What Is a Sales Presentation? Definition, Tips, and Follow-Up Tasks

Sales presentations let you communicate with customers in a highly memorable and persuasive way. But exactly what is a sales presentation? 

A sales presentation involves more than just a simple pitch; it’s a more complex method of explaining your product or service to a customer and demonstrating its value. 

In this article, we will explain how presentations fit into the sales process, discuss ways to make them more effective, and cover crucial follow-up tasks.

Key Takeaways

  • A sales presentation is a pitch or demonstration given by a salesperson to potential customers to persuade them to buy a product or service.
  • Sales presentations demonstrate the value your product offers the customer through in-depth information, data, customer reviews, visual aids, videos, statistics, demonstrations, and more.
  • Key sales presentation tips include researching customer needs, tailoring the presentation to each customer, and pitching a compelling story.
  • After a presentation, you should thank the attendees, follow up with additional information that addresses any objections or questions, schedule a follow-up phone call or meeting, and keep in touch to help solidify the sale.

What Does a Sales Presentation Mean?

How do sales presentations fit into the sales process, sales presentations vs. sales pitch, start by researching, craft a strong introduction, tailor your presentation to the customer journey, highlight key points backed by data, bring your product or a visual aid, use a template, what to do immediately after a sales presentation.

A sales presentation is a pitch or demonstration given by a salesperson to potential customers in order to persuade them to buy a product or service. But a sales presentation is more than just a sales pitch. It takes your customer on an experience that aids them in understanding how you can meet their needs and requirements.

Presentations also offer the opportunity to explore and build customer relationships by providing tangible success stories or positive customer reviews that can help boost your credibility. However, presenting this information to customers effectively and captivatingly is crucial for your success.

Sales presentations are typically used when introducing products or services to prospective clients to facilitate better business deals. This could involve giving further background about your company’s offerings and showcasing awards your company’s work or product range has received. A well-crafted sales presentation will let your potential buyers know why they need what you’re offering.

Sales presentations are part of the larger sales process that typically happens toward the end of the sales cycle . The sales process begins with a sales rep researching a potential customer’s needs and preferences, preparing your product or service to meet their needs, and building a relationship with your customer over time.

In the early stages of the sales process, you might communicate with your customer over email or through website visits. Later on, you might have meetings or other more direct communications.

As you near the end of the sales cycle, the time for delivering a sales presentation approaches. This is when your customer has already established that you have something of value to offer, and they’re ready to learn more.

Your presentation should provide a detailed overview of how your products can meet their current needs while enabling them to easily view features and benefits in one place.

It’s common for people to think that a sales pitch and a sales presentation are the same thing. However, while they may seem similar, these two approaches have significant differences.

Sales pitches are often standardized, are not tailored to the unique needs of a specific customer, and don’t require any research into the customer’s pain points. For example, a sales pitch is usually characterized by one-way communication. During a sales pitch, you are focused solely on selling your product or service to the customer without any exploration of their needs or interests.

A sales presentation, on the other hand, encourages a more interactive dialogue with customers. It allows them to ask questions and provides more in-depth information about why your product would benefit them specifically. It’s not as much about “selling” as about introducing products based on customer insights to establish value in their eyes.

How to Create an Effective Sales Presentation

When creating an effective sales presentation, there are several factors to consider. A successful sales presentation should be tailored specifically for each customer and allow them to experience meaningful engagement with your product.

It should build on your customer’s needs and interests to showcase how you can meet them without focusing too much on selling points. Additionally, research plays a key role in any sales process, and having data about industry trends or statistics that support your claims can add credibility to your proposal. Here are some tips on the best way to develop a winning sales presentation.

Researching before you start is essential for a good sales presentation. While the information in your presentation will vary depending on the client and situation, it’s important to include enough data and industry stats relevant to the customer’s needs. This data should be targeted towards the specific aspects of your product that can address your customer’s problem areas.

Also, digging further into case studies or positive reviews from existing customers is great for transforming a one-off sale into an ongoing business relationship. You should back up everything you say with credible sources during your sales pitch for a greater impact on viewers’ buying decision process. Newspaper articles, past client testimonials, or information from trusted online sources can all be good places to find data that backs up the claims in your presentation.

Starting a sales presentation with an introduction and some small talk is important for building rapport and trust. This also allows you to warm up the room while giving your customers a chance to get comfortable with you as well. Ensure the conversation’s tone matches your presentation’s purpose, too. Keep it upbeat yet professional, and aim to get out of any awkward silences quickly.

Develop your sales presentation with the customer journey in mind. This means considering your customer’s objectives and using them as a guideline for crafting your story. By paying attention to what your target audience needs, you not only increase the potential of closing a deal but also make customers feel understood.

But don’t take too long to get into specific details about your product. Oftentimes, getting directly to the point of how your product can solve their problem is much more effective and persuasive than offering generic explanations about what you do.

Remember the Power of Storytelling

Storytelling can be incredibly effective when it comes to sales presentations. Focus on telling stories that convey how your company or products have successfully helped other customers meet their needs. This can help your customer understand why they need what you’re offering.

Talking about your product’s challenges and solutions in simple yet compelling language is also important. Remember that a sales presentation isn’t just reciting facts and data points — illustrate the solutions you offer in a memorable way.

Focus Your Presentation on the Customer’s Problem

When creating a sales presentation, keeping the customer’s problem in your mind is important. You should provide solutions that address their pain points and benefit their specific situation.

A good sales presentation will spotlight the features of your product that provide quick and simple problem-solving for the customer. By doing this, you can position your offering as something your customer needs rather than something that’s merely nice to have.

Ways to Improve Your Sales Presentations

Besides doing the required research beforehand, there are some sales presentation techniques you can use to ensure everything runs smoothly and effectively. Here are a few ideas.

As mentioned before, having data that backs up the key points you make in your presentation is critical. These points should include quick summaries or facts about product insights, as well as any relevant customer feedback to give viewers a clear idea of how your offering can meet their needs.

Having your product there for customers to see during your sales presentation can be very persuasive. If it’s too difficult or impossible to bring your product to the presentation, you should still bring visual aids.

For example, you can provide a link with interesting animations of your product’s features, display quotes from previous customers, showcase awards you’ve won, or show videos of your previous work and how it benefitted the customer.

Create a sales presentation template that can be used across different customer sessions to speed up the process. Start by making a sales presentation outline that applies to all customers, and then tailor it to each customer as needed.

Having a consistent format and look to all your presentations will save time and reduce the effort needed to develop new slides so you can focus on crafting content specifically for each customer. An effective template will also ensure brand consistency and professionalism linked with your company’s name.

Assess Your Body Language

When delivering a presentation, body language is just as important as words. Having good posture shows confidence in your presentation and can help keep your customers engaged. Avoid crossing your arms or moving around too much, as this can cause viewers to be distracted. It’s a good idea to record yourself practicing your presentation in advance to see how you appear to others.

Ask for Input

Feedback is essential for sharpening your skills as a presenter and gaining confidence in your sales presentations. Asking your customers or sales team members for feedback on your sales deck and presentation is a great way to get honest and productive input. They may suggest changes that could bring greater clarity to your presentation or help you develop a more effective sales deck in the future.

Highlight Value Before Going Into Pricing

A professional sales presentation should focus heavily on value. Highlight how customers stand to benefit from your product, as this is crucial for getting them to purchase with confidence. You will be much more successful if you demonstrate how valuable your product is before you tell the customer how much it will cost them. 

If you’re selling something expensive, packaging additional services or features in one bundle at no extra cost can be useful for reassuring your customer that the price is worth it. This could include offers such as introducing discounts for first-time buyers or offering free maintenance contracts over a set period.

Outline Next Steps

To give your customer a clear idea of where you want things to go, always remember to end your presentation with a quick overview. This can include summarizing your value proposition and the advantages that customers can gain from using your product. Clearly outline any details about follow-up steps to set client expectations up correctly.

Increase Audience Engagement

Tricks such as incorporating polls and games during your presentation can help people remember the key points you want to present. It’s another way for sales reps to make a memorable impression on viewers and engage them with your product even after the meeting has ended.

Also, remember that the most effective sales presentations use an impactful sales deck that allows you to paint a memorable story for the customer. Build opportunities for interaction into your presentation itself.

After a successful sales presentation, it is important for a salesperson to follow-up with their client. This follow-up should be swift and thorough to ensure that the customer remembers their experience and continues to do business with the salesperson. The follow-up can include sending an email or letter summarizing the conversation and outlining any next steps, such as setting up another meeting or contract signing. Be sure to address any specific questions or concerns the prospect expressed during the presentation as well.

Additionally, it is important for the salesperson to keep in touch with their customer after the initial sale. This can be done by sending periodic updates on new products or services, providing tips on how best to use purchased products, and offering other relevant insights that could help strengthen the customer relationship.

Finally, regular check-ins will help cement loyalty while helping to identify opportunities for future sales. When executed correctly, these follow-up tasks can contribute heavily to long-term success in sales.

Sales presentations are an important element of the sales journey and require thoughtful preparation. Now that we’ve answered the question of what is a sales presentation, you can use these tips to improve your interactions with customers. Through data-backed storytelling and consideration of the customer’s journey, you stand a great chance of successfully selling your product.

Always remember that these sales presentation techniques should help make the sale come alive for viewers so they can better envision value in what you have to offer. By following our sales presentation tips, you’ll be well on your way to delivering a successful sales presentation every time!

Jane Mitchell is a sales expert with over 17 years in the industry, extending her knowledge to diverse sectors and providing optimal business growth solutions. Her knack for crafting unique sales strategies is unmatched. Jane fuels her wanderlust by traveling the world, having reached the prestigious Million Miler status with Delta Airlines.

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Sales presentation

Last updated: 11 November, 2023

What is a sales presentation?

What makes a good sales presentation, how to make a sales presentation, checkout our sales pipeline templates freebies.

Did you know people process visuals nearly 60,000 times faster than text? Our eyes are a predominant perceptual system for information coming from the outside world to the brain. Nearly 90% of the data we receive comes from observing, and images are stored in our memory for a very long time. 

It’s no coincidence that any advertisement, be it a video or a banner, includes both a verbal message and a visual aid. Marketers and sales reps exploit this quality of human memory to boost communication and close more deals. 

In particular — by creating effective sales presentations .

A sales presentation is a short presentation of your solution to prospects or existing customers that aims to persuade them to make a purchase.

Email drip campaigns

The answer is simple. A winning sales presentation:

  • Helps convince the client of the brilliance of your solution.
  • Doesn’t simply describe a product or service but draws attention to the features that can solve the customer’s problems.
  • Is not overloaded with facts and statistics.
  • Doesn’t make your potential clients want to doze off (a boring sales presentation is a sales killer).
  • Persuades the prospect that no one else on the market can satisfy their needs as well as your company can.

But what exactly should it include to get your prospects’ attention, establish good relationships with them, and accelerate the sales process?

We wish there were a recipe for a sales presentation, but there’s no one-size-fits-all recommendation about its ingredients: wording, style, format, or length. 

Still, there are some tips to help your presentation end in a sale: 

1. It’s all about the balanced layout

If you use PowerPoint or other presentation software, it’s better not to put multiple graphs, images, text, and statistics onto one slide. Your audience needs time to focus and concentrate. It hurts when you try processing the slide below, doesn’t it? 

It’s all about the balanced layout

Find the right balance between statistics and visual components. Charts, tables, and bulleted points are great, but if your presentation consists of grouped facts only, it won’t win the heart of your listener.

3 elements are just enough. If there’s more, break the slide into multiple slides instead!

Besides, as a speaker, make sure you don’t seem offhand or uninformed. Clients, especially in the B2B market , appreciate precision and professionalism. For them, the presentation packed with Google images just won’t do.

All the material presented should be of high quality and serve a point.

2. Make it short and sweet

Like any meeting, a sales presentation follows a clear agenda. Nothing will distract a client from the deal more than a prolonged conference that makes them want to escape the room. 

Here’s what works best for us: arranging 20 minutes for the speech plus 10-15 minutes for the Q&A section. This way, a sales presentation won’t take more than 30-35 minutes . It can be even shorter than that. After all, there’s a reason TED talks are 18-minute long.

If you think this time isn’t enough, schedule follow-ups, subsequent sales pitches , or agree to continue via email or phone. 

3. Work on the slide deck

Avoid adding meaningless slides; use an interactive presentation maker instead, to keep your audience engaged.

There are three conventional ones: a title, table of contents, and a “Thank you” slide. Apart from these, it’s up to you how many to include in the sales presentation. Typically, it takes from 1.5 to 3 per single key point. If we consider a 30-minute duration, that’ll sum up into 10-20 slides .

4. Start a sales presentation with a self-introduction and small talk

This is an act of courtesy to introduce oneself and briefly tell who you are. In particular, when you meet new people. Unfortunately, due to the stress, some speakers forget about it.

No less important is to catch the audience’s attention from the very beginning. A story from one’s life, a joke, a surprising fact — whichever magnet you choose, make sure it corresponds to the time and place. By the way, if you want to get inspired, check out these best TED talks ever .

