to use when at first, especially when they’re not part of your everyday language.
But consistent use of these words will reveal how well (or how poorly) your prospects react to them, and you’ll be able to see a particular pattern. Adjust your spoken and written language to accommodate these words so you can observe the impact on your conversion rates.
Yes, sales pitches are for making sales.
But your prospects are so much more than your personal money-making machines.
Keep in mind that you’re not just selling products; you’re selling solutions. If your prospects don’t have the problem you’re solving, or are happy using something else to solve it, or don’t see it as a problem, then what you’re offering won’t be attractive to them.
Never close a sale just for the sake of closing it.
Forcing prospects to buy from you may earn you a sale in the short term. But later on, when they realize the product is not a good fit for them, they’ll either return it or keep it and not respond to any more of your attempts to reach them. Worse, they might spread the word that you’re a sleazy salesman, and you absolutely don’t want that kind of reputation.
Don’t force your products on prospects that aren’t a good fit. Educate them and value their time, but if they feel that your product isn’t for them, let them decide it with a smile on their face and a positive memory of your store and your brand.
Of course, you still need to sell your products. To increase your chances of success, focus your time and energy on getting in front of prospects who will find your products valuable and useful to their lives.
Remember, the worst outcome of any sales process is an unhappy customer.
What are some words you use in your pitch to trigger strong reactions from your prospects? What words have you tried to use but failed to convert? Share them in the comments!
JoAnne is your average, everyday, sane stay-at-home mom who believes in the power of the internet to make dreams come true. She has an insatiable appetite for chocolate, as well as all things internet marketing. She keeps up with the latest trends in blogging, affiliate marketing, e-commerce, and more.