For many entrepreneurs, the word pitching brings to mind the startup world, investors, and big stages. In reality, pitching belongs in every entrepreneur’s toolkit – especially when the company is for sale, or when new shareholders or partners are being sought.
Pitching is not just a sales talk. It’s the first impression of your business – the moment when you have the opportunity to spark interest, raise questions, and open a conversation that could lead to big decisions.
Whether you’re selling a product, a service, or even your entire company, you need to be able to distill your core message into a form that captures the listener’s attention – be it a customer, business partner, investor, or shareholder – and helps them understand what you’re offering and why it matters to them.
Why is it worth mastering the art of pitching?
Especially when you’re selling your entire company or operation, it’s important to understand what aspects to highlight and how to present them. Depending on the situation and the person you’re talking to, take time beforehand to consider what matters most in this specific context – what topics or details are most likely to interest this particular listener or organization.
Building trust is also crucial. A clear and convincing pitch demonstrates that you have a strong grasp of your business and its value – and that, in turn, builds confidence among both buyers and investors.
To help you refine your own pitch, here are a few practical tips to guide you along the way.
1) Core business and value proposition
The buyer wants to immediately understand what your company is about, who it serves, and what problems your products or services solve.
➔ Clearly explain what you do, for whom, and what benefit or outcome your customer receives. Avoid complicated jargon.
2) Market and growth opportunities
The company’s potential in terms of revenue growth, expansion, or scalability is of great interest to any buyer.
➔ Present the market size, trends, competitive landscape, and possible new segments or regions for expansion.
3) Long-term customer base / customer contracts
Recurring revenues and stable customer relationships reduce the buyer’s risk.
➔ Highlight key customers, long-term agreements, customer churn, and customer satisfaction levels.
Churn = customer attrition or the rate at which customers stop doing business with a company over a given period.
4) Team and organization
A company’s value often lies not only in its innovation or product — the people and the team make a real difference.
➔ Introduce key team members, their skills, roles, and how the team supports the business and operates independently.
5) Strengths and competitive advantages
What sets your company apart from competitors is often a decisive factor in a sale.
➔ Explain the basis of your competitive edge (e.g. cost advantages, patents, customer relationships, brand, location).
“Pitching is not just a sales talk. It’s the first impression of your business – the moment when you have the opportunity to spark interest, raise questions, and open a conversation that could lead to big decisions.”
Emotions at play
Selling your company can be a deeply emotional process – and for many good reasons.
You may have been running your business for years, or even decades, and parting with it can feel difficult. Still, it’s important to remember that you have every reason to be proud of what you’ve achieved – the business you’ve built and developed with skill, dedication, and heart.
When the day comes that you decide it’s time to let go of your life’s work – or at least the results of many years of effort – that’s exactly the time to share your story. Talk about your successes and what makes your company unique, and show why it deserves the right kind of successor – someone genuinely inspired to continue what you started.
Doesn’t that sound like a great reason to polish your pitch?
A perfect place to get inspired and learn more is the Tervatynnyri event.
Hope to see you there – and best of luck with the sale of your business!
Linda Nygård
YrittäjyysBOOST project
Keski-Pohjanmaan Yrittäjät