5. End your speech by wrapping up and outlining further steps

Although a sales presentation may not result in a closed deal or a revenue boost (it can but on rare occasions), this is a business process. So, apart from having a good pastime with clients, a sales rep has to mildly yet distinctly drop a hint about how it’s better to proceed with the deal.

Define the purpose

Your speaking style will depend on what you’re trying to accomplish. Remember outstanding demonstrations of Apple’s new launches held by Steve Jobs? Each of these is an example of a winning sales presentation. 

The speaker aimed to persuade buyers that the product was so one of a kind, that it was a matter of life-and-death to purchase it. A speech was corresponding: the majority of time was devoted to demonstrating new UI / UX features, and less attention was paid to the technical side.

To succeed with the presentation, ask yourself what exactly you need to convey:

  • Explain unique selling points
  • Focus on money benefits
  • Position your brand to competitors
  • Create urgency around the deal, etc.

Adjust your sales presentation based on the audience

Does your audience consist of decision-makers , stakeholders, ordinary employees, or all three at once? What industry do your clients operate in? How old are these people? Is the audience multilingual? Any details are important because they will determine:

  • The language and wording you choose
  • Jokes you can or can’t tell
  • Images you should and shouldn’t use, etc.

Consider means available

Your presentation may be doomed to fail if you don’t consider technical issues. Imagine, you expected to display a growth graph on the big white screen but were provided with a TV screen instead. Your audience won’t be able to see anything, and half of the speech will be lost.

Prepare key points & season them with data

It’s important to have a good understanding of what you are about to present. Let the numbers speak for themselves: prepare a few metrics or statistics and mention these during storytelling. However, don’t turn a presentation into a report — 2 or 3 graphs, tables, or diagrams will be more than enough.

If you plan to share the presentation among participants, you can include links to resources. This way, people interested in more details can retrieve the data.

Design the sales presentation structure

Use a “10-20-30” formula: 

  • No more than 10 slides
  • 20 minutes to speak
  • No font smaller than 30 pt.

Design the sales presentation structure

A good idea is to google some pre-designed sales presentation templates. This will save time on formatting plus give you useful ideas about the overall structure. Below are websites that might be helpful:

  • Freecreatives

Design the sales presentation structure

If you are in doubt, break your speech down into minute detail and align it with the sales presentation. Also, prepare cheat sheets — the latest price list, full specifications, etc. This way, you will be able to fend off any questions from the public.

Wrapping up

A good sales presentation fits the audience. Put yourself in the client’s shoes and wonder, what would YOU want to listen about? What facts might comfort you, and what questions might arise? With the customer in mind and with thorough preparation, your presentation will be a sure hit.

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6 Essential Elements of a Successful Sales Pitch or Presentation [Infographic]

Leslie Ye

Updated: January 28, 2020

Published: April 09, 2019

Calling a sales presentation a "pitch" is a little misleading.

sales-pitch

In baseball, good pitchers strike batters out. But in sales, a successful pitch is one that connects -- and gets hit out of the park.

As a pitch, however, good selling is something of an art form. People want to be told a story, to understand how your value proposition is going to mesh with their business and enhance it. How you accomplish that is up to you.

But along with the art of sales is a bit of science. The types of information most likely to convince a person to buy, or help them understand what you're talking about, can be broken down to zeroes and ones.

For example, did you know 40% of people respond better to information in visual form than when it's written? Or that the best presentations are two-thirds stories?

Download Now: How to Perfect Your Sales Pitch

What is a sales pitch?

The sales presentation is where a huge part of this work gets done. Though you'll be speaking with your prospects about different concerns and questions on the phone, a sales presentation may be the best chance you have to put all your cards on the table and demonstrate exactly why your service is perfect for the prospect.

This infographic from PPTPOP breaks down the six essential elements of a successful sales presentation and includes examples from other companies' winning pitches .

From limiting the service offerings you recommend for a particular customer to ease their decision, to the types of proof you should include to demonstrate your product's worth, these helpful tips will help juice up any sales presentation.

Read on for tips on creating the perfect sales presentation, or skip to the infographic here .

Structure of a Sales Pitch

  • A Stellar Cover Slide
  • A Value Proposition
  • A Powerful Story
  • Enticing Solutions
  • A Clear Call-to-Action

1. A Stellar Cover Slide

Your cover slide should reflect your company stance and industry. Your audience needs to "get it" instantly. Since 40% of people respond better to visual information than plain text, Google , Flickr , Unsplash , and Fubiz can be great sources for images that immediately boost your pitch.

2. A Value Proposition

What do you do? Summarize the value of your promise to deliver to prospects, and explain why they should buy from you. To help hone your value proposition, try using the "VP" formula:

[Company name]

helps [target audience]

with [services]

so you can [benefits].

Still not quite breaking through? Check out these examples of great value propositions:

  • Geekdom - "We're a new kind of collaborative workspace where entrepreneurs, technologists, developers, makers, and creatives help each other build businesses and other cool things together."
  • Airbnb - "Airbnb is a trusted community marketplace for people to list, discover, and book unique accommodations around the world."

3. A Powerful Story

The most successful presentations are 65% stories. Present your story and your team to humanize your company and increase likeability.

Make sure you include the reason why your company and product came to be. Tell your audience what motivates your team to wake up and work every day. And offer tips that are personal and will make your audience smile, like, " John eats fast and makes things work. "

4. Enticing Solutions

First, focus on your client's problem. Here's how Airbnb did it:

Airbnb's first pitch extract: "Price is an important concern for customers booking travel online. Hotels leave you disconnected from the city and its culture. No easy way exists to book a room with a local or become a host."

  • Problems - Price, convenience, access
  • Aspirations - Have choice, unique experience, make money renting your place

Then, break down your value propositions into solutions tied to the benefits your clients want. Examples of benefits are, " Make more money and grow your business, " " Look good and impress, " and " Save time and money. "

How to list your solutions:

  • Don't give too many choices
  • Communicate results customers will get
  • Make it easy and quick to understand
  • Give examples that demonstrate your product's value.

The proofs you'll provide have to answer this question: " How do I believe you? " You should also:

  • Add testimonials - They highlight what clients love about doing business with you. Use real client's pictures to enhance credibility impact.
  • Share research data - Use expert quotes and findings that tie to the benefits of the product you're offering.
  • Compare your products vs. competitors - Show your audience how you're better.
  • Provide extra benefits - Offer a money-back guarantee, free trial, or free shipment to show and earn confidence.

6. A Clear Call-to-Action

A call to action is a simple command directing customers to take action (buy, start a free trial, sign up for our mailing list). To make your call-to-action even more enticing, include these sensory words to enhance your pitch .

Creating a Sales Presentation

  • Build rapport with your audience.
  • Lead with solutions.
  • Include case studies.
  • Ask for feedback.
  • Be open to questions.

So, you're ready to create a sales presentation ? Here are some tips to keep in mind.

1. Build rapport with your audience.

If you want to give a successful presentation, you need to connect with your audience . Start out the presentation by addressing the audience and by appealing to them. This can be done by asking about their business (e.g., a new product launch or announcement).

2. Lead with solutions.

What's the biggest pain point your product or service will address? Start your presentation by providing the solution right off the bat. Not only will this capture your prospect's attention, but it will also keep them engaged and hungry to learn more about what you and your company have to offer.

3. Include case studies.

How can you support the solution you provided? Show the prospect how that solution can be applied. Case studies allow you to highlight specific aspects of your product or service that will positively impact the prospect's company. This helps you build credibility and further develop trust.

4. Ask for feedback.

It's important to connect with your audience and make sure they're engaged in your presentation. For example, you could ask, "Does this make sense?" or "Do you see how this would work for you/your team/your company?" Asking for feedback ensures that you're on the same page.

5. Be open to questions.

Let your audience know that they can ask questions at any time. Be aware of your audience and their reactions throughout the presentation. Sales strategist, Marc Wayshak , recommends, "Whenever a prospect interrupts you -- either with a verbal remark or subtle shift in their facial expression or posture -- stop immediately. Acknowledge the interruption, and welcome the opportunity to explore it with the prospect." You'll provide even more value to the prospect by addressing their questions and concerns during the presentation.

essential elements of a successful sales presentation

Your pitch is the fastest and easiest way to set yourself apart from your competitors. Make sure it pops with these tips -- and see the difference in your quota results.

Looking for more? Check out these sales pitch examples next.

Sales Pitch

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Sales Presentation: Ideas, Examples and Templates to Present Like a Pro

Niti Samani

Typically, a sales presentation is understood as a simple pitch, a demo, or a list of facts and figures. A good sales presentation is one that incorporates all of these elements while also being more than the sum of its parts.

presentation in sales definition

A sales presentation is that sensitive, impactful activity that, if it is done at the right time in your sales process , it will get your sales prospect ’s attention, make them eager about your product or services, and make their buying decision in favor of you.

As a sales professional, you will find yourself presenting live in countless scenarios ranging from introducing your product or services at a trade show to upselling your product or services to a client visiting your store. This article is for all you sales professionals out there. The topics it will cover are:

What is a Sales Presentation?

Sales presentation techniques, storytelling and sales presentation, what should you bring to your sales presentation, tips for nailing your sales presentation, sales presentation examples, sales presentation template to present like a pro, how can deskera help your business with sales, key takeaways.

  • Related Articles‌‌

An effective sales presentation is one that 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 your prospects to your differentiators rather than leading with them.

A sales presentation is not always the same thing as a sales pitch. This is because while a sales pitch is what your team of sales professionals does all day long on a one-to-one basis on the phone or in person, a sales presentation, in contrast, is a more complicated sales pitch where your sales team is trying to close a more lucrative deal through meetings and demos.

Preparing your sales presentation hence requires an investment of time and effort and needs to be well planned in order to convert your leads into customers, increase sales and therefore increase revenue . Considering the responsibilities, hopes, and pressure that a sales presentation carries, even a salesperson who is great at cold calling and sales pitches can become a victim of workplace stress .

A sales presentation is an art as well as a science. It is an art because it requires you to handle each situation and client creatively- adapting to the environment and molding it so that you can achieve your goals. It is also a science because it does come with some techniques and strategies, which, when incorporated, is sure to bring you higher success rates. The various sales presentation techniques that you can use are:

Sales Presentation Techniques

  • Send the Presentation Desk to Your Buyer Before Your Call

The benefit of this would be that if your prospect finds the deck compelling, then they would want to get into all the nitty-gritty details about it even after knowing its main content. This will help you in showing them how the solution you are offering is the best for their problem, the extra benefits that they will be able to get from it, and solve any queries that they might have. This will save everyone’s time, and your customer would move down the sales pipeline faster.

However, if your buyer has not gone through the deck before your call, they will just ask you to start from the beginning. Furthermore, sending the presentation deck to your buyer will show them how valued they are by your business and hence increase customer retention and customer satisfaction.

  • Invoking Self-Discovery

The best way to ensure sales and, therefore, gross profits is by making your buyers realize what the problem is and what the solution for the same can be. The solution is where your products or services will come in. The best way to do so is by telling a story to your buyer in which they are the main character. The storytelling will serve all the above-mentioned purposes and also give you a buyer who has a strong sense of customer loyalty that will only get stronger when you are able to ensure their “ voice of the customer .”

  • Do Not Skip to Point B. Talk About Point A.

Here, point A is the problem, whereas point B is the solution. When you directly skip to the positive outcomes of a solution, you lose out on the benefits that you would have derived by talking about point A. This is because point A is the problem that your buyer will constantly face unless they bring some change to it.

By talking about their problems repeatedly, you would be using the key sales psychology of how consumers are more likely to prefer loss aversion activities than benefiting activities. Combined with loss aversion tendency would be the sense of urgency that would further secure their purchase with you. Only after they are with you on the urgency stage, talk about the positive outcomes from the solution you are offering. Only now would your solution be truly appreciated hence bringing you your positive cash flow .

  • Do Not Lead with Differentiators, Lead to Them

The key to having your buyers appreciate your differentiators-i.e. the unique features of your products or services, is by leading them to it, rather than starting your sales presentation with them. In order to do so, you will have to start by explaining to your buyers the problem that they are facing, the opportunity that they have missed, and then surrounding it with a sense of urgency.

Only when your buyer is clear along these lines should you introduce them to your differentiators. This way, your differentiator will land exactly where it is supposed to, hence taking you one step closer to completing your sales cycle successfully.

  • Reveal the Outcome First

Presentations have a tendency to follow logical sequencing. While this makes sense in the academic setting, in the world of sales and customers, where your customers would definitely be busy, you will lose them midway through your sales presentation.

Therefore, start your sales presentation with the final outcome that you are expecting or predicting. The conversation will grow naturally from there. Another sales presentation tactic underlying this is that the best product demos start with the topics that your buyer has highlighted on the discovery call .

Not only should your product demo mirror all the topics highlighted by your buyer, but it should also follow the same prioritized sequence as they want. This is called solution mapping- which will up your sales presentation game by a lot.

  • Having a Conversational Presentation

One of the best ways to have increasing sales and therefore increased net sales is by making sure that your sales presentation is an engaging two-way conversation between two people. A two-way dialogue will make the sales pitch more natural, with equal listening happening on both sides- yours and the buyer’s. This real and connected conversation involves the right questions with the right answers, followed by a higher probability of sales taking place.

