/sales-pitch — Pitch Builder

Build sales pitches, cold emails, demo scripts, and pitch decks using frameworks from April Dunford, Matt Dixon, Andy Raskin, and Nancy Duarte.

When to Use

• User says "sales pitch", "pitch deck", "cold email", "demo script"
• Building a sales narrative or pitch for a specific audience
• Crafting outreach for founder-led sales
• Preparing for a demo, investor meeting, or partnership conversation
• Translating positioning into sales artifacts

Before Starting

Check for existing context:

1. Read projects/<project>/onboarding.md for intake context
2. Read projects/<project>/positioning.md — positioning directly drives the pitch
3. Read projects/<project>/discovery.md for customer insight
4. Read projects/<project>/gtm-plan.md for market context

Positioning is critical input. If no positioning exists, flag it: "A pitch without positioning is guesswork. Consider running /gtm-positioning first."

Process

Step 1: Intake — What Are We Building?

AskUserQuestion:
  question: "What kind of sales artifact do you need?"
  header: "Artifact"
  options:
    - label: "Sales pitch / deck"
      description: "Full pitch narrative for meetings and presentations"
    - label: "Cold email sequence"
      description: "Outreach emails for prospecting"
    - label: "Demo script"
      description: "Structured script for product demonstrations"
    - label: "One-pager / leave-behind"
      description: "Concise document summarizing your value proposition"

Then gather:

• Who is the audience? (Specific persona: title, company type, their priorities)
• What's the context? (Cold outreach, warm intro, follow-up, conference?)
• What's the desired outcome? (Book a meeting, close a deal, get a pilot, get a referral?)
• Positioning context — How do you describe what you do? Your differentiators? (Pull from positioning if available)
• Proof points — Any case studies, metrics, or customer quotes?
• Known objections — What concerns do prospects typically raise?

Step 2: Research — Parallel Intelligence

Launch 2 agents IN PARALLEL:

Agent 1 — Prospect/Market Context

Task(subagent_type: "general-purpose", description: "Research prospect context")
prompt: Research the prospect landscape for [PRODUCT] selling to [TARGET PERSONA].
  - What are the top priorities and challenges for [PERSONA] right now?
  - What language do they use to describe their problems? (LinkedIn, forums, job postings)
  - What buying signals indicate they're ready for a solution like this?
  - What objections are common in this sale? (based on competitor reviews, forums)
  Return findings organized by persona priorities and common objections.

Agent 2 — Competitive Sales Intelligence

Task(subagent_type: "general-purpose", description: "Research competitive sales")
prompt: Research how competitors in [SPACE] sell and pitch.
  - What does their sales messaging emphasize?
  - What case studies or proof points do they use?
  - Where are the gaps in their pitch? (weaknesses, missing claims)
  - What do customers say about the buying experience? (reviews, forums)
  Return competitive sales intelligence with opportunities to differentiate.

Step 3: Build the Pitch

Based on artifact type selected in Step 1:

For Sales Pitch / Deck

Follow the Dunford 8-step structure, layered with Raskin narrative and Dixon JOLT principles:

Slide 1-3: Setup (Raskin narrative frame)

• The shift: "[Industry] is moving from [old game] to [new game]"
• The stakes: Winners vs. losers in this shift
• The perfect world: "An ideal solution would [criteria aligned to your strengths]"

Slide 4: Introduction

• One sentence: who you are and what you do

Slide 5-8: Differentiated Value (Dunford structure)

• For each differentiator (max 3):
  • The value it delivers (not the feature)
  • How you deliver it (brief — this is where you can show product)
  • Proof point (case study, data, quote)

Slide 9: Objection Handling (Dixon JOLT)

• Proactively address the top 2-3 silent concerns
• Take risk off the table: pilot, guarantee, success metrics
• Offer your recommendation: "Based on what you've shared, I'd recommend..."

Slide 10: The Ask

• Specific next step with timeline
• Make it easy to say yes

Throughout:

• Use Duarte's "What Is / What Could Be" rhythm
• Create affirmation loops: "Does this resonate with your experience?"
• Talk value, not features

For Cold Email Sequence

Email 1: The Opener (under 80 words)

• Subject: Specific reference to their situation (not "Quick question")
• Line 1: Something specific about them or their company
• Line 2-3: The hook — connect their situation to your insight
• Line 4: Low-commitment ask ("Would a 15-minute call make sense?")

Email 2: The Value Add (sent 3-4 days later)

• Share a relevant insight, article, or data point
• Brief connection to how you help
• Soft ask

Email 3: The Proof (sent 5-7 days later)

• Short case study: "[Similar company] achieved [specific result]"
• One-line connect to their situation
• Direct ask

Email 4: The Breakup (sent 7-10 days later)

• Acknowledge they're busy
• Restate the core value in one sentence
• Leave the door open

For Demo Script

Follow the Kazanjy demo structure:

1. Re-confirm the problem (2 min)
2. Show the promised land — outcomes, not features (3 min)
3. Live walkthrough of their use case (15 min)
4. Proof — similar company results (5 min)
5. Next steps — specific action and timeline (5 min)

Step 4: Review and Refine

Present the draft. Apply quality checks:

• The Bar Test — Would your prospect naturally say these words to a colleague? If it sounds like marketing, rewrite.
• The JOLT Check — Does this reduce indecision or increase it? Fewer options is better. Offer your recommendation.
• The "So What?" Test — For every claim, ask "So what does this mean for the buyer?" If you can't answer, cut it.
• Specificity Check — Replace every vague claim with a specific proof point or metric.

AskUserQuestion:
  question: "How does this feel? What needs adjustment?"
  header: "Review"
  options:
    - label: "Strong — minor tweaks"
      description: "The structure and message are right, just need polish"
    - label: "Wrong tone"
      description: "The message is right but the voice/tone is off"
    - label: "Missing the mark"
      description: "Something about the angle or framing isn't right"

Iterate until the pitch feels authentic and compelling.

Step 5: Save

Save to: projects/<project>/pitch.md (or cold-emails.md, demo-script.md depending on artifact)

Methodology

See references/pitch-frameworks.md for detailed frameworks.

Key sources: April Dunford (8-step pitch), Matt Dixon (JOLT method), Andy Raskin (strategic narrative), Nancy Duarte (storytelling structure), Pete Kazanjy (founder-led sales).

Output

Save to: projects/<project>/pitch.md

Next Steps

• Need to formalize the deal? → /proposal-writer to write the proposal
• Need pricing for the pitch? → /gtm-pricing
• Need the full brand context? → /brand-strategist