Sales presentation: Tips to make an impressive impact

Colleague- Hey! How was your last week’s sales presentation? 

Sales rep- It wasn’t as I expected it to be. The prospect didn’t seem interested. I tried calling him, but he isn’t answering my calls or responding to my emails.

(Takes a sigh of disappointment) 

It is indeed disappointing to see disinterested faces while giving a sales presentation. 

Besides, a prospect ignoring you after a presentation is even more exasperating. 

Why do some sales presentations fail?

Well, due to a few sales presentation mistakes. 

Some presentations are too long; others fail to show how the prospect will benefit from the product. 

Most of the sales reps fail to convey the value of their product using straightforward and visual examples. They try to add a lot of information that turns the presentation into a boring lecture. 

So, how to create a sales presentation that’s interesting and how to present it successfully? 

Read on to find some helpful tips that can help you capture your prospect’s interest during the next sales presentation.

Sales presentation tips – from preparation to presentation 

A well-executed sales presentation can influence a buying decision. When a prospect sees something beneficial during a presentation, they willingly take a step ahead, show interest, and become curious about your product. You won’t have to put in a lot of effort if you have succeeded in winning the trust of a prospect with an impactful presentation. 

So, here is how you can create and give an impactful sales presentation to seal the deal in the next meeting. 

Part 1- Preparing the sales presentation 

The quality of your presentation plays a significant role in impressing the prospect. A compelling sales presentation motivates the prospects to move ahead with you and your product. Therefore, extra attention needs to be given while creating a presentation. 

Here are the vital things you must consider while creating a sales presentation. 

Sales presentation tip 1 –  Start only after a thorough discovery 

During a presentation, the spotlight should be on the prospective buyer. So it is requisite to amass maximum information about them.

Don’t be in a hurry to create a sales presentation. 

Invest some time in understanding the needs, pain points, and goals of your prospects. 

“Get closer than ever to your customers. So close that you tell them what they need well before they realize it themselves.” – Steve Jobs 

An effective discovery call can help garner a lot of information about the prospect’s business and current situation. 

With the help of such information, you can make the presentation more customer-centric. 

Sales presentation tip 2 – Use visuals, stats, and bullet points 

Avoid dumping a lot of data in your presentation. Try to make your presentations visually appealing and interesting. 

“60% of listeners can remember visually enhanced content, compared with only 10% remembering exclusively verbal presentations- Presentation Training Institute 

Keep the presentation precise and include bullet points instead of lengthy paragraphs

Make sure you add graphs, images, bubble charts, and pie charts in your sales presentation to engage the prospects.

Use statistics and figures that support the benefits of your product. 

Examples:

“ By switching to this solution, you can save 13% or more every month.”

“XYZ company increased its sales by 20% using our product.” 

“ You can automate various tasks and reduce wasted time by 60%.”

Sales presentation tip 3 – Include case studies 

One of the best ways to get your prospect to stay focused is to use case studies. Include real-life examples in your sales presentation to build credibility. 

Show your prospects how you’ve helped companies having similar problems in the past. 

Do not hesitate to use storytelling to give an emotional experience to your prospects. They should be able to relate to your product. 

After a sales presentation, 63% of attendees remember stories – Storyboard 

Sales presentation tip 4 – Highlight solutions to the prospect’s challenges 

Prospects are interested in dealing with companies that understand their business pain points.

Sadly, only 13% of prospects feel a sales rep can understand their needs – Salesmate 

Assures prospects that you are genuinely interested in helping them. Highlight their pain points in your sales presentation. Include your product as a solution to the prospect’s problem tactfully.  Show how your product can help the prospect in overcoming their issue. Emphasize the benefits they will receive on using your product. 

Part 2- Presenting to the sales prospect 

Once you create the presentation, you need to focus on delivering it successfully. Be confident and try to make the presentation interactive. 

Here are things you must consider doing while giving a sales presentation to a prospective client.

Sales presentation tip 5 – Limit your presentation to 9 minutes max 

Time is money in the business world. Respect the prospect’s time by keeping your presentation short. 

Try to cover all the essential points within 9 minutes. So, you need to practice before giving a presentation. 

Use a timer while practicing to keep up to the nine minutes mark. Try your best to complete before nine minutes to get more time to address the prospect’s concerns and queries. 

Sales presentation tip 6 – Turn your presentation into a conversation

Don’t be the only one speaking during a presentation. Interact with the prospects. 

A two-way dialogue is better than an obsolete traditional presentation where the prospect is just listening to you.

You never know if the prospect is even listening to you or is thinking about his/her work. So, it is essential to have a two-way conversation with the prospect. Ask relevant questions. Make sure the prospect understands what you are trying to convey. Clear all the doubts at the right time. 

Sales presentation tip 7 –  Talk price after establishing a value 

Do not straightaway jump to price. It is important to demonstrate the value of your product first. That’s what top sales performers do to win the sales deal. 

Try to gain the prospect’s confidence and make him/her comfortable.

They should be able to trust you that you are selling something worth their precious dollars. It is safe to delay the pricing discussion until you’ve established value. 

Sales presentation tip 8  – Define the next step 

What to do next?

Be clear about the next step before saying goodbye to your prospects. 

Find out if they want more information or do they want to discuss the product over the phone. Or maybe the prospects might want you to meet the decision-maker. 

Ask for a preferred time and send out a calendar invite for a call or next meeting right away using your smartphone. 

All set for your next sales presentation 

Setting an appointment isn’t an easy task. Once the prospect agrees to meet you for a sales presentation, ensure you make the most of that opportunity. If you disappoint the prospects with a boring presentation, then there are chances they might not meet you again. So respect their time and give a short yet interesting presentation. Speak about the potential ROI, savings, and the benefits they will receive on using your product. 

Make sure you follow-up with the prospect after the sales presentation. Do not just give up after one follow-up. To push the deal forward in the sales pipeline, you need to follow-up consistently as there are chances that the prospect might be busy. 

To ensure you don’t forget to follow-up, you can create a sequence of follow-up emails or texts using smart CRM software like Salesmate. Using this smart tool, you can put your follow-up on auto-pilot and save a lot of time. This advanced CRM software is easy to use and offers a wide array of features, including managing your sales pipeline and tracking your progress with sales pipeline CRM. Besides creating a sequence of emails and texts, you can ever create sales reports, forecast sales, and do many more things with this all-in-one sales solution.