  • Following the 9-Minute Rule

To close your deals , you should follow the 9-minute rule for your sales presentation. This rule tells of how the human brain stops registering information properly from the 9th minute, hence making it important to change the channels in your buyer’s brain by either changing who is talking in the presentation, or in the video, or in the demo. This will reset the time back to zero, giving you more time to carry forward the next part of your presentation.

  • Using Relevant Social Proof

When talking with your potential clients, you should know the correct timing for giving social proof. Too soon, and you will lose your client. Additionally, you should also know which social proof would be relevant to give.

For example, if your example involves big brands like Google, it will leave your potential clients impressed but also make them feel that your product or services are not the right fit for them. To prevent this, your social proof should be from the buyer’s tribe. A buyer’s tribe is one with which they share pain points, challenges, and needs.

Even if you tell a different tribe’s story, the pain point should match with your prospect. By sharing these stories, you are making your prospects imagine themselves in the customer’s story and see a solution or a benefit for themselves.

One of the other ways you can give social proof is through social selling on your social media- helping to build a bridge between your company and its leads. After efficient lead management , these would become potential clients who need a sales presentation.

  • Use Customer Stories, Not ROI Calculators

As a customer, one processes information in 2 ways- logically and emotionally. If, while doing your sales presentation, you introduce ROI , then you are awakening the logical, analytical brain of your customer. This will make them more likely to argue with your assumptions.

However, if you resort to telling a story in which the customers are able to imagine themselves (hence leading to self-discovery) and have a before and after scenario for the product or service used to make them realize the value offered by your product or service, then this emotional connection is more likely to get them to make a buying decision in your favor.

  • Talking About Price After Establishing Value

It is crucial that as a salesperson, you know when to talk about pricing in your sales presentation. When setting the agenda for the call with your prospect, make sure you tell them when to expect a discussion on pricing. This discussion should be scheduled by you after you have shown them the value of your product or services, as only then would they agree to the pricing offered by you without you losing a deal. Also, by doing so, you would be better able to handle sales objections.

Using Your Competitor’s Strength in Your Favor

One of the most common sales presentation tactics involves using your competitor’s weakness and showing your product or service’s strength in exchange. This, however, leaves you vulnerable to attack and debate. The other smarter sales presentation technique involves learning and using your competitor’s strength to prove why their product or service is a poor fit for you.

For instance, when in 1985 the marketing of Burger King and McDonald's was head to head, Burger King used McDonald’s marketing attribution and strength- being a kids friendly place as its weakness by saying, at Burger King, it is the place for adults and real burgers, not just fun food. Burger King’s choice of brand awareness and brand positioning statement made it a winner in this marketing competition.

Talk About Your Competitors Early On

While doing your sales presentation, it is important that you talk about your competitors from the beginning rather than ignoring them completely, only to bring them up later in the conversation. This way, you would be able to influence your prospect’s opinions before they get solidified. Once they are influenced in your favor, they are more likely to stay the same, giving you higher net profits .

As humans, we have a deep relationship with stories. They move us, teach us, and in the context of sales, they persuade us. This is why storytelling is the secret to a successful sales presentation. If you want to win your customers, start with a story that is relevant to them and their problems, especially of an existing customer who faced the same problem as them.

Such a story would lead to your prospects remembering the key points from your sales presentation as well as about your product or services. Thus, this section of the article will help you in building your sales presentation around a story that will grab your prospect’s attention and encourage them to invest in the solution you are offering.

Start With a Problem and a Deadline

Instead of talking directly about the solution you are offering to your prospects, you should start by talking about the problem and the challenges your solution was designed to solve. Your sales presentation should revolve around the value you are offering to your prospect.

When using storytelling, your product or service can become the hero, whereas their pain point can become the villain. It should focus on the change (something that improves their business or life) rather than on the pain point. Additionally, create a sense of urgency around the story- such that if they do not take action now, they will miss an opportunity. Also, involve the consequences in the story that would arise if the prospect does not change.

Talking About the Solution

Once you have highlighted the problem or the challenges, it is time to talk about the product or services that you are offering. These should not be talked about in terms of their features, but rather in terms of how life would become easier and better for your prospect by using your product or service. It should also highlight how they would be able to reduce their account payable and increase their account receivables .

Only after that, start talking about your product or services features and benefits along these lines:

  • Positioning your features against the old way of doing things
  • Presenting those features as the superpowers that will solve your prospect’s problems and challenges
  • Comparing those features with those of the competitor’s

And using a combination of some or all of the above sales presentation techniques.

A sales presentation is perceived to be a daunting task, and the only way to deal with such a task is by being prepared and organized. This is why this section of the article would be discussing all the necessities that you should bring to your sales presentation. They are:

PowerPoint Presentation

Sales presentation tends to include a sales deck to help deliver facts, figures, and statistics that will back your sales presentation and convince your prospects to accept the solution you are offering. To present your sales deck, you can use presentation software like Microsoft PowerPoint presentation or google slides or Canva presentation, or any digital slides that you feel are a good match to your product or service. Some of the key elements of such a presentation should be:

  • A great cover image or opening slide that grabs your audience’s attention.
  • Data and key points are represented through charts, graphs, quotes. These can even include metrics like ACV and ARR or other such relevant KPIs .
  • Testimonials and case studies from other customers. This shows the proactive customer service you offer, the voice of customers that you secure, how you consider the customer feedback , and how reliable your products, services, and business is.
  • Personalize your presentation for each meeting- based on prospect’s brand color or with data specific to their market and industry or with an earlier exchange
  • Last slide- which should have a call to action- directs your prospects on what they need to do now.

One of the main things you need to take care of here is not to overwhelm your slides with texts- they should rather have quick skimmable text, with supporting visuals as visuals register more in the human brain. This will also prevent information overload for your prospect.

The Product

The best way to sell a product is by your potential customers seeing them live in action. Product demonstrations hence have always been a vital part of every sales plan- wherever applicable. However, not every product would be perfectly portable. To give a demo for such products would become trickier. Here are some tips you can follow:

  • In the case of a physical product, think of the perfect environment for the product’s demo that would show it at its best and do it.
  • In the case of a digital product, have technology in hand to show what your product can do. For example, if it is a mobile app- make your prospects download and try it; if it is a website, show it through a projector.
  • Lastly, in case your product is not portable- either because it is location-specific or because it is too big to carry around, you will have to use video for your product demo in the sales presentation.‌‌

Based on the nature of your solution and how you are doing your sales presentation, you might have to give handouts to your audience. Your handout can have a QR code from which to download the app or contact information, or sales literature. Your handouts should be simple and to the point and should be given at the end of the presentation so that while you are presenting, they are listening to you and not going through the information you gave them on the handouts.‌‌ You can use QR Code generators to create QR Codes that are dynamic and trackable.

If you are doing a sales presentation, it is quite likely that you are going as a team with two or more sales representatives. Some of the tips you can all follow for the preparation for your sales presentation are:

  • Practice- To get the timing right, especially if your presentation has a lot of moving parts.
  • Make sure everything is working- so as to avoid going to the meeting with a faulty presentation or a broken sample
  • Decide everyone’s roles- so as to avoid on-the-spot confusion and chaos.‌‌

Some of the tips that you should incorporate during your sales presentation to nail it are:‌‌

Confident Body Language

Sales presentations often happen in person, which is why strong, relaxed, and confident body language is essential to make it seem like you know that you are going to close this deal. How you feel about your presentation is how your prospect is going to feel. Some of the things to take care of here are-

  • Making and maintaining eye contact as this shows people how invested you are in what you are doing.
  • Stand up straight with your shoulders pulled back. This will also have the added benefit of making you feel better than when your shoulders are hunched.
  • Keep your chin up, looking straight and making eye contact rather than looking at the floor or randomly around the room.
  • Have a good, firm handshake that will result in a good first impression.‌‌

Engaging Your Audience

Sales presentations are more likely to last for long, however the same is not true about your audience’s attention span. To keep them engaged throughout the duration of your sales presentation, you should consider the following:

  • The two most important parts of any presentation are the beginning and the end, and hence this is where you should use your strongest material.
  • Start your presentation with a brief introduction about yourself and then lead it with either a compelling story as discussed above or with a compelling demo.
  • Your product features can make up the middle of your presentation as your prospects might have already researched them, and this part is less likely to be remembered well.
  • Finish strong by mentioning how your product solved a problem.

Throughout your sales presentation, you can use humor if it comes naturally to you, matches your brand voice and your buyer personas . Humor will become a good way to connect with your prospects, make everyone relaxed in the room and make the presentation memorable. Lastly, because you are doing a sales presentation and not a sales pitch, it also gives you an opportunity to show off your product and make it memorable.‌‌

Like we discussed above, the sales presentation is an art and a science, and there are some companies who have done exceedingly well in their sales presentations. We will be talking about some of them in this section of the article.‌‌

Leadnomics Sales Deck for Sales Presentation Example

The highlight of leadnomics’s sales presentation is that they were able to showcase their brand identity during it. To do so, their internet marketing agency hired a designer to create a sales deck that reflects leadnomic’s brand positioning statement through its sleek, techie designs. This meant that while the prospects got to learn about leadnomics and what it has to offer, they also came to know what it stands for as a brand. Such a sales presentation is sure to bring about positive brand awareness.

The Original Comfy

This product was made and pitched by Brian and Michael Speciale on Shark Tank in 2017. They did not have any numbers or inventory, just a big fleecy blanket/hoodie and a video of it being worn everywhere- from a beach to a couch. Their presentation got them an offer of $50,000 for 30% from Barbara Corcoran. When asked about it, she said they had a good product and utmost confidence in it. This highlights how important confidence is while doing your sales presentation.

Single Music

Single Music Sales Deck for Sales Presentation Example

Single Music used icons and visuals throughout its sales deck to communicate its message. Additionally, the information that it added was worth the length of the sales deck that they had gone with- i.e., 28 slides. Through its sales deck, it showed how it allows the artists to monetize their Spotify account, showcased its diverse artist roster, its milestones, and even its key features.‌‌

Richter Sales Deck for Sales Presentation Example

In a sales deck that Richter made around 2019, it started with an introduction of the problem, followed by a value proposition and then by the solution. They provided an overview of what they have provided to their customers, who their clients are, and what results has their customer base seen. This particular sales deck hence covers all that a sales presentation should cover. Another of its highlights was also how it organized its graphics and logos in an organized and uncluttered manner.

Richter Sales Deck for Sales Presentation Example

After all that we discussed, it is time to nail your sales presentation with this guide- containing the slides you need to make and tips on how to make them. Click here to get your sales presentation guide and template to present like a pro.‌‌

Deskera is that cloud software that is equipped with meeting all your business needs. When it comes to sales, it is Deskera CRM and Deskera CRM+ that you want to rely upon especially. Deskera CRM helps in importing and managing all your contacts from one place, letting you integrate your emails with its dashboard. You can even automate email marketing, get reminders for sending invoices and set up your schedule.‌‌

Deskera CRM

Through its dashboard, it will also help you track your deals, monitor sales , and even different KPIs like marketing KPIs . One of the added benefits of Deskera CRM is that it has made the digitization of customer service easier. Additionally, because you can plan your entire team’s work on this software, it increases efficiency and helps in managing workplace stress.‌‌

When it comes to Deskera CRM+, it helps in lead management by allowing to build funnels to convert visitors to leads to paying customers. To do so, you can either select any of the high conversion funnel templates or create from scratch.

Deskera CRM+

Funnels should be created for every marketing campaign like social media marketing , landing pages , performance marketing , and content marketing to test their effectiveness. The funnel dashboard will also help you in measuring the performance KPIs.‌‌

Additionally, you would also be able to automate daily tasks like drip email campaigns, where you would also be able to choose from email marketing templates, choose a target segment, and then track their performance across it.

Through Deskera CRM+, you would be able to segment your leads such that later they get personalized campaigns based on their segment. Such a personalized approach would also help in increasing customer retention, encourage returning customers , and even increase customer loyalty.‌‌

So, with deals being closed faster and more efficiently, your financial statement ’s health will improve as well- hence bringing forward a bright future for your business.‌‌

While it is safer to keep your sales presentation simple and predictable by keeping it about a sales deck and a speech, such a sales presentation would not be a showstopper.

For your sales presentation to make its impact and result in favorable buying decisions- your sales presentation needs to be unique and unforgettable. To ensure this,

  • Have a confident body language
  • Engage your audience

Use varied combinations of sales presentation techniques based on what suits your audience and business the best. The techniques you can choose from are:

  • Using Your Competitor’s Strength in Your Favour
  • Talk About Your Competitors Early On‌‌

When using these techniques, always remember to engage in storytelling. As humans, we have a deeper connection to and understanding of stories. When carried out nicely, this will keep your prospects engaged and make them do business with you. Also, make a point of taking questions and follow-ups after your sales presentation.‌‌

What helps in this entire process are the insights as provided by the Deskera CRM and Deskera CRM+ dashboard that helps you understand your prospects better.

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Sales Presentation: The Definitive Guide (2023)

This is the ultimate guide to making KILLER sales presentations.

