Eight sales presentation tips

Creating a great sales presentation is similar to constructing a great speech. You want to keep attention. Motivate. Convince. Move to action.

Here are eight tips that I put in practice continually in proposals and presentations. Even following a few of them will really make a difference to your sales success. 

1. To whom are you speaking?
Prepare beforehand by learning as much about your audience as possible. Age, attitude, industry and gender all have a bearing on how you present your points. For example, men and women have different senses of humour. Younger audiences are more impatient, C level executives don’t need the details. Your presentation style and content must fit their perspective.

2. Them. Not you
What percentage of your PowerPoint slides (or written material) is devoted to your company vs the potential client? if you are invited to pitch, you have already been vetted. The convincing is done. Stand out from your competition by focusing on them – not stories of your company, achievements or accolades. Do you like listening to egotistical sales people? Share the glory with sales teams. Ensure you put the prospective company in the limelight.

4. Premise
Build your presentation around the structure of how they will benefit from what you are asking them to do. "You will save x dollars by using our product." "You will cut maintenance expenditure by 20%."  Phrase it so they say to themselves, "How?" Which you then answer in a logical and structured way.

6. Questions
Don’t end with questions. Rather, take them before you review so you can close on a high note.

7. Review
If possible, use a story again – outlining a client that benefited in all the ways you highlight they will benefit.

8. Strong Close
Refer back to your opening story or bring all the elements together describing how they’ll benefit. If you didn’t use the looking into the future in your opening, you can use it in the closing. “Picture yourself in three years." It’s the winter quarter board meeting. The chairman talks about the steady rise in revenue that can be attributed to the decision made three years ago to (implement your product or service).