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Sales presentations are persuasive meetings designed to explain the value of your product or service and convince prospects to take the next step in your sales process. By properly preparing for the presentation, strengthening your presenting skills, and following some key best practices, you'll find it easier to win over your prospects. We've compiled sales experts' unique and creative sales presentation tips that have brought them the most success in their careers.
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Tips for Preparing Your Sales Presentation
When getting your sales presentation ready for your prospect, there are some tips and tricks to help set yourself up for success. Learn from the pros how to properly prepare for a sales presentation.
Institutional Sales, J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.
Set an Agenda Like a Leader
"Having an agenda allows you to have a solid sequential flow to your presentation in any line of business, and it is clearly evident that when you have an agenda planned out before a meeting, you are more confident in what you are trying to convey to whomever is sitting across from you at the table — or in recent events, whomever is in the Zoom. I like to over-prepare for meetings because you never know if you will be given another opportunity, so you want to make every chance you get your absolute best version of yourself."
— Joseph Schulman, J.P. Morgan Chase & Co.
Founder & Marketing Manager, Real People Finder
Keep Your Sales Deck Light on Text
"Keep your sales deck light on text to avoid people getting bored. Short, captivating bullet points will do just fine. Rehearse your sales presentation often to gain more confidence in your ability to present with few words on the screen. When you can say your sales pitch confidently, you'll be able to make an impact on your attendees."
— Lorie Carson, Real People Finder
Chief Marketing Officer, Joy Organics
Add Images Instead of Text
"What's the quickest method to turn a prospect off? Reading a slideshow. Create slides that support your sales message without drawing attention away from you. Because the human brain processes pictures 60,000 times quicker than words, infographics, charts, and short movies are far more effective in conveying your message."
— Gerrid Smith, Joy Organics
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Vice President of Growth, AdQuick
Tell a Story With Your Presentation
"Stories are a powerful presentation tool to create an emotional resonance with your product and your brand. Every story has a hero, a conflict, and a resolution. And having a similar framework in your sales presentation will tell a story that builds tension and holds interest. Use cases are prime storytelling material as they paint a picture of how your customers achieve success through your solution. Sharing a relevant customer use case in your presentation also provides the kind of social proof that encourages leads to take action."
— Chris Gadek, AdQuick
Digital Strategist, Bambrick
Personalize the Presentation
"Content that is personalized for your intended audience is found in the most effective sales presentations. There are a few easy rules to follow to reduce the amount of time it takes to personalize a presentation for a specific meeting. The first one is to only customize a few slides at a time, usually the first few in your deck. You should also concentrate on a few popular methods for incorporating buyer-specific information into your sales presentation. You can provide information unique to the buyer's function or industry-specific data. You might add data gathered during your sales cycle's needs assessment or discovery phase. Finally, before the meeting, make sure you have a system in place for personalizing the presentation. Too many salespeople get right into their pitch without giving personalization any attention."
— Jason McMahon, Bambrick
Use Transition Slides to Build Anticipation
"You should always add the transition to the text on a slide. Transition helps in hiding the complete picture from the viewer. It takes them to the conclusion step by step — keeping them interested in listening to you in anticipation of the next point. For example, if you have multiple points on the slide, showing them one by one will keep the focus on the conversation on the recently visible point. This way, the viewer will not get distracted by all the text on the slide."
— Ryan Cartwright, Spacelift
SEO Expert, First Page Digital
Practice, Practice, Practice
"Practicing your presentation will help you stay on track and avoid wandering off topic. Make a list of the key points you want your audience to take away from your presentation. Taking notes during the meeting will help you recall what your prospect is searching for — certain items they refer to can help you improve your presentation."
— Shane Liuw, First Page Digital
Marketing Manager, Drsono
Share Your Sales Deck With Attendees
"You might think that sending out a customer the deck before a call is like disclosing whodunnit on the cover of a murder story. No person's going to pay attention to the rest of the book, right? Wrong. If your deck is engaging, prospects will want to enter it with you, even if they know the bottom line. If you wish to see how closely your customer took note of your deck, start your call with, 'Based on the information in the deck I sent, where should we begin?' Do not stress if they did not examine it — they'll just inform you to take it from the top. Absolutely nothing's lost other than their opportunity to delve into a deeper conversation faster. That's what you want: a top-tier discussion, immediately. You can enter into one much quicker if your buyer has seen your deck and is ready to speak about it. "
— Susan Carin, Drsono
Business Development Executive & Co-Founder, YardsNearMe
Express Your Desire to Create a Partnership
"Practice expressing the need to build a partnership in your sales presentation. This is the most crucial step in the whole strategic planning process because this step involves thorough research. You need to analyze the company's risks beforehand and build an anticipation model by demonstrating strategic partnering."
— Alex Haley, YardsNearMe
Tips for Giving Your Sales Presentation
When giving your sales presentation, experienced sales professionals suggest taking certain actions to get your point across and sell your product effectively. Read the expert tips below.
Marketing & SEO Specialist, Scooter.guide
Showcase Your Industry Knowledge & Expertise
"Begin the discussion by asking questions about day-to-day activities and objectives. Use the replies to develop your narrative by asking specific questions that demonstrate your expertise in their organization and industry. Then, during your presentation, refer back to the issues raised by the prospect and emphasize how you, as a trusted advisor, can assist."