So if you want more sales, you’re going to love the actionable tips, strategies and examples in this infographic and guide. Use them to prepare, structure and deliver solid sales presentations that bring you more business, step-by-step.

Let’s dive right in…

sales presentation

The Definitive Guide to Killer Sales Presentations

Here are the different sections that will be covered in the article:

😈  Part 0. The #1 Thing You Must Remember . If there’s one thing you should takeaway from this article, it’s this one. This is the mindset behind selling. Start here, it’ll only take you 20 seconds to read (Yes, I counted).

🤟  Part 1. The Anatomy of a Perfect Sales Presentation . In this infographic, you’ll learn the 7 ingredients you need to plan and structure the perfect sales presentation, from start to finish..

🤩  Part 2. How to Design High Impact Presentations . When you have no time, no budget and no special design talent.

🧐  Part 3. In-Deep Strategies . These are meeting-room tested techniques, action steps and (real world) examples you can swipe in your own presentations. I recommend you to start with the infographic, and then move on to this part.

🤔  Part 4. Q&A . How long should your sales deck be? How do you structure/prepare/design/end a presentation? Here are the most common questions business professionals are asking themselves, answered.

The #1 Thing You Must Remember

Hear me out:

This is the best sales advice you’ll hear today.

Nobody cares about you.

Your prospects don’t care about you.

They care about themselves. And they care about what you can do for them in order to solve their problems.

So here’s your takeaway:

A sales presentation is a persuasive demonstration to prospective buyers in order to make a sale.

And the key to making persuasive sales presentations is to demonstrate that your offering, either a product or a service, will help your prospects get more of what they want.

(I’ll have powerful techniques showing you how to do exactly that later in this post…)

PART 1 The Anatomy of A Perfect Sales Presentation

This infographic will walk you through the 7 components of successful sales presentations. I advise you to read the infographic first, and then move on to the detailed strategies later in this guide.

PART 2 How to Design Stunning Sales Presentations When You Have No Time, No Budget (And No Design Talent) 👏

Easy-to-edit, designer-made templates allow non-designers to create beautiful, professional-looking presentations.

Top performers know that presentations can have a huge impact on their business. Because the truth is, when you start deliver top-tier business materials, you’re able to:

  • Present clean slides that grab – and keep – people’s attention (adios text-heavy, 90’s clipart slides that put everyone to sleep).
  • Confidently expressing ideas, concepts and messages with visual elements. Because, yes, you know that those who use visual aids are 43% more persuasive than those who don’t.
  • Wow your prospects, get them to walk away knowing you’re the pros and eliminating other options.

Introducing PPTPACK, a premium presentation template pack that works in the real world

Maybe you’re a business professional, a sales rep, or an early-stage founder… And the truth is, you probably don’t have the time to improve your presentation design skills.

And who could blame you…

You’ve got 99 other things to do:

  • Preparing for your next webinar
  • Crafting business proposals
  • Executing your annual strategy
  • Planning for your next fundraising roundHiring a team

But here’s the kicker:

If you’re reading this, you already know something many people don’t:

Memorables presentations can unlock opportunities.

Whether that’s winning new clients, convincing investors, or persuading your boss to approve your strategic plan.

Yes, beautiful, clean, and clear slides can help you get your message across and make an amazing impression.

I know it, because I’ve done it.

And that’s why I’ve created PPTPACK, a premium slide template that includes fully editable slides, graphics, and illustrations you can customize to build gorgeous presentations. In a fraction of the time it takes others.

My name is Clemence Lepers. I’ve been making presentations for over 10 years. I’ve done presentations at every scale, and know exactly what you can focus on to get the best results possible with your limited amount of time.

And that knowledge is all wrapped up in this presentation template.

Introducing Pre-Built Presentation Templates…

With pre-built templates , you get your hands on a massive stash of fully editable resources – slides, icons, graphics, timelines, maps and so on – to build result-getting presentations. At a fraction of the time it takes to others.

And the good news is, these PowerPoint templates cost as little as the price of a movie ticket.

So if you’ve been looking to create winning sales presentations (because you know that’s what will set you apart from everyone else), then check out my two favorite templates below, and start saving time so you can focus on things that really matter to you.

Marketofy Template

Marketofy presentation template is especially useful for:

Corporate presentations – for prospects, investors or stakeholders Business proposals or briefs Customer/data reports

Key Features

  • Lots of unique slides (390 for  PowerPoint , 200 for  Keynote  and  Google slides ). Includes slides to present business objectives, company services, marketing strategy, product launch, process, maps, devices, apps, and much more
  • 24 ready-made color themes (6 for the Keynote version)
  • Dark & light versions (light background slides or dark background slides)
  • Drag-and-drop photo placeholders (drag any visual from your folder, and it will take the exact shape of the placeholder)
  • Dozen of graphs and charts (to concisely present data-rich information)
  • 2,500 icons

See Marketofy PowerPoint Template

Massive X Template

With countless design options, practical slides and a recent bundle update, Massive X toke the business of presentation templates to a whole new level of professionalism and creativity.

Here’s a quick video that’ll give you an overview of their latest bundle:

Now, what I love about Massive X  (beyond the  hundreds  of beautiful, professional slides they’re offering) is their 100% editable illustrations:

Massive X’s illustrations are made out of multiple, individual elements that are then put together.

And you can edit the color, size and shape of every single one.

These are the exact graphics I’ve used to illustrate the different sections of this guide.

  • 290 unique PowerPoint slides
  • Animated slides
  • 12,000 icons
  • 15 color variations

See Massive X Template For PowerPoint

PART 3 In-Depth Strategies, Tips & Examples to Prepare the Perfect Sales Presentation

In this chapter, I’ll break down in small chunks the 7 components of successful sales decks.

This section includes concrete steps, practical strategies, techniques, scripts and examples to help you prepare and structure your sales decks for maximum impact.

Click a section below to be taken to one of the strategies:

1. A stellar cover slide 2. Your value proposition [what do you do] 3. A powerful story [who are you and what makes you special] 4.  Identify customer problems [do you understand me] 5. Provide them solutions [what do you offer that solves my problems] 6. Proofs [how do I believe you?] 7. Call-to-action [What happens next]

sales presentation

This editable illustration can be found in here

1. Use These 2 Steps to Design a Great Cover Slide For Your Sales Deck

Think of your  cover slide as the packaging of a product.

The title slide is the first thing your prospects will see. If it sucks, you’re sending a bad signal before having even started to talk. But, wait, don’t take my word for it:

Studies  suggested that the packaging design elements have an influence on choosing, getting attracted, like, purchase the product and considering packaging as a brand promotion vehicle.

Cover Slide Examples

Action steps, 👉 pick your background visual.

To pick the perfect picture, answer this 2-step question:

First, what product/service do my company offer? Then, what tangible element can I associate my offering to?

Here are a few examples:

SEO services -> computer (or web traffic, web page, macbook) Furniture design -> sofa (or armchair, cabinet, chair, home design) Management consulting -> office building (or business people, meeting, investors)

Now, head over to Pexels or another awesome free stock photo website . Select a few pictures that closely relate to the identified keyword. If you can’t chose between your options, ask 2-3 colleagues which one they prefer, and go for the most popular option. Done.

👉 Embed Your Headline

You want to make it crystal clear for your prospect what your sales deck is all about. There is not one right way to write that headline, but to simplify the process for you, I recommend using the following structure:

[ Helping + Specific Target Audience + Outcome ]

For instance:

Helping Plastic Surgeons Get More Patients With SEO. Helping F&B Businesses Getting More Customers With Social Media. Amazing Events People Will Remember !

Real-world business taglines:

Video solutions for every type of business. Wista. Get, keep and grow more customers. Kissmetrics.

⚡ Bottom line : Great cover slides make it crystal clear what it’s all about. It’s a no brainer.

2. Apply The “VP Formula” To Craft The Perfect Value Proposition

So… what is your company doing?

A value proposition defines the kind of value you will create for your customers ( source ). It’s basically the primary reason a prospect should buy from you .  In a nutshell , your value proposition is a clear statement that:

  • Explains how your product solves customers’ problems or improves their situation
  • Delivers specific benefits (quantified value),
  • Tells the ideal customer why they should buy from you and not from the competition (unique differentiation)”.

On  pitch decks :

1) Identify Who Your Business is Targeting  

First, check out # 2 tip of that article  to learn how to do just that. Then,  list the exact benefits and results your products/services provide to customers ( Check out # 5 tip of this post )

2) Put Everything Together Using the “VP” Formula

Get six pack abs in 3 months, even if you’ve never worked out before. Flood your inbox with job offers, even if you have zero network. Build landing pages fast, get more conversions. Unbounce .

3) Include a Slide That Clearly States Your Value Proposition

⚡ Tweet This Sales Presentation Building Tip ! 

3. Use These Proven Techniques To Develop The Outline Sales Presentation

Stories create “sticky” memories by attaching emotions to things that happen. As a result, effective stories capture and hold our attention. They also help us learn and connect us with strangers .

To craft a good story ,  for talking about your company or your products, you need three basic elements:

🤬 Conflict . Conflict is basically our expectation vs. the cold reality. The conflict is here to let your audience know why they should care about the characters in your story.  In the case of a sales presentation, characters could be clients you’ve worked with, and the conflict could be between what your clients couldn’t do before using your product… and what they can do now.

🕺 Climax . In order to present a good narrative, you should develop the problem and the characters who are bound up in it.  What are your target customers struggling with?  You must understand their exact hopes and pains.

😘 Resolution . The character solves the main problem/conflict or someone (aka you, the company) solves it for him or her.

Technique #1: Use These Frames To Sell Stories 

P roblem : current situation faced by your audience. Do you suffer from/Sick of being… R elief : how it can change . It doesn’t have to be that way/there’s a solution… D ream : your solution. Imagine if you could…how your life would be if you could…

P rotagonist : climate change / tiny farmers providing food to restaurants C onflict : how climate change affects the growing season” R esolution :  policies that should be in place + how people in other areas are mitigating the effects of climate change on local resources.  Source .

If you take a close look at Airbnb’s first pitch deck  , there’s clearly a conflict between what the market is offering (standard hotels that leave you disconnected from the local culture) and what people are willing to do (book a room through a local host, become one, find cheaper, authentic accommodations).

The “cold reality” (what the market was offering BEFORE Airbnb came in):

The “expectations” (what happens AFTER Airbnb arrives in the market):

Technique #2: Apply The IBC Framework

Introduction : what is it all about and why should your audience care Body : it distills your message and supportive points Conclusion : focus on the outcomes of the presentation, include a specific call-to-action

Let’s take a look at an example of a deck pitching SaaS project management services:

Introduction : the problem behind getting all teams on the same page today Body : how ABC company project management solutions will help you solve that problem Conclusion : different options on the market, why our works best, how can we start working together

Technique #3: Use the Liking Principle

According to psychology professor Robert Cialdini,  we prefer to say yes to those we know and like .

It’s the liking principle:

We like those who are similar to us, give us complements, and cooperate with us toward common goals.  So how do you apply that when it comes to talking about YOU….

Well, you need to get personal. And of course, help your customers feel connected to you.

To do that, appear vulnerable. Emphasize on the stories of your team members. Talk about what they like, what they don’t. You can even mention their hobbies or favorite foods for instance (yes, really) in order to appear human .

Recommended reading:

  • Health, Chip and Dan. 2010. Made to Stick . A solid book that teaches you how to better communicate ideas, on the basic of the S.U.C.C.E.S. framework:  in order to make an idea sticky, it has to be simple, unexpected, concrete, credible, emotional, and tell a story.
  • Freytag’s pyramid .  German novelist saw common patterns in the plots of stories and novels and developed a diagram to analyze them. See  this quick example of Freytag’s principles applied to the movie TAKEN .
  • Joe Gebbia – Airbnb Story (Video)
  • University of Berkeley. Robert Cialdini’s Principles of Persuasion.

List What Makes Your Company & Co-Workers Special (and Worth to Work With)

How do I like to present my company to people who don’t know us?

What do our paying customers love about us? (service, team, process, turnaround, product…and why exactly?)

✅ Why do you want to help your target customers? ✅ How did you get involved in this industry/project? ✅ How did you come up with your product/service? ✅ What problem are you trying to solve? ✅ What questions do customers get to ask you all the time? ✅ Why are you passionate about your work?

🤟 Tweet This Technique 

4. PinPoint Your Prospect’s Pains, Challenges & Dreams

Don’t kick off your pitch talking about anything that’s related to yourself. Instead, start with giving context.

Technique #1: Show Them What They Can be

Your products and services are nothing more than a tool that enables your prospects to achieve their dreams. So here’s the thing: your goal here is to HELP them visualize what it would feel like if he could fulfill all his dreams.

For instance, name a trend that’s going on in your prospect’s industry.   To quote Andy Raskin…

“When you highlight a shift in the world, you get prospects to open up about how that shift affects them, how it scares them, and where they see opportunities. Most importantly, you grab their attention”.

Here are two real-world examples:

Technique #2: Hit Them Where it Hurts, Highlight The Problem

95% of our purchase decision making takes place in the subconscious mind. If you want to have emotional resonance with your prospect, you must show him you understand with pains and problems.

