Sales pitch examples for B2B: one structure, thirteen pitches for email, phone, LinkedIn and the meeting room, and the words that make them land.

What is a sales pitch?

A sales pitch is a short, prepared message in which a salesperson tells a prospect why they are reaching out, what problem they can help with, and what the prospect gets out of the next step. In B2B sales, the pitch rarely closes the deal. Its job is to earn the next conversation.

The sales pitch examples on this page follow one structure and change the wording for each channel: an elevator pitch at an event, an email pitch, a phone pitch, a LinkedIn pitch, a voicemail, and the opening of a sales presentation.

Product pitch vs sales pitch

A product pitch describes what the product or service does: the features, the use cases, the roadmap. A sales pitch starts from one prospect's pain points and presents the product as the solution to them. The same facts appear in both, in a different order.

A great sales pitch spends most of its time on the customer and very little on the product. The prospect should hear their own situation first, then a solution, then a reason to believe it, and only then the details that matter to their decision.

That order is also why research comes first. Without data on the prospect, a sales pitch falls back into a product pitch, because the product is the only thing the salesperson knows well enough to talk about.

The structure of a good B2B sales pitch

Every example below uses the same five parts in the same order. The parts stay; the length of each part changes with the channel. An email pitch gives each part one sentence. A presentation gives each part a slide or a story.

• Reason: the hook. A specific fact about the prospect or their company, such as a hire, a launch, a post or a tool change, that explains why you are reaching out to this person now.
• Problem: the pain point that usually follows that fact, described the way the customer would describe it, not the way your product page does.
• Value: what is different for the prospect after the problem is solved. Benefits first, features only as the reason the benefit is believable.
• Proof: a customer story, a case study, a comparison or a demonstration. Only proof you can back up; leave it out of a first email if you have none that fits.
• Ask: one clear call to action that is easy to say yes or no to, such as a question, a short call or permission to send something.

If a pitch has to be cut, cut proof first and the ask last. A pitch without a reason sounds like a template, and a pitch without an ask leaves the prospect with nothing to do.

Pitch structure formulas and when to use each

Sales teams use a few well-known formulas to order the same ideas. They are frames, not rules, and each one fits a different buyer situation. The five-part structure above can be read inside any of them.

Pick one formula per pitch. Mixing them produces a message that makes three points and lands none.

Types of sales pitches by channel

The same prospect may meet your pitch in several places over two weeks: a note, an email, a call, a LinkedIn message. Each channel sets its own length and its own kind of ask.

13 sales pitch examples at a glance

The table lists every sales pitch example on this page, with the channel and the situation it was written for. Jump to the one you need, or read them in order to see how one structure changes across channels.

Elevator pitch examples

An elevator pitch is spoken, so it has to survive being heard once. Short sentences, one problem, no jargon, and a question at the end so the other person talks next. These two examples were written for this page.

Example 1: the 30-second elevator pitch

You know how {{role}} teams at {{companyType}} spend {{timeSink}} on {{problem}}? I work at {{yourCompany}}, and we help them {{outcome}} without {{usualCost}}.

Most of our customers came to us after {{trigger}}, because that is when the problem gets expensive.

How does your team handle {{problem}} today?

Example 2: the one-sentence pitch

I help {{role}} teams at {{companyType}} {{outcome}}, usually when {{trigger}} makes {{problem}} hard to ignore.

Email pitch examples

An email pitch is read, often on a phone, often in a preview pane. The subject line and first sentence decide whether the rest is read. Both examples, written for this page, give each of the five parts one sentence. For the first line, see how to introduce yourself in an email.

Example 3: the cold email pitch

Subject: {{trigger}} at {{company}}

Hi {{firstName}},

I saw {{trigger}}. When {{role}} teams go through that, {{problem}} tends to show up within a few weeks.

We help teams like yours {{outcome}}. {{customerType}} used it to {{provenOutcome}}.

Is {{problem}} on your list this quarter, or is it already handled?

{{senderName}}
{{signature}}

Example 4: the follow-up email pitch

Subject: re: {{trigger}} at {{company}}

Hi {{firstName}},

One more thing on {{problem}}: we put together {{resource}} for {{role}} teams in the same spot. It is useful whether or not we ever talk: {{link}}

If the timing is wrong, a one-word reply like "later" is fine, and I will not follow up until then.

{{senderName}}

Phone pitch examples

A phone pitch interrupts someone who did not plan for the call. It has to state who you are and why you called in the first few sentences, and hand the conversation back with a question. Both examples were written for this page.

