Getting out and sharing your vision for your food business is one of the most important things you will do as an entrepreneur. After all, if you do not have sales, you do not have a business.
Whether you are looking for retailers to carry your products or investors to provide funding at a critical stage, showing you are confident in your brand is the best way to convert potential deals into real ones.
If you’ve been following along with our other resource guides, you will have read our Perfect Your Product Pitch to Buyers which details best practices for walking into a store and explaining your brand and products to someone in person. In addition to in-person pitches, the email pitch is another tool to add to your entrepreneurial tool belt that will make you a more versatile and persistent sales savant.
In large part, your email pitch should resemble the exact same structure as an in-person one:
Introduce Yourself - What is your background, what lead you to starting a business, and why are you the right person to do business with.
Introduce Your Company - Focus here on your value proposition! Explain your mission and core values, and describe what you are doing to solve a pain point for consumers.
Introduce Your Products - Your products are the execution of your goals as an individual and company. They are how you deploy your value proposition to your core consumer. Use a transition between introducing your company, and the problem you are looking to solve, by explaining how your products provide that solution.
You’ll want to keep the section above pretty brief, no more than a few sentences for each. Why? Because word economy matters in a digital format. Very few of us reads an entire lengthy email unless it is coming from a coworker or family member. Being concise is key for just this reason.
Structuring a digital pitch also allows you to use tools that just don’t translate well to an in-person pitch:
A simple and clean pricing table - providing pricing in typed out form is clear and easy for any reader to understand.
Big, sharp, beautiful product photos - use pictures to convey your value! People love pictures of food and drinks, and you’re looking to get someone to believe in your products.
Links to your website and social media page(s) - give your readers as many ways to engage and research your brand as possible. These links should help continue the storytelling you were doing earlier!
Sell sheets - building out a 1-2 page document that clearly, concisely describes your brand and product(s) is crucial when pitching in any format. Retailers and investors alike will all be expecting to see one, so be sure to attach yours to any email pitches!
By concisely including the components above, you are providing your potential customers, investors, and other partners with a full picture of who you and your brand are!
Don’t stop there, though. While email pitches are a great way to reach out initially, you should plan to call and/or stop by to follow up on your email. Being consistent and present builds confidence and trust in your brand. Make yourself available, show up in person, make calls, and send emails. By keeping your business front-of-mind for people, you greatly increase your ability to become an established brand!
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