If you recall Airbnb’s first pitch deck example, you understand that the start up had deeply identified the pain points of its market before offering solutions that made sense.

To Identify the Pain Points of Your Clients, Answer the Following Questions:

✅ What are their pain points? What do they struggle with?  (i.e. flat sales, low online visibility, etc). ✅ What are your customer’s top 3 priorities and how do they measure success? (i.e. increase sales by x%…) ✅ How does the “Promised land” looks like for them?

To find out trends or key figures related to your prospect’s industry, use these search strings on Google:

“Industry” + report + inurl:[name of a famous consulting company] (Bain, BCG, McKinsey) Example: “Retail industry” + report + inurl:accenture

5. Tie Your Offer To Specific Benefits They’re Looking For

Now, you’re going to demonstrate how your solution will help the prospect get rid of his problems and fulfill his dreams.  Your single focus here will be to give out information that benefits to them .

You see, customers buy because they want benefits (and the results that come with them). For that reason, they don’t give a crap about your features unless it helps them understand how it gets them results they care about.

I’ll give you a few examples:

Features = Things (that Porsche 911 GT2 RS) Benefits = Results that come from doing these things (get girls)

Features = A 20-slide persuasive sales presentation Benefits = Impress prospects, get your message across, close more sales

Features = a detailed web analytics audit and health checkup Benefits = we help you identify where your website is leaking money, create optimized treatments and run optimization tests in order to help you increase your revenue.

Here’s how you should approach this when crafting your presentation:

[Company] helps you with [product name, feature, deliverable] so you can [benefit].

See how Facebook is tying a product’s feature with core benefits their clients care about:

Feature: target reach Benefit: reach all the people who matter to you

1) List the Exact Features of Your Product/Service (= What it Does)

A 20-slide persuasive deck A 16-week one-on-one coaching program A 3-month SEO package

2) List the Tangible Benefits Your Customers Get From Using Your Product/Service

For instance, you could help them…

✅ Look sexier –> fashion, muscle building ✅ Become richer –>wealth consultants ✅ More popular –> weight loss programs ✅ Be the first –> SEO services ✅ Make their life comfortable –> interior design ✅ Have more freedom –> project software ✅ Save money –> insurance company etc…

3) Connect 1 + 2 Using Linking Words (So You Can / Will Help You / Will Give You)

Let’s take a look at a concrete example below.

1) Features . Do-it-at-home bodyweight exercises 2) Benefits . Build muscle to speed up weight loss without spending money on a gym 3) Linking it . We provide you 12 step-by-step videos that will show you do-it-at-home bodyweight exercises [ so you can ] build muscle without spending money on an expensive gym membership.

🤟 Tweet This Sales Presentation Technique 

6. Here’s How To Make Them Believe You…

Of course, every sales rep under the sun says their company offers amazing products.

But for most prospects, you’re just another sleazy sales dude trying to push products or services that won’t provide any value to them.

Your goal as a presenter is to help them overcome their objections: your sales deck must demonstrate that you are able to get your customers the results you claim .

The best way to do it?

Educate your customers (instead of “selling” them).

In other words, convey information that benefits to them.

Here are four practical ways to do it:

Incorporate Expert, Research-Backed Data

Here are pieces of evidence (aka facts, not opinions) you can include in your sales deck:

✅ Expert quotes : what your industry key influencers have to say about <your industry>, <trends>, <products>, <you>.

✅ Research data : check out .edu websites, magazines and research journals that release data, insights angled toward the market you are serving. Use the following search strings on Google: site: .edu + <keyword> or intitle: research journal + <keyword>.

✅ Competitor analysis : in which specific aspect of your business are you better than your competition? Process, service, quality, price, support, results? Find data that makes your product/service better than your competitor.  You could make a table listing yours vs. your competitor’s key features and benefits in order to show how you are better than them.

Show Case Studies (Before & After)

Case studies are a unique angle you can use to educate your prospects  and show them what they can be, thanks to your product/service.

Look, case studies are  everywhere :

Here, another example extracted from the deck Facebook For Business: Video On Facebook

Check out Facebook’s note below:

“OBJECTIVE:

Wanted to boost brand loyalty and drive viewership of its Ramadan Holiday video

Launched a combined TV and FB campaign 4 videos showcasing banks reverence of traditional Saudi values Two Reach Blocks guaranteed that the ads reached the entire Saudi Facebook audience that logged in that day.

Strong uplift in brand awareness generated by Facebook campaign as found through Bank Albilad’s own internal study. “Facebook increased our brand loyalty given the valued interaction between our audience and us. This platform, Facebook, was one of the main channels for such a campaign and it will remain a crucial platform for future campaigns.” Mohammed R. Abaalkheil, Head of Marcom Division, Bank Albilad”.

Specifically Address Their Objections 

There are 5 major categories of objections : need / price / product / source / time.

Consequently, your job is to address the typical fears that are driving it. To succeed doing that, you have to provide concrete answers these questions:

He doesn’t get me It worked for others but won’t work for me How can I be a 100% sure this works I don’t like/trust/believe him We can find the same thing for free/cheaper elsewhere I can buy later It’s too expensive What happens after I accept their offer

Ask For Customer Testimonials (The Right Way)

According to Nielsen , testimonials & word of mouth are the driving force behind 20 to 50% of all purchasing decisions.

In order to get awesome customer testimonials, you need to ask the right  questions.  Here’s a solid set of questions you should ask every client:

What hesitations did you have about working with me? Which changes have you noticed since working with me? What specifically did you like the best about working together? How have you benefited from hiring our company? Would you recommend my company o a colleague or a friend? If so, why?

⚡ Bottom line : educate your customers, don’t sell them.

Get them to say “Wow! I didn’t know that”.

Incorporable rock-solid customer testimonials, research-backed data in order to teach them something they may not have known. That’ll get them to believe it for themselves, and create trust.

🤟 Tweet This Smart Technique 

7. Integrate a Strong Call-to-Action

A call to action is a simple command that directs customers to take some sort of action (buy, sign up, or start a free trial). Here are a few specific examples:

Be Laser-Focused On Your Audience

You can’t reasonably want to “close a $150,000 deal in the meeting room today if it’s the first time you’re discussing with the prospect.

In other words, make sure you call-to-action is aligned with the situation. If it’s the first time you’re meeting the prospect, you could target to agree to set up the date for the 2nd meeting. If you’re negotiating a contract, you could get the prospect to agree getting back to you with their feedback within 2 weeks.

PART 4 Q&A. Your Most Frequent Questions, Answered.

Here are the most common questions business people ask themselves when it comes to making better sales presentations.

⚡ What Are the Objectives of a Sales Presentation?

What is your  (realistic) goal for this sales presentation?

You can either be looking to inform, educate or persuade your prospects and clients. And the answer will depend on the level of relationship you’ve established with them (If it’s the first time you meet, “closing the sale” might not be the appropriate answer).

Here are a few examples of objectives you could come up with (the more specific, the better):

I’m doing this sales pitch to…

Understand X, Y and Z aspects of the prospect’s business in order to draft a proposal that’s relevant to his expectations. Introduce a new growth opportunity we’ve identified for [company] and get their feedback on it. Build a relationship with a new prospect (so two years from now he wants to purchase from us).

⚡  How Should I Prepare My Pitch Presentation?

Let’s face it:

Prospects want to know whether you can help them get more of what they want.

Do research on those 5 aspects:

Who are your target customers, specifically? What are their hopes, fears and dreams? How much do they know about the solution what you’re trying to sell them? Is their market share growing, steady or declining? Which channels do they use to use to reach, acquire and retain their customers?

Plus, here are important question marks you should be able to answer:

⚡ What is the Best Slide Deck Structure?

The basic structure of any sales presentation includes 4 key points: 1) the problem faced by your prospect 2) the dream solution (the results they’re after), 3) how your company helps them get what they want  (the benefits and results you offer) and 4) reasons why the prospect should chose you over your competitors.

⚡ How Can I Improve My Sales Presentation Design?

If you’re starting from sub-zero  (or want to educate yourself better than 80% of the people out there),  check out this post . It breaks down 100+ simple, practical presentation tips to help you plan, design and deliver unforgettable presentations.

If you’re looking for practical design tips , head over to this guide  where I list 21 simple slide design tips to help you make better decks fast.

Want to craft a more creative deck ? Check out this post . It includes actionable techniques to help you design creative presentations within minutes (with free templates, lessons and resources).

⚡ Where Can I Grab Business Images For My Presentation?

Right here (free)

⚡ How Should I Open/Start My Presentation?

Most audiences will give you only 30-60 seconds to convince them they want to listen to you.

As a result, your introduction is the most important part of your presentation because it will directly affect whether they want to hear more about what you have to say (or not). To that end, your presentation opening needs to accomplish four things:

1. Get the audience interested in the presentation 2. Build rapport 3. Establish credibility 4. Tell the audience what the presentation is going to provide them

Use the GTS (give them something) formula to get your audience’s excited about what they’ll be able to do or know by the end of your pitch:

Today, I’m going to show you [ statement that benefits your audience ]. By the end of this presentation, you will [ result they’re interested in ].

Today, I’m going to show you how you can use conversion optimization to triple your sales in less than 6 months.

⚡ What Questions Should I Ask the Prospect?

Can you help you understand how you measure success in regards with [topic]? What do you want to achieve, specifically? This year? Mid-term, long-term?) Tell us about your business in one sentence? What makes you different? What are your client’s biggest problems and aspirations? (Visualize what matters to them) What delights your customers about your product? Does our offering make sense for your world? Could you see this applying to you? Can we agree on [proposed next steps after the meeting]?

⚡ How to End/Close a Sales Deck?

If you’re sending the file through email, include a slide with a call-to-action enticing them to contact you, and give them your contact info.

If you’re having a meeting, summarize orally your understanding of customer’s goals and needs, and how you can help them achieve those goals. Also make sure to propose, and agree on the next steps. For instance:

“Would that work with you if we send you a recap of this meeting, the additional elements we talked about, and follow up within a week of time?”

⚡ How Long Should My Presentation Last?

After having conducted an experiment , Dr. Maureen Murphy at the University of North Texas (UNT) said that:

“If a presentation that had 20 minute segments with short breaks in between, the people enjoyed the 20-minute chunked presentations more than a 60 minute presentation, learned more information immediately after, and retained more information a month later”.

She concluded:

“See if you can build in some kind of change every 20 minutes. For maximum learning you want a break every 20 minutes, as opposed to just a change of topic….Instead of taking one long break, take several short ones”.

Here’s my take on this study:

Break down your sales meeting in 20-minute chunks. For instance:

Chunk 1) Understand your prospect’s business. Ask him questions. Get insights. Chunk 2) Introduce your product/service offerings. Which is long enough for your prospects to understand clearly how your product/service can help them.

⚡ Can You Show Me Some Solid Sales Presentation Examples?

Check out this post where you’ll get 20+ real-world sales deck examples.

⚡ How Can I Improve My Current Sales Deck?

Then, equip yourself a professional, ready-to-use presentation template that’ll help you put together a great sales deck fast (and at the fraction of what a designer would cost you).

See, you’re smart enough to know you could spend that time on more strategic, higher level activities that actually move the needle (like tweaking your value proposition, challenging your business strategy or fine tuning your pitch).

And the truth is, you don’t have to spend a huge amount of time on designing, editing and arranging those slides for your high-stake, upcoming sales presentation:

Most templates include everything you need, from gorgeous, easy-to-edit slides and icons to charts and ready-made color themes.

For instance, I’ve used the fully editable graphics of Massive X , one of my favorite templates, to illustrate this presentation guide.

The Massive X PowerPoint Template

Here’s a quick intro video of their latest bundle:

Now, what I love about this bundle  (beyond the hundreds of beautiful, professional slides they’re offering) is their 100% editable illustrations:

And the great news is, Massive X comes with a  ton  of editable illustrations you can use for multiple purposes:

Use them to illustrate your sales presentation slides and get your point across more effectively.

Now, let’s take a look into the details of the bundle…

😍 Key Features

Not sure about what templates can do for you?

No worries, maybe you’d like to see my  detailed review of the best presentation templates available on the market  below.

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7 Amazing Sales Presentation Examples (And How to Make Them Your Own)

7 Amazing Sales Presentation Examples (And How to Make Them Your Own)

7 Types of Slides to Include In Your Sales Presentation

Inside the mind of your prospect: change is hard, before-after-bridge: the only formula you need to create a persuasive sales presentation, facebook — how smiles and simplicity make you more memorable, contently — how to build a strong bridge, brick by brick, yesware — how to go above and beyond with your benefits, uber — how to cater your content for readers quick to scan, dealtap — how to use leading questions to your advantage, zuora — how to win over your prospects by feeding them dots, linkedin sales navigator — how to create excitement with color, how to make a sales pitch in 4 straightforward steps, 7 embarrassing pitfalls to avoid in your presentation, over to you.

A brilliant sales presentation has a number of things going for it.

Being product-centered isn’t one of them. Or simply focusing on your sales pitch won’t do the trick.

