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9 Steps For An Effective Sales Presentation + 6 Examples

As a sales professional, you're constantly seeking ways to create presentations that not only engage your audience but also close deals. While templates can streamline this process, understanding the fundamental principles behind effective presentations is crucial for truly mastering the art of the pitch.

But what exactly makes a sales presentation effective, and how can you create one that resonates with your prospects?

In this guide, we'll walk you through the key elements of an effective sales presentation and provide you with a step-by-step approach to crafting presentations that convert.

We've also included various presentation formats you can use for your next meeting, along with tools to help you create and deliver impactful presentations.

What you'll find in this blog:

What Makes For an Effective Sales Presentation

Understanding these fundamental components is crucial because they form the foundation of any successful sales presentation.

Nowadays, your prospects are bombarded with sales pitches daily. You need to stand out. By mastering these core elements, you'll be able to craft presentations that not only capture attention but also drive action.

Whether you're aiming to increase your close rate, shorten your sales cycle, or simply make a lasting impression, these key components will give you the edge you need.

1. Clear and compelling value proposition

Your presentation should clearly communicate how your product or service solves your prospect's problems or meets their needs.

Many sales presentations fail because they focus too much on features rather than benefits. This leaves prospects wondering, "So what? How does this help me?"

A clear value proposition addresses this by explicitly connecting your offering to the prospect's needs, making the relevance and importance of your solution immediately apparent.

2. Understanding the audience's needs and pain points

Generic, one-size-fits-all presentations often fall flat because they don't resonate with the specific audience. Prospects may feel that you don't truly understand their unique situation or industry.

That’s why personalization is key here. Your presentation should demonstrate that you understand your prospect's specific challenges and goals.

Not only that, tailoring your presentation shows that you've done your homework and are offering a solution that's relevant to them specifically.

3. Engaging storytelling and visual elements

Dry, fact-heavy presentations can be boring and forgettable! They often fail to create an emotional connection or leave a lasting impression. A great presentation tells a story that resonates with your audience, supported by visuals that enhance understanding and retention.

Storytelling and effective visuals make for a presentation that's more engaging and memorable. This helps overcome information overload and helps your key points stick in the minds of your prospects.

4. Strong call-to-action (CTA)

Many presentations end on a weak note, leaving prospects unsure about what to do next. This can result in lost momentum and missed opportunities.

Your presentation should guide your prospect towards a clear next step, whether that's scheduling a demo, starting a trial, or making a purchase. A strong CTA solves this by providing clear direction, reducing decision paralysis, and helping to move the sales process forward.

Now that we've got all that covered, let's get into the nitty-gritty of creating an effective sales presentation.

9 Steps to Follow For An Effective Sales Presentation

Creating an effective sales presentation isn't just about having great content; it's about structuring and delivering that content in a way that resonates with your audience and drives them to action.

Here are nine steps to help you craft and deliver presentations that convert:

Step 1: Research your audience thoroughly

Many salespeople rely on generic presentations or make assumptions about their prospects based on limited information.

Before you even open your presentation software, you need to know who you're presenting to.

Dive deep into your prospect's industry, company, and specific challenges. Use tools like LinkedIn, company websites, and industry reports to gather insights.

In addition to that, conducting a thorough customer needs analysis will help you better tailor your presentation to their needs .

This eliminates irrelevance or misaligned presentations. By thoroughly researching your audience, you can create a presentation that speaks directly to their needs, challenges, and goals, increasing engagement and the likelihood of a positive response.

Step 2: Craft a compelling opening

Many presentations start with company history or a long-winded introduction that fails to capture attention.

Gong even reported that starting off with "Did I catch you at a bad time?" decreases your chances of booking a meeting by 40%. 

You've got about 30 seconds to grab your audience's attention. Start with a bang by using a surprising statistic, a thought-provoking question, or a brief story that highlights the problem you're solving.

A compelling opening hooks your audience from the start , making them more likely to pay attention to the rest of your presentation.

Step 3: Clearly articulate your value proposition

Don't make your audience guess why they should care about your product or service. Spell it out for them in clear, benefit-driven language. Focus on the outcomes you can deliver, not just features.

This solves the problem of prospects not understanding the relevance or value of your offering. By clearly articulating your value proposition, you make it easy for prospects to see how your product or service will benefit them specifically.

Step 4: Personalize Your Sales Presentation

Use the insights you gathered in step 1 to tailor your presentation to your audience. Reference their specific industry challenges, use their company's name and logo, and even mention key decision-makers by name if appropriate.

This level of personalization shows that you've done your homework and truly understand their needs.

