How to Create Sales Presentations and Pitch Decks: Part of Making Engaging Sales Presentations
A successful sales presentation or pitch deck is not an easy task. Attention spans are shorter than ever before, and the competition is more fierce than ever; it is more important than ever to build a presentation that doesn’t just inform your audience but captivates them. A beautifully crafted sales deck can be the difference between closing a deal or losing a prospect. We’ll cover the core elements and best practices to follow for creating sales presentations that go beyond just engaging but drive conversions.
Understanding the Foundation of Good Sales Presentations
Before you’re really diving deep into the design and creation of the content of your sales pitch, I think it’s super important to first understand the foundational elements that make a presentation great. Basically, your average sales deck worth its salt is always sitting on three legs: structure, visuals, and vocalization.
1. Structure
A structure serves as the framework for guiding your audience through the key points of your presentation. In other words, a logical, well-connected structure of your presentation translates into an effective flow of your message, sustaining your audience’s attention. The opening of the presentation must begin with a nice introduction leading to a well-focused problem statement and thereafter the proposed solution, concluding with a strong finishing note and a call to action.
2. Visual
These one-page visual elements will be the most attractive characteristics of understanding your presentation. A well-taken photograph or video message coupled with an infographic could be way better than explaining with words the horrific moment. Keep in mind that the visuals are a supplement to your message, not an overshadowing feature. Use them judiciously to enhance key messages and maintain audience interest.
3. Vocal
As important as visuals are, it is the spoken word that provides real emphasis. So write very little on your slides; speak to the main points. A huge part of getting through to your audience is through tone, pace, and body language. Practice your delivery so you are clear, confident, and agile in persuading.
CAMPAIGN Sales Approach Opening Sales Approach
But one sure way to ensure that you’re always on point and it takes up much less time is to create a sales presentation template. This needs to be crafted to be flexible so it can be modified for different audiences with the core structure in place—the message of your pitch intact. Here’s how you build such a template:
1. Start with a Strong Introduction
Your intro slide is the most important one; it sets the tone for your entire presentation. It’s the one slide to really shine on, with a clean, simple design that lays out the mission for all slides to follow. No clutter here; just the big idea. 80% of buyers who review the first 3 slides in a deck will view the entire presentation. Make sure these are impactful.
2. Use a Consistent Model
Design your sales presentation template with a cohesive framework that allows for easy adaptation for each prospect to include the company introduction, problem highlight, solution offering, and unique value proposition. With a framework in place, you sure the message you pass is consistent and coherent whichever audience you have.
3. Data and Research Should Be Included
Data-driven presentations are one of the many presentations that help to convince your audience. Add in the relevant data points, statistics, and research findings that would go with your arguments. This not only credits your presentation but illuminates the real benefits of your solution. This visualization in a chart or graph makes it even more palatable and powerful.
4. Attend to Your Competition
Never shy away from mentioning your competitors—head-on competition positioning helps you position your solution as the preferred choice. Highlight your unique selling propositions and show how your product or service provides better value, efficacy, or outcomes compared to other alternatives. This way, it helps to build trust with the audience and make up the proposition very compelling.
5. Use Social Proof Strategically
You can use social proof—testimonials, case studies, or even client logos to lend a tremendous amount of credibility to your presentation. For instance, explain how other customers have solved comparable problems by using your product or service. Use examples that can be related to your current audience so they would be capable of visualizing themselves using your solution.
6. Set a Clear Call to Action
Every sales presentation will require a very obvious, compelling call to action at the end. Your CTA should be clear and direct so the prospect feels led to the next step in your sales process. If it means the next meeting, a URL to sign up for a trial, or making the final purchase, make sure your audience is clear on the next steps and why taking them is in their best interest.
Best Practices for Delivering an Engaging Sales Presentation
1. Make It a Team Effort
Never leave the creation of a sales presentation solely to the sales team. You should involve other departments, ranging from the marketing team to the product development and customer service teams, to come up with a full-approach presentation on most everything touching base with one aspect of or another in the customer journey. Collaboration ensures that you are delivering one solid core message to your prospects.
2. Share Presentation Before Meeting
B. Share your sales presentation with the prospects before the actual meeting. Let them study it and come properly prepared with questions. They will also be in a position to grasp the gist of what you are offering, making the meeting one for explaining the offer at length.
3. Ramp Up to Your Differentiators
Instead of leading with the unique features of your product, build up to it throughout the presentation. Make people hold their breath as you speak to prospect pain points and show how your solution speaks to them. By the time you’re ready to introduce your differentiators, your audience will already be more prepared to see how your solution is different from the competition.
4. Keep It Timed and Focused
Good timing is essential in a sales presentation. The best sales pitch is given in a short amount of time, if possible within 15 to 30 minutes, unless the product is very complex and/or the audience is high level. Reserve generously ample time for questioning at the end, as it shows that a salesperson appreciates the input of the prospect and is ready to solve their concerns.
5. Be Honest and Engaging
Authenticity follows a long way in creating a bond for trust with your audiences. Be candid about what your product can and cannot do, engaging your audience in a conversation. Encourage interaction all the time during the presentation, as this will keep the conversation flowing and objections coming up.
Conclusion
There are three important things that go into a good sales presentation or pitch deck: planning, knowing your audience, and the ability to communicate your message clearly and in an engaging way. You can now prepare presentations that will catch attention and guarantee results using the help of the strategies mentioned above. As a reminder, the essence of a sales pitch is directly related to the way it connects with the audience, leading them with confidence to make a decision.