So what can you do to make your offer compelling?

From different types of slides to persuasive techniques and visuals, we’ve got you covered.

Below, we look at data-backed strategies, examples, and easy steps to build your own sales presentations in minutes.

  • Title slide: Company name, topic, tagline
  • The “Before” picture: No more than three slides with relevant statistics and graphics.
  • The “After” picture: How life looks with your product. Use happy faces.
  • Company introduction: Who you are and what you do (as it applies to them).
  • The “Bridge” slide: Short outcome statements with icons in circles.
  • Social proof slides: Customer logos with the mission statement on one slide. Pull quote on another.
  • “We’re here for you” slide: Include a call-to-action and contact information.

Many sales presentations fall flat because they ignore this universal psychological bias: People overvalue the benefits of what they have over what they’re missing.

Harvard Business School professor John T. Gourville calls this the “ 9x Effect .” Left unchecked, it can be disastrous for your business.

the psychology behind a sales presentation

According to Gourville, “It’s not enough for a new product simply to be better. Unless the gains far outweigh the losses, customers will not adopt it.”

The good news: You can influence how prospects perceive these gains and losses. One of the best ways to prove value is to contrast life before and after your product.

Luckily, there’s a three-step formula for that.

  • Before → Here’s your world…
  • After → Imagine what it would be like if…
  • Bridge → Here’s how to get there.

Start with a vivid description of the pain, present an enviable world where that problem doesn’t exist, then explain how to get there using your tool.

It’s super simple, and it works for cold emails , drip campaigns , and sales discovery decks. Basically anywhere you need to get people excited about what you have to say.

In fact, a lot of companies are already using this formula to great success. The methods used in the sales presentation examples below will help you do the same.

We’re all drawn to happiness. A study at Harvard tells us that emotion is contagious .

You’ll notice that the “Before” (pre-Digital Age) pictures in Facebook’s slides all display neutral faces. But the cover slide that introduces Facebook and the “After” slides have smiling faces on them.

This is important. The placement of those graphics is an intentional persuasion technique.

Studies by psychologists show that we register smiles faster than any other expression. All it takes is 500 milliseconds (1/20th of a second). And when participants in a study were asked to recall expressions, they consistently remembered happy faces over neutral ones.

What to do about it : Add a happy stock photo to your intro and “After” slides, and keep people in “Before” slides to neutral expressions.

Here are some further techniques used during the sales presentation:

Tactic #1: Use Simple Graphics

Use simple graphics to convey meaning without text.

Example: Slide 2 is a picture of a consumer’s hand holding an iPhone — something we can all relate to.

Why It Works: Pictures are more effective than words — it’s called  Picture Superiority . In presentations, pictures help you create connections with your audience. Instead of spoon-feeding them everything word for word, you let them interpret. This builds trust.

Tactic #2: Use Icons

Use icons to show statistics you’re comparing instead of listing them out.

Example: Slide 18 uses people icons to emphasize how small 38 out of 100 people is compared to 89 out of 100.

Why It Works:  We process visuals 60,000 times faster than text.

Tactic #3: Include Statistics

Include statistics that tie real success to the benefits you mention.

Example: “71% lift driving visits to retailer title pages” (Slide 26).

Why It Works:  Precise details prove that you are telling the truth.

Just like how you can’t drive from Marin County to San Francisco without the Golden Gate, you can’t connect a “Before” to an “After” without a bridge.

Add the mission statement of your company — something Contently does from Slide 1 of their deck. Having a logo-filled Customers slide isn’t unusual for sales presentations, but Contently goes one step further by showing you exactly what they do for these companies.

sales presentation

They then drive home the Before-After-Bridge Formula further with case studies:

sales presentation

Before : Customer’s needs when they came on

After: What your company accomplished for them

Bridge : How they got there (specific actions and outcomes)

Here are some other tactics we pulled from the sales presentation:

Tactic #1: Use Graphics/Diagrams

Use graphics, Venn diagrams, and/or equations to drive home your “Before” picture.

Why It Works:  According to a Cornell study , graphs and equations have persuasive power. They “signal a scientific basis for claims, which grants them greater credibility.”

Tactic #2: Keep Slides That Have Bullets to a Minimum

Keep slides that have bullets to a minimum. No more than one in every five slides.

Why It Works:  According to an experiment by the International Journal of Business Communication , “Subjects exposed to a graphic representation paid significantly more attention to , agreed more with, and better recalled the strategy than did subjects who saw a (textually identical) bulleted list.”

Tactic #3: Use Visual Examples

Follow up your descriptions with visual examples.

Example: After stating “15000+ vetted, ready to work journalists searchable by location, topical experience, and social media influence” on Slide 8, Contently shows what this looks like firsthand on slides 9 and 10.

Why It Works:  The same reason why prospects clamor for demos and car buyers ask for test drives. You’re never truly convinced until you see something for yourself.

Which is more effective for you?

This statement — “On average, Yesware customers save ten hours per week” — or this image:

sales presentation

The graphic shows you what that 10 hours looks like for prospects vs. customers. It also calls out a pain that the product removes: data entry.

Visuals are more effective every time. They fuel retention of a presentation from 10% to 65% .

But it’s not as easy as just including a graphic. You need to keep the design clean.

sales presentation

Can you feel it?

Clutter provokes anxiety and stress because it bombards our minds with excessive visual stimuli, causing our senses to work overtime on stimuli that aren’t important.

Here’s a tip from Yesware’s Graphic Designer, Ginelle DeAntonis:

“Customer logos won’t all necessarily have the same dimensions, but keep them the same size visually so that they all have the same importance. You should also disperse colors throughout, so that you don’t for example end up with a bunch of blue logos next to each other. Organize them in a way that’s easy for the eye, because in the end it’s a lot of information at once.”

Here are more tactics to inspire sales presentation ideas:

Tactic #1: Personalize Your Final Slide

Personalize your final slide with your contact information and a headline that drives emotion.

Example: Our Mid-Market Team Lead Kyle includes his phone number and email address with “We’re Here For You”

Why It Works: These small details show your audience that:

  • This is about giving them the end picture, not making a sale
  • The end of the presentation doesn’t mean the end of the conversation
  • Questions are welcomed

Tactic #2: Pair Outcome Statements With Icons in Circles

Example: Slide 4 does this with seven different “After” outcomes.

Why It Works:  We already know why pictures work, but circles have power , too. They imply completeness, infiniteness, and harmony.

Tactic #3: Include Specific Success Metrics

Don’t just list who you work with; include specific success metrics that hit home what you’ve done for them.

Example: 35% New Business Growth for Boomtrain; 30% Higher Reply Rates for Dyn.

Why It Works:  Social proof drives action. It’s why we wait in lines at restaurants and put ourselves on waitlists for sold-out items.

People can only focus for eight seconds at a time. (Sadly, goldfish have one second on us.)

This means you need to cut to the chase fast.

Uber’s headlines in Slides 2-9 tailor the “After” picture to specific pain points. As a result, there’s no need to explicitly state a “Before.”

sales presentation

Slides 11-13 then continue touching on “Before” problems tangentially with customer quotes:

sales presentation

So instead of self-touting benefits, the brand steps aside to let consumers hear from their peers — something that sways 92% of consumers .

Leading questions may be banned from the courtroom, but they aren’t in the boardroom.

DealTap’s slides ask viewers to choose between two scenarios over and over. Each has an obvious winner:

sales presentation example

Ever heard of the Focusing Effect?

It’s part of what makes us tick as humans and what makes this design move effective. We focus on one thing and then ignore the rest. Here, DealTap puts the magnifying glass on paperwork vs. automated transactions.

Easy choice.

Sure, DealTap’s platform might have complexities that rival paperwork, but we don’t think about that. We’re looking at the pile of work one the left and the simpler, single interface on the right.

Here are some other tactics to use in your own sales presentation:

Tactic #1: Tell a Story

Tell a story that flows from one slide to the next.

Example: Here’s the story DealTap tells from slides 4 to 8: “Transactions are complicated” → “Expectations on all sides” → “Too many disconnected tools” → “Slow and error prone process” → “However, there’s an opportunity.

Why It Works:   Storytelling in sales with a clear beginning and end (or in this case, a “Before” and “After”) trigger a trust hormone called Oxytocin.

Tactic #2: This vs. That

If it’s hard to separate out one “Before” and “After” vision with your product or service because you offer many dissimilar benefits, consider a “This vs. That” theme for each.

Why It Works:  It breaks up your points into simple decisions and sets you up to win emotional reactions from your audience with stock photos.

Remember how satisfying it was to play connect the dots? Forming a bigger picture out of disconnected circles.

That’s what you need to make your audience do.

commonthread

Zuora tells a story by:

  • Laying out the reality (the “Before” part of the Before-After-Bridge formula).
  • Asking you a question that you want to answer (the “After”)
  • Giving you hints to help you connect the dots
  • Showing you the common thread (the “Bridge”)

You can achieve this by founding your sales presentation on your audience’s intuitions. Set them up with the closely-set “dots,” then let them make the connection.

Here are more tactical sales presentation ideas to steal for your own use:

Tactic #1: Use Logos and Testimonials

Use logos and  testimonial pull-quotes for your highest-profile customers to strengthen your sales presentation.

Example: Slides 21 to 23 include customer quotes from Schneider Electric, Financial Times, and Box.

Why It Works: It’s called  social proof . Prospects value other people’s opinions and trust reputable sources more than you.

Tactic #2: Include White Space

Pad your images with white space.

Example: Slide 17 includes two simple graphics on a white background to drive home an important concept.

Why It Works:  White space creates separation, balance, and attracts the audience’s eyes to the main focus: your image.

Tactic #3: Incorporate Hard Data

Incorporate hard data with a memorable background to make your data stand out.

Example: Slide 5 includes statistics with a backdrop that stands out. The number and exciting title (‘A Global Phenomenon’) are the main focuses of the slide.

Why It Works:  Vivid backdrops are proven to be memorable and help your audience take away important numbers or data.

Psychology tells us that seeing colors can set our mood .

The color red is proven to increase the pulse and heart rate. Beyond that, it’s associated with being active, aggressive, and outspoken. LinkedIn Sales Navigator uses red on slides to draw attention to main points:

red

You can use hues in your own slides to guide your audience’s emotions. Green gives peace; grey adds a sense of calm; blue breeds trust. See more here .

Tip: You can grab free photos from Creative Commons and then set them to black & white and add a colored filter on top using a (also free) tool like Canva . Here’s the sizing for your image:

canvaimage

Caveat: Check with your marketing team first to see if you have a specific color palette or brand guidelines to follow.

Here are some other takeaways from LinkedIn’s sales presentation:

Tactic #1: Include a CTA on Final Slide

Include one clear call-to-action on your final slide.

Example: Slide 9 has a “Learn More” CTA button.

Why It Works:  According to the Paradox of Choice , the more options you give, the less likely they are to act.

Step One : Ask marketing for your company’s style guide (color, logo, and font style).

Step Two: Answer these questions to outline the “Before → After → Bridge” formula for your sales pitch :

  • What are your ICP’s pain points?
  • What end picture resonates with them?
  • How does your company come into play?

Step Three: Ask account management/marketing which customers you can mention in your slides (plus where to access any case studies for pull quotes).

Step Four:  Download photos from Creative Commons . Remember: Graphics > Text. Use Canva to edit on your own — free and fast.

sales presentation pitfalls

What are the sales presentation strategies that work best for your industry and customers? Tweet us:  @Yesware .

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Home » MTD Sales Blog » 13 Steps For Creating Your Sales Strategy Presentation

13 Steps For Creating Your Sales Strategy Presentation

office diagramm

But when it comes to ‘how to write a sales strategy’ and ‘how to present a strategy’ , where do you even begin?

We’ve got 13 useful steps to help you create an effective Sales Strategy Presentation that your stakeholders will love! From start to finish, we’ll cover everything you need to make it a huge success. Including a sales presentation structure to follow, and a strategy slide template to use. Let’s get started!

  • What Is a Sales Strategy?
  • What Is a Sales Strategy Presentation?
  • How to Create Your Sales Strategy Presentation
  • Effective Sales Strategy Presentation Template
  • Wrapping Up

questions

A Sales Strategy is a plan which aims to maximise sales whilst coordinating the plan across your whole sales team and aligning it with the corporate strategy.

Research giant Gartner defines Sales Strategy as “an organisation’s detailed plan to drive sales performance, innovation and growth by better penetrating existing markets and growing share of current customer wallet.”

This definition downplays the corporate alignment aspect and focuses on sales performance. However, a Sales Strategy does not merely consist only of delineating your sales approach.

In brief, a well-written Sales Strategy can be said to have three main aims:

  • To ensure all reps are working to the same playbook and adopting a uniform approach
  • To ensure that sales methods, messaging, and media reinforce corporate priorities
  • To maximise sales revenue, within given targets and KPIs

The above list is not ordered in terms of priority—all three aims contribute vitally to your Sales Strategy.

When we’re talking about a presentation, it’s important to distinguish this from the pitch you’ll give to your clients. A Sales Strategy Presentation is where you obtain corporate buy-in for your sales approach, making sure that messaging, pricing, product specs, sales media and other details of your campaigns are clarified and agreed across the board.