You don’t want your prospects feeling like they're getting a generic, one-size-fits-all solution. Personalization demonstrates that you understand their unique challenges and are offering a tailored solution.

Step 5: Use storytelling to engage your audience

Humans are wired for stories. Use case studies or customer success stories to illustrate how your solution works in real-world scenarios.

Structure your story with a clear beginning (the challenge), middle (the solution), and end (the results). This approach makes your presentation more memorable and relatable.

Storytelling prevents your presentations from being dry and forgettable. It helps your audience visualize how your solution could work for them, making your presentation more engaging and memorable.

Step 6: Include Social Proof and Testimonials

Many companies rely solely on their own claims about their product or service, which can come across as biased or untrustworthy.

Don't just tell your prospects how great you are – show them.

Don't just tell your prospects how great you are – show them. Include testimonials, case studies, and data from existing clients to build credibility. If possible, use examples from companies in similar industries or with similar challenges to your prospect.

Social proof from satisfied customers builds trust and credibility, making your prospects more likely to believe in the value of your offering.

Step 7: Leverage visual aids and multimedia content effectively

Presentations that are text-heavy and visually unengaging are difficult for the audience to absorb and retain information.

Break up text-heavy slides with infographics, charts, and images that support your key points. If appropriate, consider including short video clips or product demos. Remember, the goal is to enhance understanding, not to distract from your message.

This, again, eases information overload and poor retention. Visual aids and multimedia content make complex information easier to understand and remember, improving the overall effectiveness of your presentation.

Step 8: Address/anticipate objections proactively

If you wait for your prospects to raise objections, it can derail the presentation and put them on the defensive.

Don't wait for your prospects to bring up concerns. Address common objections head-on in your presentation. This shows that you understand their perspective and have solutions ready.

Step 9: End with a compelling CTA

Are you still sending your presentations with a vague "thank you" or "any questions?" This leaves your prospects unsure about next steps.

Make sure your presentation builds towards a clear next step. Whether it's scheduling a demo, starting a free trial, or setting up a follow-up meeting, make your call-to-action clear and compelling. Reinforce the value you've presented throughout and create a sense of urgency.

This solves the problem of losing momentum at the end of a presentation. A strong CTA guides your prospect towards the next step in the sales process, increasing the likelihood of moving the deal forward.

6 Examples of Sales Presentations That Convert

Great! Now that we've covered the steps for creating an effective presentation, let's explore some presentation styles you can use for your next meeting.

Each of these styles has its strengths and is suited to different situations.

The key is to choose the style that best fits your product or service, your audience, and the specific goals of your presentation.

1. The Problem-Solution Approach: 

This presentation style starts by deeply exploring a common industry problem, then introduces your solution as the answer. It's particularly effective when you're targeting a specific industry or niche.

Here’s how it might look:

• Opening slide: "The $10 Billion Problem Plaguing the Manufacturing Industry"
• Next few slides: Detailed breakdown of the problem (e.g., inefficiencies in supply chain management)
• Middle section: Introduction of your solution (e.g., an AI-powered supply chain optimization platform)
• Closing slides: Case studies showing how your solution solved this problem for other manufacturers

The success of this approach hinges on three critical elements. First, you need an in-depth analysis of the industry problem, demonstrating your expertise and understanding.

Next, establish a clear link between the problem and your solution, showing how your offering directly addresses the issue.

Finally, provide concrete examples of how your solution has worked for others in the same industry, building credibility and showing real-world applicability.

2. The Demonstration-Focused Presentation

If you're selling a product that's best understood through hands-on experience, this approach can be powerful. Just make sure to focus on the features that are most relevant to your specific audience.

How it might look:

• Brief introduction of your product (1-2 slides)
• Live demonstration of key features, narrated to highlight benefits
• Q&A session where audience members can request to see specific functions

At the heart of this presentation style is the live product interaction. Keep slides sparse and let your solution take center stage.

As you navigate through features, provide a clear narrative that bridges the gap between functionality and benefits, helping your audience grasp the real-world value.

Remember to stay flexible– be prepared to pivot your demo based on the audience's reactions and questions, showcasing the features that resonate most with their specific needs.

3. The Data-Driven Pitch

This approach is great for audiences who are particularly analytical or numbers-focused. Use concrete data to back up your claims and demonstrate the tangible value of your offering.

• Opening slide: "The Numbers Don't Lie: Why Our Solution is a Game-Changer"
• Series of data visualizations (graphs, charts) showing industry trends
• Slides breaking down the ROI of your solution with concrete numbers
• Case study slides with before/after statistics from current clients

The cornerstone of this approach is the strategic use of data visualizations. These visual aids transform complex information into easily digestible insights.

