--- title: How to Nail Your Opening Pitch - CCSalesPro description: Opening pitch should be no longer than fifteen to twenty seconds.  Write out your opening.  Then read the opening and time it with a stop watch on your phone or a clock with a second hand.  If it’s longer than twenty seconds, you need to re-think your opening.  It must also conclude with an open […] image: https://www.ccsalespro.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/dreamstime_xl_45598603-1400x1024.jpg --- Blog # How to Nail Your Opening Pitch Opening pitch should be no longer than fifteen to twenty seconds. Write out your opening. Then read the opening and time it with a stop watch on your phone or a clock with a second hand. If it’s longer than twenty seconds, you need to re-think your opening. It must also conclude with an open […] [ James Shepherd ](https://www.ccsalespro.com/blog/author/james-shepherd) Jul 7, 2015 --- Opening pitch should be **no longer than fifteen to twenty seconds.**  Write out your opening.  Then read the opening and time it with a stop watch on your phone or a clock with a second [![How to Nail Your Opening Pitch](https://www.ccsalespro.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/dreamstime_xl_45598603.jpg?width=201&height=169&name=dreamstime_xl_45598603.jpg)](https://www.ccsalespro.com/hubfs/Imported_Blog_Media/dreamstime_xl_45598603.jpg)hand.  If it’s longer than twenty seconds, you need to re-think your opening.  It must also conclude with an open ended question rather than a “yes” or “no” question.  If your opening ends with a “yes” or “no” question, you are losing sales.  Here’s my opening: “Hi, my name is James Shepherd.  I’m a local business owner providing credit card processing services.  I actually do the processing for XYZ company and thought I would stop by to find out who you’re using for your credit card processing?” That opening takes me about twelve to fifteen seconds.  We’re going to look at some of the elements in that opening.  You might want to use this one, or you might have a different one you want to use.  Here are the parts of that opening which you want to copy. - Use your entire name. Don’t walk in and use just your first name.  I usually hand the client my business card at this point as I say my opening. - Local approach. “I’m a local business owner.”  Use a local approach – however you want to include that.  Make sure the client knows you’re local.  You could say something similar to, “I’m a local business owner based in ______(city.)” - Answer the question of what you do. Very simple, but don’t fail to answer that question.  The client will ask you. - Answer the question of who else does it. So help them feel included. - Ask an open ended question to conclude. This must not be a question requiring a “yes” or “now” answer.  Mine is “who are you using for your credit card processing?”  The client can answer in any way he or she wants; it will not affect my pitch. Now it’s time to get out there and nail your opening pitch! ***Read previous post:  [Five Similarities Between Sales and Stage Acting](https://www.ccsalespro.com/five-similarities-between-sales-and-stage-acting/)*** > [Five Similarities Between Sales and Stage Acting](https://www.ccsalespro.com/five-similarities-between-sales-and-stage-acting/) ***Read next post:  [Four Steps to Follow When Evaluating Your Sales Pitch](https://www.ccsalespro.com/four-steps-when-evaluating-your-sales-pitch/)*** > [Four Steps to Follow When Evaluating Your Sales Pitch](https://www.ccsalespro.com/four-steps-when-evaluating-your-sales-pitch/) [Blog](https://www.ccsalespro.com/blog/tag/blog) [![https://www.ccsalespro.com/2026](https://www.ccsalespro.com/hubfs/images/blog%20sidebar/Vertical%20Mastery%20Webinar%20ad.jpg "https://www.ccsalespro.com/2026")](https://www.ccsalespro.com/2026) [![https://fullstackpayments.com/download-app](https://www.ccsalespro.com/hubfs/images/blog%20sidebar/FSP%20vertical%20ad.png "https://fullstackpayments.com/download-app")](https://fullstackpayments.com/download-app) [![How to Sell Merchant Services eBook](https://www.ccsalespro.com/hubfs/images/blog%20sidebar/ads-for-website-2.jpg "How to Sell Merchant Services eBook")](https://www.ccsalespro.com/how-to-sell-merchant-services-in-6-steps) [![GetIsoAmp.com](https://www.ccsalespro.com/hubfs/images/blog%20sidebar/ads-for-website-(1).jpg "GetIsoAmp.com")](https://getisoamp.com/index.php/request-demo/) ## Similar posts Blog ### [Dominate Your Market – How to Sell Merchant Services – Step #6](https://www.ccsalespro.com/blog/dominate-your-market-how-to-sell-merchant-services-step-6)  Dominating your market is crucial if you want to transition long-term into more leads and less cold calling. Imagine having twenty merchants... James Shepherd Sep 10, 2019 Blog ### [The Presentation – Opening Pitch That Always Works in Merchant Services – Part 1](https://www.ccsalespro.com/blog/opening-pitch-always-works-selling-merchant-services-part-1) There is an opening pitch which works every single time! The right opening pitch is probably the most difficult thing for sales people to create and... James Shepherd Nov 15, 2017 Blog ### [The “Time Frame” Opening Pitch](https://www.ccsalespro.com/blog/time-frame-opening-pitch) The title of today’s episode is “Time Frame” Opening Pitch. But this isn’t a complete opening pitch, just something to add into your opening. It... James Shepherd Feb 5, 2018 ### Get notified about new blog posts Enter your email to have each new CCSalesPro blog article delivered straight to your inbox. You can unsubscribe at any time. ![CCSalesPro logo white on dark](https://www.ccsalespro.com/hubfs/cc-sales-pro-footer.png) Text "Free" to (814) 482-2090 to get my latest eBook [![Facebook](https://www.ccsalespro.com/hubfs/icons/social-icon-facebook.png)](https://www.facebook.com/ccsalespro) [![LinkedIn](https://www.ccsalespro.com/hubfs/icons/social-icon-linkedin.png)](https://www.linkedin.com/company/ccsalespro/) [![Youtube](https://www.ccsalespro.com/hubfs/icons/social-icon-youtube.png)](https://www.youtube.com/user/CCSalesPro) [![Soundcloud](https://www.ccsalespro.com/hubfs/icons/social-icon-soundcloud.png)](https://soundcloud.com/merchant-sales-podcast) - [Home](https://www.ccsalespro.com/) - [Blog](https://www.ccsalespro.com/blog) - [Podcast](https://www.ccsalespro.com/podcast) - [Training](https://www.ccsalespro.com/training) - [Partners We Trust](https://www.ccsalespro.com/companies-we-trust) © 2026 CCSalesPro, Inc. All rights reserved. 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