Example 5: the cold call phone pitch

Hi {{firstName}}, this is {{senderName}} from {{yourCompany}}. I sent you a short email about {{trigger}}. Do you have a minute for one question?

[If yes]
Teams in your spot usually run into {{problem}}. We help them {{outcome}}. Is that something you are dealing with, or is it handled?

[If it is a problem]
Could we take twenty minutes on {{day}} to look at how you do it today?

[If it is handled]
Then I will leave it there. Thanks for the minute.

Example 6: the voicemail pitch

Hi {{firstName}}, {{senderName}} from {{yourCompany}}. I am calling about {{trigger}} and {{problem}}. I sent you an email with the subject "{{subjectLine}}", and the details are there. My number is {{phone}}. Thanks.

LinkedIn pitch examples

On LinkedIn, a pitch in the connection request usually gets ignored. LinkedIn Help says a free account can add a personal note to up to three connection requests per month in one article and five in another, each up to 200 characters, with no cap on Premium. Both examples were written for this page.

Example 7: the connection note

Hi {{firstName}}, I read your post on {{topic}} and agree about {{point}}. I work on the same problem with {{role}} teams. Glad to connect.

Example 8: the LinkedIn message pitch after they accept

Thanks for connecting, {{firstName}}. Since your post on {{topic}}, I have been curious how {{company}} handles {{problem}}. We help {{role}} teams {{outcome}}, and I wrote up what we see: {{link}}

Is that a problem you are working on right now?

If you are not connected, an InMail message is the paid route; LinkedIn Help describes InMail as a Premium feature, and members can turn off InMail in their message preferences. For the wider method, see LinkedIn prospecting.

Sales pitch examples by situation

The channel sets the length. The situation sets the reason and the ask. These five examples were written for this page and cover situations B2B sales reps meet every week.

Example 9: the referral pitch

Subject: {{referrerName}} suggested I write

Hi {{firstName}},

{{referrerName}} at {{referrerCompany}} mentioned you are looking at {{problem}}. We worked with their team on {{project}}, and they thought the approach might fit {{company}} too.

Would a twenty-minute call on {{day}} be useful, or would you rather I send a short summary first?

{{senderName}}

Example 10: the event follow-up pitch

Subject: after {{eventName}}

Hi {{firstName}},

Good to meet you at {{eventName}}. You mentioned {{whatTheySaid}}, and I said I would send {{resource}}. Here it is: {{link}}

If it is useful, we could walk through how it applies to {{company}} on {{day}}. If not, no follow-up from me.

{{senderName}}

Example 11: the sales presentation opening

Thanks for the time. Before I show anything, here is what I heard on our last call: {{problem}} is costing your team {{costInTheirWords}}, and it matters now because {{deadline}}.

Is that still right, and is anything missing?

[After they answer]
Then I will spend the next twenty minutes on the three things that address it: {{point1}}, {{point2}} and {{point3}}. Stop me whenever something does not fit how you work.

Example 12: the pitch to a buying committee

For {{budgetOwner}}: the question is whether {{outcome}} is worth {{investment}} this year. Here is how we would measure it together: {{metric}}.

For {{userLead}}: day to day, your team stops {{manualTask}}. Here is what the first two weeks look like.

For {{technicalLead}}: it connects to {{system}} through {{method}}. Here is the security summary.

Which of these should we go deeper on first?

Example 13: the switching pitch

Subject: {{company}} and {{currentApproach}}

Hi {{firstName}},

Teams that use {{currentApproach}} usually do fine until {{limitCondition}}. After that, {{problem}} starts to take real time.

If that is not you yet, keep what works. If it is, we help teams move without {{switchingPain}}. Worth a short comparison call?

{{senderName}}

How to create a sales pitch in six steps

These steps turn the structure into a sales pitch for your own product and market. They take an afternoon for a first version and a few weeks of real conversations to get right.

1. Define who the pitch is for

   Know your audience: pick one role at one type of company from your ideal customer profile. A pitch written for everyone is written for no one, so start narrow and write a second pitch later.

2. Write the problem in the customer's words

   Find the pain points your product or service solves for that audience. Use phrases from sales calls, reviews and support tickets. If customers say "we lose track of follow-ups", write that, not "pipeline visibility challenges".

3. State the value in one sentence

   Finish "after working with us, a team like yours can..." with an outcome the prospect cares about. Features go in later as the reason to believe it.

4. Choose proof you can back up

   A customer story, a case study you are allowed to share, a demonstration or a trial. If you have no proof for this segment yet, offer a small first step instead of a claim.