Pair these visuals with razor-sharp, quantifiable value propositions that speak directly to your audience's pain points and objectives.

The cherry on top? Tailored ROI calculations that paint a clear picture of how your solution translates into tangible value for the prospect's unique situation.

4. The Storytelling Presentation

This style uses a single, compelling customer story to illustrate the entire journey of working with your company. It's particularly effective for complex or high-value sales where prospects need to envision a long-term relationship.

• Opening slide: "The Day Everything Changed for ACME Corp"
• The challenges they faced
• How they found your company
• The implementation process
• The results they achieved
• Closing slides linking ACME's story to the prospect's situation

Crafting a compelling narrative is the essence of this presentation style. Build your story with a distinct beginning, middle, and end to create an engaging arc that captivates your audience.

Weave emotional touchpoints throughout your tale to forge a connection with your listeners. The key to making this approach resonate is drawing clear parallels between your story and the prospect's own challenges, helping them envision how your solution could transform their business narrative.

5. The Interactive Workshop Style

This approach turns your presentation into a two-way conversation, allowing prospects to get hands-on with your product or actively participate in problem-solving exercises.

Active participation is the driving force behind this approach. Ditch the traditional slideshow in favor of hands-on experiences that keep your audience engaged.

Guide your prospects with crystal-clear instructions to ensure they can fully immerse themselves in the interactive elements. Then cap off the experience with a thoughtful debrief session, connecting the dots between the hands-on activity and the real-world value of your product or service.

• Brief introduction of your product/service
• Guided exercise where audience members use your product to solve a sample problem
• Discussion session where audience members share their experience
• Closing section linking the workshop experience to real-world applications

6. The Social Proof and Testimonial-Centric Presentation

If you have a strong track record of customer success, this approach can be very persuasive. It lets your satisfied customers do the selling for you.

• Opening slide: "Don't Just Take Our Word For It"
• Series of slides, each featuring a different customer testimonial or case study
• Video clips of customers sharing their experiences
• Data slides showing aggregate customer satisfaction scores or other relevant metrics
• Closing slide: "Ready to Join Our Success Story?"

Diversity is key in this presentation style! Blend written testimonials, in-depth case studies, and compelling video content to create a rich tapestry of social proof.

It’s important that you anchor these stories with hard numbers, showcasing quantifiable results that demonstrate the concrete impact of your solution. 

And to really drive your point home, feature testimonials from businesses that mirror your prospect's profile, amplifying the relevance and persuasiveness of your social proof.

Each of these presentation styles has its strengths and is suited to different situations. The key is to choose the style that best fits your product or service, your audience, and the specific goals of your presentation.

Remember, the most effective presentations often combine elements from multiple styles to create a compelling and persuasive narrative.

Tools To Use For Creating and Delivering Winning Sales Presentations

We wouldn't leave you hanging without the right gear for the job. To help you put these strategies into action, we've compiled a list of powerful tools that can elevate your sales presentations from good to great.

From design to delivery and beyond, these resources will help you craft, present, and optimize your pitches for maximum impact .

Design Tools

Visuals can make or break your presentation. These design tools can help you create stunning slides and graphics that capture attention and convey information effectively:

• Canva : A user-friendly platform with a vast library of templates, perfect for creating professional-looking slides even if you're not a design expert.
• Adobe Creative Suite : For those who need more advanced design capabilities, tools like Photoshop and Illustrator offer unparalleled control over your visual elements.
• Venngage : Specializes in infographic creation, helping you turn complex data into easily digestible visuals.

Presentation Tools

While PowerPoint is the old standby, there are many other options that can add dynamism and interactivity to your presentations :

• Prezi : Offers a unique, non-linear presentation style that can help you stand out from the typical slide deck.
• Slides.com : Great for collaborative editing and easy sharing of your presentations online.
• Beautiful.ai : Uses AI to help you design professional-looking slides quickly, adapting your content to proven presentation formats.

Presentation Tracking and Analytics Tools

To refine your approach over time, you need data. These tools can help you measure the effectiveness of your presentations:

• Showell : Provides analytics on how your audience interacts with your presentation materials, including which slides get the most attention.
• Looker : Offers in-depth data visualization capabilities, helping you understand and present complex sales data.
• Google Analytics : If you're sharing your presentation online, Google Analytics can provide valuable insights into viewer behavior.