— Daniel Foley, Scooter.guide
Analyze Their Main Problem In Depth
"You may have a habit of launching right into your pitch at the outset of a meeting. Of course, you've done your study and have a meeting scheduled with this prospect, so you're ready. However, learning about your prospect does not end when the presentation begins. So start by asking some questions to find or confirm pain areas and better understand the problems your prospect may be facing. If you've already had a comprehensive talk, confirming what you know and asking if there's anything else you should know demonstrates that you care about the prospect and appreciate their time enough to pay attention to the details."
— David Floyd, ThePestInformer
Growth Manager, FirstPrinciples
Make a Strong Introductory Pitch
"Start the presentation with a solid introductory pitch. It helps organize your thoughts and present your ideas in a streamlined and persuasive way. Be passionate about your product or service, but ensure to keep emotions in check. Be prepared to answer any questions your potential buyers may have and consider using facts and figures to support your argument or points of view. Showcase how your product or service can benefit the people in the room and offer ways they can get started using it right away."
— Padmaja Santhanam, FirstPrinciples
Sales & Marketing Manager, Heatxperts
Be Engaging & Flexible While Presenting
"Do not speak monotonously or make people feel as if you have a memorized speech. Although it is a good idea to practice your presentation beforehand, do not memorize it word for word. It will be a serious turn-off for the audience and will reflect poorly on your creativity. While giving a sales presentation, be calm and prepared. Even if you are giving the same presentation to 30 different people, make it new every time."
— Werner Jorgensen, Heatxperts
Be Authentic During the Presentation
"Stay true to who you are during a sales presentation. People can read through anything that isn't 100% genuine, so don't pretend to be who you think they are looking for; instead, be exactly who you are. If you are analytical and data-driven, focus on that strength. If you are innovative, creative, and passionate, lead with that. Know what you are selling and why, then approach it in your unique way, and focus on why you believe in it. People are buying not just the product or service but into you as the seller, so be authentic."
— Sumeer Kaur, Lashkaraa
Digital Marketing Consultant & Founder, johntorres.com
Use Success Stories in the Presentation
"Use storytelling to help your audience relate to your sales pitch. We all yearn to belong. But we prefer to associate it with success stories. The more successful the salesperson's story is, the more the audience feel endeared to them — and the brands/products they're associated with."
— Jon Torres, johntorres.com
Financial Partner, Money Lucid
Add a Big Moment in the Middle
"Have a 'WOW' moment in the middle of the presentation, as people's minds start to lose focus. This is a great way to realign people's attention towards you. A 'WOW' moment could be a great statistic, or some service you offer that they weren't expecting and matches their needs. Following this big mid-presentation moment, reduce the amount of text on your presentation as a way to keep up momentum and stop people from getting bored."
— Jenna Carson, Money Lucid
Account Executive, demandDrive
Ask Open-Ended Questions Throughout
"I ask prospects questions throughout our call/presentation to see if what I’m saying aligns with what they are looking for. If you’re consultative and politely direct, I believe objections will also reveal themselves throughout the conversation."
— Greg Cammarata, demandDrive
Founder & Managing Partner, Funnel Clarity
Get Audience Reactions
"Ask your audience for reactions about every 10 minutes of presentation time. Avoid asking ‘Do you have any questions?’ That is a conversation killer. Ask instead, ‘What have you found most intriguing?' "
— Tom Snyder, Funnel Clarity
Acquisition & Sales Manager, Simple Homebuyers
Demonstrate the Solution In Action
"The best sales presentation tip is demonstrating the solution in action. It allows the audience member to assess the functionality of your product/service in a real-world context. This strategy would allow an individual to build an interpersonal connection with the audience members, leading them to make a favorable buying decision. A solution-oriented demonstration helps individuals visualize how the product would make their lives easier."
— Jeff Johnson, Simple Homebuyers
Tips for Closing Your Sales Presentation
After giving your sales presentation, follow these expert tips to help wrap up the conversation and get the prospect to agree to next steps, such as receiving a business proposal .
Account Executive, Salesforce
Search for Objections After Presenting
"Open-ended questions are absolutely critical for uncovering a prospect's pain by getting them to open up about current processes and ‘unload’ rather than simply say yes or no. Asking ‘How do you envision yourself using this solution?’ is going to lead to a much stronger discovery than ‘Is this something your team would find useful?’ Pair this with mirroring/labeling and you can really get someone to open up about what their needs or objections are."
— Connor Buckley, Salesforce
Follow Up After the Presentation
"Follow up on your presentation and ask for feedback. Try to time this no more than three to five days after you presented the presentation in question. Following up on your presentations allows you to steer prospects toward making a purchase. If you ask for honest feedback, it can also help you find areas where you need to change in order to be more successful."
— Adam Wood, RevenueGeeks
Bottom Line: Sales Presentation Tips
The sales presentation can make or break your deal. If you spend the time you have with your prospects touting your features or client list, you could bore them and unintentionally send them to the competition. Instead, spend 80% of your time talking about them, their needs, their problems, and their potential future, and try the expert tips that you believe will help you keep your prospects engaged and interested so you can successfully nurture your leads to deal close.