5. Write one ask per pitch

   A question, a short call or permission to send something. Make it easy to answer with yes or no, and make "no" an acceptable answer.

6. Adapt it to each channel and test it

   Cut it to an email, a phone opener, a LinkedIn message and an elevator pitch. Use it on real prospects, note the questions they ask, and rewrite.

Research before you pitch

The reason line is the hardest part of any pitch and the one that makes it personal. It comes from a few minutes of research on the prospect and the company before you write or dial.

If the research finds nothing, the prospect may not fit yet. Check them against your lead qualification criteria before you send a generic pitch.

Power words for sales pitch writing

Power words are words and phrases that make a sales message more persuasive. Lists of power words for a sales pitch usually include "free", "new", "proven", "guaranteed", "exclusive", "imagine", "instantly", "results", "easy" and "you". In B2B sales, a word earns its place only if the rest of the sentence can back it up.

The reason is trust. Business buyers read many sales emails, and marketing vocabulary is easy to spot. A power word used without evidence reads as hype and costs the trust the rest of the pitch needs to close the next step.

Words to cut from most B2B pitches: "revolutionary", "game-changing", "best-in-class", "synergy", "world-class", "just checking in" and "I hope this finds you well". They take space and tell the buyer nothing about their problem.

Phrases that build trust with customers

• "Teams like yours usually...": shows you know the customer's situation without claiming to know their company.
• "If this is not a priority, say so": gives people an easy no, which makes a yes more likely to be real.
• "Here is how we would measure it": ties the promised results to something the buyer can check.
• "I do not know yet whether this fits": honest words early in a sales conversation make later claims easier to believe.

The best sales vocabulary is the prospect's own. Reuse the words customers use for their problem in calls and reviews, and your pitch sounds like their world instead of your marketing.

Personalize the pitch by role

The same product solves a different problem for each person in the buying group. Keep the structure and change the problem, the value and the proof for the role you are writing to.

Handling the answers a pitch gets

A good pitch ends with a question, so plan for the answers. The most common ones are short, and the best responses are short too.

Delivering the pitch: length, questions, follow-up

• Keep it short. The pitch earns a conversation; the conversation sells. Stop talking once the ask is out.
• Ask more than you tell. A pitch that asks one good question learns more than one that lists five features.
• Practice out loud. Read the elevator pitch and the phone pitch aloud until they sound like you talking, not like a script.
• Use their words back. In a presentation, repeat the problem the way the prospect described it in discovery.
• Plan the follow-up before the first touch. A single pitch rarely gets a reply; a sales cadence spreads the pitch across several channels and days.
• End cleanly. Close emails with one question and a name. Our guide on how to end an email covers sign-offs.

Rules for email and phone pitches in the United States

An email pitch is commercial email. The FTC's CAN-SPAM guide says the law makes no exception for business-to-business email. It requires accurate header information, a subject line that reflects the content, a valid physical postal address and a clear way to opt out, honored within 10 business days.

For phone pitches, the FTC's guide to the Telemarketing Sales Rule says most calls between a telemarketer and a business are exempt from the rule. Calls selling nondurable office or cleaning supplies are not exempt, and neither are calls to business lines that pitch employees products for their own personal use.

Other countries have stricter consent rules for email and calls. Check the rules for the country of the person you are pitching, not only your own.

How to test and improve a sales pitch

Common sales pitch mistakes

• Opening with your company and its history instead of the prospect.
• A reason that could be sent to anyone, such as "I came across your company".
• Listing features before the prospect agrees there is a problem.
• Proof you cannot back up, or numbers from a customer who never agreed to be quoted.
• Two or three asks in one message, so the prospect answers none.
• The same wording on every channel, so the LinkedIn message reads like an email.
• Pitching in the connection request.
• Hype words in place of specifics.
• No plan for the follow-up, so a good first pitch goes unanswered and is never seen again.

A sales pitch template you can adapt

The template below is the five-part structure as a cold email pitch, with every part marked. It was written for this page. Fill it in for one role, then cut it down for the phone, LinkedIn and the elevator pitch using the examples above.

Subject: {{trigger}} at {{company}}

Hi {{firstName}},

[Reason] I saw {{trigger}}.

[Problem] When {{role}} teams go through that, {{problem}} usually follows.

[Value] We help teams like yours {{outcome}}.

[Proof] {{customerType}} used it to {{provenOutcome}}.

[Ask] Is {{problem}} on your list this quarter, or is it already handled?

{{senderName}}

Frequently asked questions