Sales Enablement Tools

These tools can streamline your sales process and ensure your team has access to the most up-to-date and effective presentation materials. In today's fast-paced sales environment, modern sellers require solutions that are mobile-friendly and allow for on-the-go customization while maintaining brand guidelines:

• Showell : Offers a mobile-friendly interface for easy customization of presentations while maintaining brand consistency. It allows sales teams to access and tailor materials on-the-go, perfect for last-minute adjustments before client meetings.
• Showpad : A comprehensive sales enablement platform that centralizes content, provides analytics, and offers coaching tools.
• Highspot : Combines content management, customer engagement, and analytics to improve sales effectiveness.

Remember, the most effective sales presentation is one that resonates with your specific audience and clearly communicates the value you can provide. These tools can help you create, deliver, and optimize your presentations, but they're just that – tools.

The real magic happens when you combine them with the strategies and examples we've discussed throughout this guide.

Crafting an effective sales presentation is both an art and a science. By following the nine steps we've outlined, understanding the different presentation styles, and leveraging the right tools, you can create presentations that not only inform but also persuade and convert.

Remember, the most crucial aspect of any presentation is its ability to resonate with your specific audience and clearly communicate the value you provide. The strategies and examples we've discussed will help you achieve this, but it's the execution that truly matters.

One tool that can significantly enhance your sales presentation process is Showell . As a comprehensive sales enablement platform, Showell offers a mobile-friendly interface for easy customization of presentations while maintaining brand consistency. It allows sales teams to access and tailor materials on-the-go, making it perfect for last-minute adjustments before client meetings.

Let us help you transform your sales presentations from good to great, and start closing more deals with confidence. Get started with Showell Free today or book a demo with our sales enablement experts . 

Learn more about Sales Enablement:

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Related content

Effective Sales Presentations: 11 Tips to Win Deals + Templates

What makes a sales presentation truly effective?

Is it that secret-sauce font, the comprehensive case studies, intricate graphs, or your shining personality? Or is it… something else?

It might seem like a simple question, but understanding the answer unlocks a world of opportunities for sales reps.

If your sales presentations are truly effective, they should accomplish these 4 things:

• Give prospects confidence in your brand
• Develop a deep relationship and mutual understanding of needs and priorities
• Convince potential customers of the value of your product
• Give clear direction for the next conversation

How many of your recent sales meetings have fallen short of these results?

A study by Forrester of more than 300 C-level buyers found that many reps are lacking key information for a successful sales meeting:

Put simply, most salespeople go into meetings:

• Unprepared for questions
• Without knowledge of the business or industry they’re selling to
• Without understanding the prospect’s situation and problems
• Without relevant social proof

Want to avoid falling into the trap of generic, ineffective sales presentations?

While preparing for and delivering a really good sales presentation isn’t an exact science, the following best practices will lead you to better results.

Let’s dive into the top methods sales professionals are using to nail their presentations and deliver killer sales pitches .

How to Prepare the Perfect Sales Pitch Presentation

Think you can get away with giving a great sales presentation on the fly? Think again. A PowerPoint presentation that was thrown together over lunch is not going to impress your decision-makers.

Preparation is a key aspect of every effective sales presentation.

Here are five ways you can prepare for success:

1. Set a Clear Agenda

Your sales presentation is built to guide the conversation and gives you a structure to work with throughout the meeting. But the prospect doesn’t know how your presentation is structured.

Does this situation sound familiar?

Prospect: “This is really interesting, but how does your product solve XYZ?”

You : “Actually, we’ll talk about that in a few slides. Anyway, as I was saying…”

These kinds of interruptions are common, and the popular response of “We’ll get to that” doesn’t normally go over very well with prospects.

Here’s how to avoid this: Set a clear agenda for the conversation, and share that with your prospects.

This could mean sharing an outline of the presentation topics you’ve prepared, or it can mean sharing the whole sales presentation with your prospect.

This way, your prospect can review the information before your meeting, see where you’ll cover certain topics, and save their questions for the right moment.

2. Adapt Your Script and Presentation

Above, we saw that 77 percent of reps enter meetings without a clear understanding of the issues that their prospect is facing, or areas where they can help.

There are two clear ways to fix this problem:

First, do your homework. The more you know about your potential client's business and current situation, the better. Also, try to understand their industry and target audience, read up on current news in the sector, and get a feel for the particular pain points this person is likely feeling the most.

Second, base your presentation and accompanying sales script on your ideal customer profile. If your sales team has multiple ideal customer profiles to sell to, discover which profile this prospect fits into and base your arguments, questions, and main points on the specific needs of this profile.

3. Pick Three Main Points for Each Prospect

No matter how many crazy statistics and fun features you throw at your prospect, they’re still only human. Shocking, we know.