In this presentation you’ll describe your target market, competitors, sales techniques , and the composition of your sales team, amongst other information. The aim is to secure support for your strategy, which may include budget approval. It’s important to include enough detail to convey the main information, without overburdening your audience.

Below, we’ll look at how best to go about preparing your presentation, alongside some tips for maximising audience attention and approval. If you can nail this presentation, you’ll be off to a flying start with your strategy, so it’s worth putting the hours in to get it right.

The most important thing to get right is your structure. This should be logical and narrative-driven, leading the audience from big picture to fine detail. It should be compelling and as brief as possible, without short-changing your audience. Remember that you’ll be asked plenty of questions when your presentation is complete!

1. Start with an Overview of Your Company

Begin by outlining the current state of play within the company. If you are an agency selling your strategy to a company, here’s your opportunity to demonstrate a rounded understanding of the company and its priorities, as well as giving a summary of your agency, and what it does.

If you are heading up an in-house sales team, you have the chance to maximise corporate buy-in, and ensure your strategy is fully supported with the necessary resources.

Don’t go into exhaustive detail – offer the sort of brief “executive summary” you find at the front of annual reports. Do use bullet points and figures where these are impressive enough to support your case. Highlight the opportunity your Sales Strategy will address, whether it’s a gap in the market, the chance to cross/up-sell a new product, or some other benefit you’ll bring.

2. Touch on Your Target Market

Here’s where you identify who your ideal customers or clients will be, and really hit home that you understand your customer.

You can use buyer personas , which may include graphics depicting “typical” customers, to help your audience visualise who you’ll be selling to. In terms of aggregate markets, you can include Venn diagrams or other graphic means to delineate core customers and subsidiary consumers.

For instance, if you’re selling an app for video editing, your core customers may be corporate content producers, but your subsidiary audience may be far wider, touching upon anyone who regularly uploads content to YouTube or other social media platforms.

You’ll need to describe how you’ll approach all your significant markets elsewhere in your presentation (see step 5).

Sales DNA

3. Discuss the Value of Your Proposition

USP or Value Proposition (VP) is a concise statement of what makes your product stand out in your chosen marketplace. It’s a vital concept for sales reps to grasp because it’s the main reason why a consumer would choose your product over a rival’s. It’s important that all stakeholders buy into the value proposition because it’s a key factor in building brand identity.

For instance, some footwear brands stress comfort as their USP, while others highlight value, durability, style, or exclusivity. Your VP could also be a combination of factors, i.e. going back to the app for video editing example, “we offer the most accessible, best value for money and most fully featured video editing app on the market”.

Key to your VP is describing the “problem” a customer might have and how your product is the perfect solution to that problem. How will your customers uniquely benefit from the product you’ll be selling?

You can use comparisons with rival products, and data taken from market research, showing what consumers want, and how your product addresses those needs. Literal quotes taken from review sites can be helpful, revealing how real customers feel about their purchases.

The main takeaway is that your sales team are enthusiastic about the value they are offering customers, and that they understand how to characterise the benefits and features of the product.

4. Consider Any Competitors

It’s essential at this stage to factor in your competitors. Unless you are first to market or are offering a very niche product, the chances are you have a host of rivals eager to bite off chunks of your customer base. Here you need to emphasise that your sales team have the answers to the question “why us?”

Differentiation is key! What solutions does your product offer that rivals cannot? It’s important not to underestimate the competition and respect the successes that other players in the sector have scored. Much can be learned by studying the achievements of legacy brands, while offering something that builds upon previous offerings.

It can be a good idea to tabulate your top three or five competitors and show how their success provides an opportunity, rather than a threat. Remember that competitors should be understood in the broader context and can help you turn your weaknesses into strengths.

For instance, Netflix hasn’t only got to worry about Amazon Prime TV, Disney Plus and other streaming services. It must compete with cinema, social media and podcasts too. These are all popular draws upon customers’ leisure time.

5. Outline Your Marketing Strategy

Now you can summarise how your product will be marketed. Will conventional advertising be used? Will social media play a significant role? Is this a B2B campaign or will the product appeal to individual customers? Will buyers be targeted at work, or at home?

Perhaps you have partners working on marketing campaigns. If so, introduce them, and their best work to date. Provide examples of finished campaign materials if you have them or works in progress if that’s all you have at this stage. This is a good opportunity to use dramatic visuals or video, rather than text or graphs, which can become boring if overused.

Your marketing strategy should include the following five elements:

  • The target audience for the campaign
  • The goals or objectives
  • How your brand will stand out against competitors
  • What content has or will be created
  • Any KPIs that have been agreed

You can finish by briefly describing how marketing and sales departments will cooperate and coordinate their efforts.

6. Go Over Your Sales Process

Here you can drill down into the specifics of the sales process. What does your sales funnel look like? Where are you getting your leads and how are you qualifying them? Will cold calling or email drip campaigns be a major part of the process? Will you have a presence at any trade shows or events?

Do you have scripts that you can share to offer an example of a typical sales contact? Provide concrete examples to help your presentation feel solid. If you have incentives planned for your sales team, or KPIs you expect them to achieve, then outline them here too. You can break down your sales activities into:

  • Prospecting (including lead sources)
  • Lead segmentation and qualification
  • Research processes – market research, customer surveys
  • The sales pitch – a typical call or contact
  • How your team will handle sales objections
  • The process for closing .

Once you have outlined what you’ll do to make sales, it’s time to explore who will do what.

7. Review the Current Sales Team Structure And Roles

Begin with an organisational diagram of your sales team, so that your audience will get a clear picture of command structure. Outline the responsibilities of each role, lines of reporting and (if relevant) base salaries.

If you are creating a sub-team for this project, then show the diagram for that sub-team. There’s no need to reinvent the wheel with an organisational chart since everyone understands the traditional flowchart model. Use that, to save valuable time.

Explain any unfamiliar roles or unexpected team members. Perhaps you have an in-house social media researcher, or a CRM specialist . Make sure you highlight and explain anything unexpected. You can also identify roles that are not filled yet, which will help when it comes to steps 10 and 11.

8. Summarise Any Sales Materials Used

If you have leaflets, landing pages, product listings, demonstration videos or anything else that will be key to the sales process, then here is a suitable time to hand out samples or give demonstrations. If you’re offering a free demo version of a piece of software, you can quickly run through its features and how you plan to convert free users to paid subscribers.

Remember that if you provide handouts, your audience will lose eye contact with you while they pore over them, so use this option sparingly. You can always provide supplementary handouts or follow-up emails, after your presentation is over.

9. Talk Through Goals, Sales Metrics and KPIs

All goals and objectives expressed should conform to the SMART principle, being specific, measurable, achievable, relevant , and time-based.

Try to be specific with sales targets, without promising more than you can reasonably deliver!

You can have nested targets—fair, good, and excellent anticipated results—while stressing that you’ll always be aiming for the latter. You can also express goals in terms of short, medium, and long-term. This is especially relevant when you’re launching a brand-new product, or entering a new market, where it would be unrealistic to achieve full market penetration immediately.

It’s very important to obtain buy-in on your goals and targets, so that there’s transparency across the organisation, and you can be held accountable if you fail to deliver. That’s the downside of getting specific with KPIs, but it’s also a great motivator for sales teams. On the plus side, you can also mention any incentive or bonus structure you’ll be offering your sales team for achieving ambitious goals.

10. Explore Training and Development Requirements

If you know you’ll need to train up staff to understand a new product, software system, or working process, then it’s valuable to admit this upfront. Training needs affect the bottom line, as well as your process timeline. You have the opportunity here to demonstrate that you’ve thought through all human resource requirements and researched training opportunities. You may already have Sales Training Providers you’ll partner with (mention them now) or if you’re still looking why not check out our Essential Selling Skills Training or Telesales Training Course.

Spending time on this aspect of your Sales Strategy will also build stakeholder confidence. They’ll know you aren’t throwing your reps in at the deep end. Instead you are preparing them properly for success.

11. Consider Any Budgeting Needs

With resources in mind (IT, human resources, content creation, research costs and other expenses) outline what you expect your operating sales budget to be. There is no point in understating your anticipated costs, since overruns may occur, and senior management will often try to make cost savings. It pays to build in a little wriggle room for negotiation.

Don’t blind or bore your audience with spreadsheets; just give the headline figures. Highlight any areas of expenditure that are loosely estimated, or unclear. Remember to allow for hiring costs for any unfilled sales team roles you described in step 7 (see above), and for staff training.

Remember also to include cash flow, as well as overall expenditure. How much money will you need and at what milestones? Sometimes success can be more expensive than failure; for instance, when it necessitates a sudden recruitment drive to expand your sales team. It’s vital for stakeholders to appreciate key dates when funding must be made available.

12. End With Next Steps And Future Action Plans

If you’ve prepared a simplified GANTT chart, you can show where in the project timeline you currently sit. Explain what your next actions will be, and what the future holds. Here you can build further confidence by demonstrating that you’ve thought everything through.

Remember to build in a little more time than you think you’ll need for more flexible stages like research, training, and lead prospecting. Make sure you highlight any immovable deadlines, like sales events or product launches, and how you’ll ensure you’re prepared for them.

You should also be building excitement and enthusiasm here, so don’t make it too dry. This is a thrilling time—you’re about to hit the go button on a brand-new sales campaign. Get your audience to feel your enthusiasm and you’re halfway to achieving buy-in.

13. Don’t Forget To Use Engaging Visuals Throughout!

The cliché is true – a picture is worth a thousand words. Sometimes a short video or meme can make a more dramatic point than yet another set of bullet points, facts, or figures.

There’s a popular rule of thumb with PowerPoint slides, called the 7 x 7 principle. This states that no single slide should contain more than seven lines of text, and each line should contain no more than seven words. How many presentations have you witnessed that fail to pass that test? Too many, most likely!

Avoid this issue by preferring visual content over words. After all, you are there to deliver the verbal component of the presentation. You can do this so much more effectively with your communication and interpersonal skills. You already know this — you’re a salesperson!

Finally, make sure you leave time for questions (and prepare some answers to likely ones in advance). Thank your audience for their time… and relax!

Now you know how to create your presentation, it’s time to have a go at making it! Here’s a PowerPoint template you can download to kick you off.

The deck includes 13 slides covering all the sections we’ve touched on. Just customise the template by adding your own branding font and colours – and don’t forget to add some of those engaging visuals we’ve spoken about!

ppt download

Perhaps it’s worth leaving you with a simple thought – you can enjoy this moment! After all, it’s the culmination of a complex sales planning process, and now you get to share your vision with everyone who matters. That opportunity doesn’t come around very often. So, take a moment to congratulate yourself on your hard work, and have fun!

Finally, here are some parting thoughts on presentations, from writers and speakers who’ve been there:

“They may forget what you said, but they will never forget how you made them feel.” –Carl W. Buechner, politician and church leader.

“The first 30 seconds and the last 30 seconds have the most impact in a presentation.” –Patricia Fripp, Sales presentation expert and speech coach.

“You are not being judged, the value of what you are bringing to the audience is being judged.” –Seth Godin, dotcom executive and bestselling author.

Hopefully, this article has reminded you of some principles you already understand and has given you the inspiration to really smash your Sales Strategy Presentation!

If you need any extra sales support for you or your team, please contact us for further information on our Sales Management Training and Account Management Training solutions, also take a look at our popular portfolio of Sales Training Courses .

Happy Selling!

Sean McPheat

Sean McPheat Managing Director MTD Sales Training

  • General Sales Skills

Updated on: 13 June, 2023

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Sales presentation definition

  • Written by: Joby Blume
  • Categories: Sales presentations , Sales messaging
  • Comments: 3

sales messaging

A presentation is a talk in which a ‘product, idea, or piece of work is shown and explained to the audience’ (Oxford English Dictionary), often including a ‘verbal report presented with illustrative material such as slides, graphs, etc.’ (Collins Dictionary). So, how can we define the related term ‘sales presentation’?

There are a few popular definitions (in virtue of where they are) out there that I think we can quickly reject. Wikipedia (and so Google) defines a sales presentation as:

A line of talk that attempts to persuade someone or something, with a planned sales presentation strategy of a product or service designed to initiate and close a sale of the product or service.

I’m fairly sure the first rule of definitions is that they can’t be tautologies (circular), so the use of ‘sales presentation’ in the definition is a problem. Does a sales presentation need to be planned? Maybe not. Does it need to be designed to ‘initiate and close a sale’ – maybe not – it could sit in the middle of a sales process, and be designed simply to advance the sale to the next stage. Would a telephone call count? By this definition, it might.

The Business Dictionary gives its definition of sales presentation as:

Formal and pre-arranged meeting, usually at a customer’s place (or at a neutral premises, such as a hotel) where a salesperson or a sales team presents detailed information (often including live demonstration) about a product or product-line.

I think there’s plenty to dislike here. ‘Formal and pre-arranged’ – maybe, but not necessarily. Location is probably irrelevant for the definition – a sales presentation could happen anywhere. Even ‘about a product or product-line’ unnecessarily excludes presentations about services or service-lines.