In other words, they’ll probably forget at least half of what you say.

To create effective sales presentations that your prospects will remember, focus on three main bullet points that you want to highlight.

This isn’t a number we pulled from a hat. It’s based on an experiment performed by Kurt A. Carlson and Suzanne B. Shu. Their study found that, when your audience knows you’re trying to persuade them, the ideal number of positive claims to make is three. After four claims, your audience will start to become more and more skeptical of anything you say.

The title of their paper is a catchy phrase to help you remember this principle: Three Charms but Four Alarms .

So, go through your slides and pick three key points that you want your prospect to remember. Maybe these will be product features or maybe not, but once again, base these points on the real, felt needs of your prospect. You’ll see better results.

During the presentation, draw your audience's attention to these points as you introduce new ideas. Phrases like these draw attention at the right moments:

• Here’s the point…
• This is crucial…
• But this is what matters…
• But it gets even better...
• This next point is really important...
• This is what XYZ could mean for you, Jack…

And make sure these key points lead directly where you want them to—to your call to action. If they aren’t leading you to that, what’s the point?

For more, check out this video, where I talked in-depth about captivating and directing your prospect's attention during a sales conversation. Remember: whether you're delivering in-person or via video conferencing, maintaining eye contact and using body language to draw attention to main points works.

4. Use Visuals to Show, Not Tell

A sales deck can have several different functions. For example, if your sales deck is going to be read and discussed among stakeholders at your prospect’s company, it will need to include text that explains the visuals presented.

However, if you’re giving a sales presentation with that deck, it doesn’t need all that text.

To prepare a sales presentation for a product or service, make sure you include infographics and visuals that complement what you’re saying. You can use Canva or even a responsive whiteboard to do this.

Think of your slides as visual aids that give more meaning and context to your words.

These visuals can help to:

• Simplify complex processes
• Provide a clearer understanding of data/metrics
• Add credence to your words
• Keep your audience engaged
• Help your audience remember main points (this one is backed by science )

In short, for an effective sales presentation, keep your script and your slides separate. Use your words to add meaning to the visuals, and use your visuals to maximize the power of your words. With this approach, you will elevate your value proposition —and increase your close rate.

5. Show Them You Know Their Pain

Using a narrative in your presentation shows that you’re sympathetic to the problems your prospects are facing and that you know how to solve them.

So, what’s the narrative for your product?

Generally, the story you tell with your presentation will follow this pattern:

• There is a problem caused by a shift in the market, a change in the company’s circumstances, or the world situation
• That problem is solved, the business is saved, and your product is the hero

A compelling narrative that captures the feelings and frustrations of your prospect shows them that you understand them, you’re on the same page, and you’re here to help.

Maybe this is the story of how your product was born, to solve a problem internally at your own company. Maybe it’s the story of one of your successful customers. Or maybe it’s just a narrative that they can relate to and see themselves in.

In any case, using stories instead of just facts makes your presentation more memorable. According to one study, people only retain about 5-10 percent of the statistical information they hear. But they’ll remember 65-70 percent of the information they hear as stories.

Take advantage of this fact: Turn your data into a narrative.

Once you’ve prepared your sales deck and accompanying script, you’re ready to nail your next sales presentation.

Or are you?

Day-Of Sales Presentation Tips: Nail Your Next Sales Presentation

Ready for the big day? Here are six more tips you can use while actively presenting to your prospect, to give a truly effective sales presentation.

6. Open With Your Biggest Selling Point (Don’t Save it for the End)

Many sales reps like to save their product’s biggest selling point for the very end of their presentation, as if they’re coming to some grand crescendo.

But your prospect didn’t come to this meeting hoping to hear the Philharmonic Orchestra play Beethoven’s Symphony No. 5. So, don’t play this pitch deck like another day at the theater.

Instead, open with your big selling points. Dazzle your prospects from the get-go, and you’ll have them hooked to the end.

To be counted among the Sales Success Stories and Stars of your organization… just go for it. Get the show on the road with a big opening. Leave them in (happy) tears.

7. Ask Open-Ended Questions

To understand your prospects and to keep them engaged with your presentation, questions are essential.

But wait, if you’re giving a sales presentation, aren’t you the one that’s supposed to be doing the talking? You answer the questions, right?

True. But, how do you know if your prospect is paying attention? How can you highlight the relevant points in your presentation if you don’t know what interests them?

To engage your prospect and draw them into your presentation, ask questions like:

• Can you walk me through how your team handles [problem]?
• Have you found any clever workarounds for when [issue] happens?
• What would your ideal solution to this problem look like?
• How would you expect a solution to this problem to affect your team?

It’s true; you’ve probably asked a lot of similar questions during the qualifying stage . But with these questions, you can lead the conversation and keep your prospect engaged with what you’re saying.

Open-ended questions will also help you with the next tip:

8. Build Context Around Your Biggest Value Points and Differentiators

The same questions we shared above can help add context to what you’re saying.

Don’t just tell the prospect: “ Our product helps you solve X problem. ”

Add meaning to that value point by asking questions:

• How often do you face X problem?
• How much time/money do you lose when this happens?
• How does X problem affect the morale/productivity of your team?

When you have the numbers clear, reiterate the problem: “ So, you lose $X every week because of this problem. That’s more than $Y per year that’s going down the drain until you solve this issue. ”

Then, bring in your value point: “With our product, you could save $Z every year by eliminating this problem for your team.”

The same method works for highlighting your key differentiators.

Instead of telling prospects that your product is the best because it’s the only one that does X, lead prospects to the features and benefits that set your product apart with open-ended questions.

This creates value and context around a problem that only your product can solve.

9. Make Social Proof Engaging: Mirror the Prospect’s Situation

This data blew our minds and will probably blow yours, too: According to studies from our friends at Gong , sellers who use social proof in their sales calls have a 22 percent lower close rate .

Have you noticed a similar pattern with social proof in your sales presentations?

We all know that social proof is a powerful tool in the hands of sales reps and marketers. No need to throw out all your social media customer quotes or company testimonials. But, it must be used correctly to work effectively.

Otherwise, you could actually hurt your chances of closing.

So, what’s the correct way to use social proof in your presentations?

Favor customers that are part of this prospect’s tribe .

For example, imagine you’re selling to an SMB, and you tell them that Facebook is your customer. They’ll be impressed, sure… but they’ll also start to wonder if your product is really a good fit for their small business.

Instead, when selling to SMBs, talk about your other SMB customers. Use examples of happy customers who are in the same field or industry. Or, find customer stories that mirror this prospect—with similar pain points.

With tribal social proof, you’ll gain the respect of prospects while demonstrating that you truly “get” them.

10. Never Talk Price Before Value

Chances are, you’re talking price somewhere in this sales presentation. At this stage in the sales pipeline , it’s normal that your prospect is ready to hear what your solution will cost.

But don’t open the conversation like this.

Sometimes, you get into a room (whether in-person or virtual) with your main point of contact and important stakeholders, and the first thing they want to know is: “How much will this cost us?”

One of the golden rules of sales is this: Never talk price before value .

If you fold to the pressure and start off by talking about the price of your solution, your audience will view your product as a commodity, not as a valuable solution to their problem.

When stakeholders push you for a number, don’t be afraid to push back. If they’re insistent, turn the question back around on them:

“Before we talk about price, let me ask you this: How much will it cost your company if you don’t get these issues solved by next quarter?”

By focusing on the real monetary value that your product provides, you’ll help position your product as a premium solution, not a wholesale band-aid.

11. Keep It Less Than 10 Minutes

Did you know that every presenter at Apple’s product launches speaks for just 10 minutes or less?

This is because science tells us that the brain gets bored easily—our attention spans just can’t expand beyond a certain point. However, you can reengage your audience by introducing a change every 10 minutes.

Apply this principle to your keynote sales presentations: If you’re presenting longer than 10 minutes, the prospect’s interest will steadily decline. Wrap it up.

Our friends at Gong found that there’s a sweet spot for winning sales presentations: 9.1 minutes. It’s like the ideal elevator pitch for sales presentations.

So, stick to this rule of thumb: Keep your presentations under 10 minutes.

Sales Presentation Templates: Use These Sales Pitch Decks to Win More Deals

Want to build a stellar sales pitch presentation? Steal these presentation templates and customize them to your business—including stunning visuals, striking text, and a presentation process that wins deals.

Get the Powerpoint or Keynote version of these templates, and start creating your own effective sales presentations!

Ready to Give the Best Sales Presentation Ever?

You’ve got all the pro tips you need to nail your next presentation.

In the end, you want to demonstrate that you understand your prospect’s needs and concerns. Show you “get” them by adding a compelling narrative and including customer stories that mirror their own situation.

An effective presentation must also be engaging, which is why it’s essential to highlight three main points and add context with open-ended questions.

With this info, you’re ready to deliver a winning sales presentation. ( Psst... don't forget to use our sales presentation templates to get started!)

But what happens next? There are still some unaccounted-for areas of the sales process. If you want to really crush the follow-up and close more deals, you need a CRM to help you do it.