The best definition of sales presentation I could find online was from the Cambridge Dictionary :

A talk giving information about a product or service that you are trying to sell, intended to persuade people to buy it.

There is one small issue with this definition – but I think it’s closer to the mark. As per the Collins dictionary above, a presentation contains illustrative material – otherwise it’s just a speech or a talk or simply a conversation. As a minor point, it could be that the phrase ‘giving information’ is superfluous – the definition works just as well without it.

I think the narrow focus in the Cambridge Dictionary definition on a commercial transaction – ‘trying to sell’ … ‘persuade people to buy it’ – is probably correct. Many presentations attempt to persuade people about ideas, or how to vote, or religion. These presentations are similar to sales presentations, but my sense is that they aren’t sales presentations. A TED Talk may well want to persuade the audience to change the world, change themselves – but I don’t think that makes it a sales presentation in the way that people typically understand the term, because we aren’t selling in the commercial sense.

It’s worth noting that the Cambridge Dictionary definition doesn’t specify that the people you are persuading to buy your product or service are actually those you are presenting to. This is important because often sales presentations are mediated through the press – consider gadget launches for the most obvious example. I think these launches are a type of sales presentation, although the people being persuaded to buy aren’t in the audience, but at home.

Trying to refine our definition becomes more difficult when we consider investor presentations. Are we selling something? Yes – a stake in a company or other investment vehicle. Do we typically consider an investor presentation to be a sales presentation? Your sense may be different, but I think not. It’s something else – because we aren’t selling a product or service, but an investment opportunity.

So, based on all of the above, I think our sales presentation definition should be as follows:

A talk promoting to an audience a product or service that you are trying to sell, including illustrative material such as slides, graphs, etc.

I originally had the phrase ‘intended to persuade people to buy the product or service’ in the middle of the definition, but removed it because it was superfluous, as ‘promoting’ and ‘trying to sell’ already said the same thing. What do you think?

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We exhibited at a large trade exhibition a couple of weeks ago, and I went along to see what other vendors are up to. A lot of exhibitions are a desolate wasteland for exhibitors with nothing but tumbleweed and other vendors to stop the boredom. This show was actually pretty busy though, and by walking around l think I managed to notice things companies were doing (right and wrong). Some of these observations are surprisingly apt for sales presentations too...

Hi, Very interesting Post. We are a translation company and we are eager to find anything new. Thank you.

Good meaning of sales presentation I want more definitions

Sales presentations are a structured communication tool used to influence a purchase decision. They contain two main components: a spoken narrative, given by the presenter or presentation team, and the supporting visuals.

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Sales Presentation - Meaning, Importance & Steps

What is sales presentation.

Sales presentation is the concerned talk which attempts to persuade a stakeholder or a customer to initiate and close a sale of the service or product through a showcase of capabilities, features, price etc. Sales presentation is usually designed to be either an introduction of a service or product to some particular audience who generally knows nothing about it, or a descriptive expansion of a service or product which that particular audience has expressed interest in it, already.

Advance planning can make all the difference for a sales presentation. The sales presentation should be in line with the needs of the clients and for that, it is very important to know who the audience is before making the sales presentation.

Importance of Sales Presentation

Sales presentations are mostly the first step in the selling process or the sales cycle, hence become extremely important. A successful sales presentation is followed by a proposal, quote or an order stage which leads to revenue and profit for a business.

Not all sales presentations are meant to make an immediate sale. The objective might be to create interest in the involved parties. Establishing the overall message that one wants the presentation to get across is very crucial. The structure and time consumed for presentation is also very important.

It is always advisable to make the sales presentation flexible in case a particular point doesn’t work out or one runs out of time. The sales presentations are meant to be interactive and not one way delivery. For people with lower attention span, it is important for the sales presentation to be effective to grab and retain their interest. For that, the sales presentation need to be catchy in the beginning only.

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10 Steps to make a good Sales Presentation

1. Keep the sales presentation to the point.

2. Start well with the agenda

3. Good Sales Presentation clearly defines the problem statement or the customer's ask

4. Give the solution and recommendations after defining the problem statement

5. A well made sales presentation is not open ended but talks about the plan with timelines and value

6. Provide key contacts for future

7. Make sure that business, technology and management teams in your target audience understand the offering

8. Provide past references and similar work which was done in form of case studies

9. Showcase your capabilities in the sales presentation

10. Make sure you have understood the storyline well and practice well before the presentation

Hence, this concludes the definition of Sales Presentation along with its overview.

This article has been researched & authored by the Business Concepts Team . It has been reviewed & published by the MBA Skool Team. The content on MBA Skool has been created for educational & academic purpose only.

Browse the definition and meaning of more similar terms. The Management Dictionary covers over 1800 business concepts from 5 categories.

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Last summer, Paul Schrader was about to start shooting “Oh, Canada,” his adaptation of Russell Banks’ novel about a troubled artist taking stock of his life, when the major actors union went on strike. For a second, it looked like all that hard work, passion and planning might be for nothing — with performers on the picket lines and major studios holding out on their contract demands, it was hard to see how cameras would ever roll on the low-budget indie.

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And even though Hollywood’s labor issues have been resolved, it’s never been harder for the independent producers and financiers who flock to Cannes each year looking to make and then sell their movies. They’re grappling with soaring interest rates, a fading theatrical marketplace and a new spirit of downsizing that’s gripped the industry. That’s to say nothing of a hangover from the COVID era, which made it costly and logistically challenging to make movies for more than a year.

“Post-strike and post-pandemic, the business is still sorting itself out,” said John Sloss, a veteran sales agent and the founder of Cinetic Media. “It’s been an enormously disruptive time and the industry is still trying to find its footing.”

But others feel that the European Film Market in Berlin was an unexpectedly robust marketplace, where movies like Celine Song’s “Big Bold Beautiful Journey” and the Will Smith action film “Sugar Bandits” scored impressive sales.

Will that optimism carry over to Cannes? On paper, there’s plenty of compelling projects for buyers, even if the crop of movies are lower-budgeted than ones that inspired bidding wars at past festivals.

“It might change Monday, Tuesday, but right now there are fewer [bigger] commercial projects,” Oliver Berben, at Germany’s Constantin, said last Friday.

The situation in international markets is brighter than the darker one facing the domestic film industry. After all, European companies like Constantin weren’t hit hard by the Hollywood strikes. They’ve been able to remain active as their American competitors labored to get their films completed.

Among the projects looking to find a home are action-thriller “Bear Country,” which finds Russell Crowe re-teaming with “Unhinged” director Derrick Borte, and “Flesh of the Gods,” which brings together the high wattage of stars Kristen Stewart and Oscar Isaac. Elsewhere, Ben Stiller and Colin Farrell headline “Belly of the Beast,” a true crime drama from Andrew Haigh (“All of Us Strangers”). The companies behind many of these movies are confident that the market in Cannes will build on the momentum from Berlin.

“Buyers have recovered a great energy and have appetite for quality,” said Marie Laure Montironi at Pathé, which is introducing Antonin Baudry’s “De Gaulle” as well as “In the Hell of Kabul,” directed by Martin Bourboulon (“The Three Musketeers”).  

Since horror films have delivered at the box office, companies are leaning into the spooks and scares. It helps that these movies don’t need pricey stars or extensive CGI. “Genre films are often modestly budgeted and are more reliant on concept and execution than major talent involvement,” explained Ford.

Some titles carry production pedigree, others are made by genre auteurs. Ford’s AGC Studios is bringing “The Menace,” from “Last Night With the Devil” producers Image Nation/Spooky Pictures; Neon is selling “It Follows” sequel “They Follow” and “Keeper,” from “Longlegs” director Osgood Perkins. Starring Hassie Harrison and Jai Courtney, “Dangerous Animals” helmer Sean Byrne is one of Rotten Tomatoes’ highest-rated horror directors of all time.

For the executives who hit the Croisette each year, the week and change spent in the South of France is a blur of pitching and glad-handing.  

“Your days start early and you’re in nonstop meetings in 30-minute increments until the evening,” said Janina Vilsmaier, senior VP of sales and distribution at Protagonist Pictures. “Then you get a little bit of sleep and do it again. We’re all running on adrenaline. By the time you get home, you just collapse.”

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COMMENTS

  1. Sales Presentation Template and Examples

    A sales presentation (although it's still a sales pitch) is a point-in-time event that usually happens when your sales team is trying to close a more lucrative deal. It's not a simple phone call, as it often involves a meeting and a demo. Because you're likely presenting to a group of senior decision-makers and executives, sales ...

  2. DEFINITION: What Is a Sales Presentation? Explained!

    Key Takeaways. A sales presentation is a pitch or demonstration given by a salesperson to potential customers to persuade them to buy a product or service. Sales presentations demonstrate the value your product offers the customer through in-depth information, data, customer reviews, visual aids, videos, statistics, demonstrations, and more.

  3. What is a Sales Presentation: Definition, templates, tips

    The answer is simple. A winning sales presentation: Helps convince the client of the brilliance of your solution. Doesn't simply describe a product or service but draws attention to the features that can solve the customer's problems. Is not overloaded with facts and statistics.

  4. How to structure the perfect sales presentation

    Step 4: Present the solution. With the stakes raised, your audience needs a solution: a clear path toward their goal. An effective sales presentation presents your product as a means to the ...

  5. How to Create and Deliver a Killer Sales Presentation

    The design elements and information visualization tools will help you put together a memorable sales presentation that will seal the deal. 1. Create an Outline. Before you start designing any slides, you'll need to have all your information in an easy to follow outline document.

  6. Creating an Engaging Sales Presentation (With 3 Examples)

    Example 1. A website design company sales team is giving a presentation to a small clothing retailer, Fiona's Fashions. They show a "before" picture by emphasizing that without a website, Fiona's Fashions can't take full advantage of online sales and social media marketing.

  7. 10 Best Sales Presentations To Inspire Your Sales Deck [+ 5 Tips]

    A sales deck is a slide presentation (e.g., PowerPoint, Keynote, etc.) used to supplement a sales pitch. The sales pitch, given by a salesperson to a prospect, often includes an overview of the product or service, offers a value proposition and solution for the prospect, and includes examples of success stories from other clients.

  8. 6 Essential Elements of a Successful Sales Pitch or Presentation

    1. Build rapport with your audience. If you want to give a successful presentation, you need to connect with your audience. Start out the presentation by addressing the audience and by appealing to them. This can be done by asking about their business (e.g., a new product launch or announcement).

  9. Sales Presentation: Ideas, Examples and Templates to Present ...

    Sales Presentation: Ideas, Examples and Templates to Present Like a Pro. Typically, a sales presentation is understood as a simple pitch, a demo, or a list of facts and figures. A good sales presentation is one that incorporates all of these elements while also being more than the sum of its parts. A sales presentation is that sensitive ...

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    Insight #4: Use storytelling techniques. Using storytelling is a good option for tackling how to start a sales pitch presentation. Storytelling gives a presentation an emotional charge and makes the audience feel closer to the issue presented. Stories can enhance a message and illustrate a point.

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    No. 1: Make sure your sales pitch has an objective. It's remarkable how few salespeople actually understand the objective of their sales presentation, especially given how easy it is to develop an objective. You may be trying to convey an overview of your company, your product and the value you provide to customers.

  12. Sales Presentation: The Definitive Guide (2023)

    The basic structure of any sales presentation includes 4 key points: 1) the problem faced by your prospect 2) the dream solution (the results they're after), 3) how your company helps them get what they want (the benefits and results you offer) and 4) reasons why the prospect should chose you over your competitors.

  13. Powerpoint Sales Presentation Examples

    On one hand, a sales presentation is designed to persuade potential customers about the value of your product or service. It typically includes detailed information about your product, its features, benefits, pricing, case studies, testimonials, and more. On the other hand, a sales deck is essentially a condensed version of a sales presentation.

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    7 Types of Slides to Include In Your Sales Presentation. The "Before" picture: No more than three slides with relevant statistics and graphics. The "After" picture: How life looks with your product. Use happy faces. Company introduction: Who you are and what you do (as it applies to them).

  15. How To Create an Effective Sales Presentation

    Here are some steps you can follow to help you craft a sales presentation: 1. Determine your audience. When creating a sales presentation, it's important to determine your audience so you can tailor the content and style of your presentation. You can determine your audience by deciding who your product or service can benefit.

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    6. Prepare valuable insights. Another effective sales presentation technique is to prepare insights ahead of time for your prospects. Insights are accurate understandings of your prospect, your prospect's business or industry. These insights come from research, experience, and analyzing data and metrics.

  17. 13 Steps For Creating A Sales Strategy Presentation

    An effective Sales Strategy Presentation is a valuable tool for showcasing how you're planning to align your sales strategy (and team) with your company's vision and goals. ... This definition downplays the corporate alignment aspect and focuses on sales performance. However, a Sales Strategy does not merely consist only of delineating your ...

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    Sales presentation definition. A presentation is a talk in which a 'product, idea, or piece of work is shown and explained to the audience' (Oxford English Dictionary), often including a 'verbal report presented with illustrative material such as slides, graphs, etc.' (Collins Dictionary). So, how can we define the related term 'sales ...

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