Close CRM does all this—and so much more. Watch our demo or try Close free for 14 days.

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15 Sales Presentation Techniques That Will Help You Close More Deals Today

Updated: June 01, 2022

Published: July 21, 2015

Hate the thought of doing sales presentations ? You’re not alone. But the best reps have sales presentations down pat, even if it’s not their favorite activity.

The best sales reps know that, when done right , sales presentations are a high-earning skill.

So, let’s hone that skill with simple sales presentation techniques that communicate an irresistible narrative and get buyers to close.

Sales Presentation

An effective sales presentation tells a compelling story, highlights your value proposition, and aligns with your audience's needs and desires. It ends with a strong call-to-action and leads prospects to your differentiators instead of leading with them.

As it can sometimes mean the difference between closing a deal or losing a customer, you definitely want to get your sales presentation right. There are strategies and tips you can follow to ensure your sales presentations are effective, memorable, and engaging. Let’s go over them below.

Sales Presentation Methods

1. structure your presentation. .

Guiding your prospects down a clear path is key to a successful sales presentation. You’ll follow a logical structure, and listeners will understand how each element of your presentation relates to one another, rather than them having to piece together disjointed information on their own. 

There are times when flipping the structure can add unique elements to your presentation, though, and we’ll discuss this further below. 

2. Use data visualizations. 

Using visuals, like charts and graphics, to supplement your message is a valuable way to showcase your content in an easy-to-understand format as they make your words more impactful. 

For example, if you’re selling SaaS that helps users organize their sales process for a shorter cycle, you can create a visual that displays the average length of your clients’ sales cycle vs. those using other tools. 

By doing this, you’re adding extra emphasis to your words with a visual picture, and a bonus is that visuals are more likely to stick with your audience and get them thinking versus just hearing you talk. 

3. Rely on spoken words — not text.

If your presentation slides are text-heavy, prospects may get caught up reading the words you’ve written instead of listening, causing them to miss out on the value you’re sharing. Aim to include less text by calling attention to the most significant elements with short bursts of text that you supplement with your words. 

In addition, when you have less text on your slides, you may be less inclined to just read from them, which can be a bad part of presentations. You’ll have to speak instead of relying on written content. 

Let’s go over some sales presentation techniques that, when paired with the three methods above, will help you nail it every time.

Sales Presentation Techniques

1. send your buyer the presentation deck before your call..

You might assume that sending a buyer a deck before a call is like revealing whodunnit on the cover of a murder mystery. No one will pay attention to the rest of the book, right? 

When the Gong.io team started sharing our deck before opening sales calls, we learned it was a winning move. 

If your deck is compelling, prospects will want to get into it with you, even if they know the main point. Together, you can dive in, dissect the good bits, and talk through questions. It’s going to be a juicy conversation, and they know it.

Then, you can begin the conversation during your presentation with a statement like, “Based on the information in the deck I sent, where should we start?”

2. Invoke self-discovery.

It’s tempting to stick to a positive linear story during your sales presentation. That usually invokes talking about benefits, outcomes, and desired results. But, that approach isn’t always the best. 

Before discussing solutions and results, you must understand your prospect's problem. More importantly, you have to be sure your prospects understand the problem. 

Self-discovery is the ticket that gets you there. Instead of telling the buyer what the problem is and how you’ll address it, get your buyer to connect with the problem on their own. 

3. Talk about Point A. Don’t skip to point B.

This is 100% linked to the tip above. There’s a problem (point A) and desired outcome (point B). Point A is the status quo. It’s a problem your buyer will continue to face if they don’t make a change. 

You can stand out by focusing on point A, as talking about a pain point is shockingly more effective than talking about positive outcomes. 

Make your buyer feel the pain that results from the status quo. Convince them the pain will only worsen without your solution — because you know that to be true.

You should only talk about benefits once they’re on board with that line of thinking. Urgency is what allows benefits to land. Without urgency, benefits are just happy points that hold no real meaning.

4. Insight is your #1 lead story.

Buyers are experts on their circumstances, but they want insights into their situation from you. 

You’re most likely to impress a buyer by telling them something new about themselves, as your offering is a unique insight into their problems and opportunities.

Check out this TaylorMade video. It’s a bang-on example of how to lead a presentation with insight, and then move on to your product’s strengths:

You learned how to get more distance from your golf swing (an insight into what you’re doing). Then you learned how that’s supported by the product’s particular strength.

Insight comes first. It changes how your buyers think about the problem your product solves. Only then benefits can land effectively.

5. Don’t lead with differentiators, lead to them.

At Gong.io, we’ve taught our sales reps to speak with buyers about a critical problem only we can solve. It’s the delta between top producers and the rest of the team.

• "The numbers from your top reps are fantastic."
• "The downside is they’re annulled by everyone else who’s missing their quota."
• "Your team goes from outstanding numbers to breaking even or missing quota. Both of those options are unsustainable."

We only introduce our key differentiator once the backstory is clear and the buyer gets it. Then, our reps say something like this:

"Gong is the only platform that can tell you what your top reps do differently from the rest of your team. We can tell you which questions they ask, which topics they discuss, when they talk about each one, and more."

See why we lead to our differentiator, and not with it? It just wouldn’t land the same way if we started with the differentiator. In fact, it might not land at all.

6. Focus on value, not features.

Gong.io research found that focusing on features over value is not impactful. Prospects, especially decision-makers, want value propositions about how you’ll help them solve their problems rather than an overview of the features they’ll get. 

7. Flip your presentation.

he next, eventually achieving a shiny, final outcome. This isn’t always the best strategy. 

Instead of building up to the most significant and impactful part of your demo for your prospect, begin with the most valuable part, which is how you’ll help them, and let the conversation flow from there. 

There’s one other tactic underlying it all: The best product demos start with topics the buyers highlighted on the discovery call . For example, if the buyer spends 4 minutes talking about X and 10 minutes talking about Y, you want to begin with Y, as the buyer has demonstrated that they’re heavily interested in Y. In the opening section of your presentation, address the biggest issue from discovery. Address the second biggest issue second, etc.

It’s called solution mapping, and it’s going to change your sales presentation process forever. Stop saving the big reveal for last. Stop building anticipation. Start with the good stuff. Let it rip right out of the gate.

8. Turn your presentation into a conversation.

If you sensed we were looking for a two-way dialogue during your pitch, you’re right. That’s a relief to most salespeople, especially the ones who hate delivering traditional presentations.

A two-way dialogue is going to make your pitch feel more natural. To do this, Gong.io says to get buyers to ask questions by giving them just enough info to inspire them to ask more questions and keep the conversation going. In fact, top performers ask fewer questions because they don’t bombard prospects with too much information but instead give buyers just enough information to have them ask questions. 

Long monologues won’t help you have real conversations with your buyers. Instead, aim for a great two-way conversation. 

9. Mind the 9-minute period.

This tip is crisp and clear: Don’t present for more than nine minutes. Gong.io data supports this. 

Presentations for lost deals last an average of 11.4 minutes. Why do they go so poorly? Because it’s hard to retain attention. If you do go longer than nine minutes, switch it up. 

Vary something that re-captures attention and keeps people engaged. Change channels by doing something like switching up who’s speaking in real life or on video. This can rest your clock to zero, and you’ve got nine more minutes for the next portion of the show. 

10. Be strategic with social proof. 

Social proof. Best friend or worst nightmare? It can be either one, so use it carefully. For example, generic social proof (i.e., naming impressive clients for brand power alone) is a disaster. Buyers might not identify with them. Sure, they’re dazzled, but they may not see how they relate to your current client.

An effective strategy is to reference clients similar to your buyer, with the same pain points, challenges and needs that they can relate to. You can tell an accompanying story about the client and their pain points, helping the buyer see themselves in the story you’re telling.

11. Talk price after you establish value.

Would it surprise you to know it matters when you talk about certain topics? It can actually affect whether you win or lose a deal. Pricing is a great example of this principle.

The top salespeople wait to talk about pricing. They know it’s important to demonstrate their product’s value first.

Set an agenda at the start of your call so your buyer knows when to expect a pricing discussion. They’ll be less likely to raise it early, and if they do, you can refer back to the agenda.

Open with something like, " I’d like to talk about A, B, and C on our call today. Then we can go over pricing at the end and -- if it makes sense for you -- talk about next steps. Does that work for you?"

You’re all set.

12. Reference your competitors.

Our data shows that you’re more likely to win a deal if you talk about the competition early in the sales process instead of ignoring them completely.

For best results, practice this during your first sales presentation. Waiting until the end of your sales process puts you into a dangerous red zone. Your buyers will already have formed opinions, and they’ll be harder to change.

In other words, at the end of the day, buyers will justify a decision they made early in the process, which is why it’s critical to set yourself up as the winner early on. Talk about the competition in your presentation. Put the conversation out there. Get your buyer to see you through that lens, and you’re golden.

Over To You

You now have 15 new tips and techniques to throw down this quarter. Many of these data-backed moves come from Gong.io’s own findings and have proven to be effective for us. Implement them, and I know you’ll boost your numbers.

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