51 sales presentation tips

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51 TIPS SALES PRESENTATIONS BETTER FOR DELIVERING

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  • 51 TIPS

    SALES PRESENTATIONSBETTERFOR DELIVERING

    Brainshark Logo Spot Color PMS 3005

  • INTRODUCTION

    CONTENTSTHEPREP .................P.4

    EXECUTION ....P.8THE

    FOLLOW UP ...P.18THE

    Presentations are an inevitable (and critical) part of B2B sales.

    While different sales presentations may vary by

    style, industry, persona and more, there is one

    universal truth that all reps understand: you cant mess this up. While even a great sales presentation wont always lead to a closed deal, a poor one will

    torpedo your efforts nearly every time.

    So how can you avoid disaster and deliver

    compelling, persuasive and valuable presentations

    that impress audiences and lead to more deals?

    This exclusive eBook brings together 51 different

    ways to ensure a successful sales presentation,

    with ideas and suggestions from real sales reps and

    experts for preparing your slides, engaging your

    audience, and even following up to enhance your

    message after the fact.

    Are you ready to deliver more presentations that

    sell? These tips can help you get there, starting

    (in no particular order) with number one

  • THE

    PREP

  • #1. Dont forget where your prospect is in the sales cycle

    Is this a first meeting? Have they already had a conversation with other

    reps? You need to put your presentation in the right context before you

    can do anything else. Theres no sense in pitching your company with a

    Why choose us? message before the prospect has even decided that

    they need to buy something.

    #2. Get in the minds of your audienceWhen prepping for a meeting or call, try to answer these four questions:

    What is the audience thinking before the presentation? What are they already doing about the issues youre going to discuss? What do you want them to think after theyve seen you present? What do you want them to do?

    Think about these questions before you create the final presentation.

    Then be realistic and clear about what should happen next.

    #3. Keep an eye on industries & personasPrepping for your specific audience will allow you to provide the most

    relevant information points which can vary depending on their unique

    industries or the pressure points of their individual roles. For example, a

    customer success story that speaks to the same problem your prospect

    is having could be more valuable than a generic value prop. Similarly, if

    your audience relies heavily on numbers and facts, having data readily

    available can tremendously influence your sale. That being said

    Give them stories not just stats

    Studies show that after a presentation, 63% of attendees can recall the stories they were told, while only 5% recall the statistics they were shown.1 (And yes, the irony of that sentence is not lost on us.)

    Numbers can be helpful to reinforce key points, but dont lean on them too heavily; remember, a great presenter is also a great story teller.

  • #5. Agenda slides: Use em or lose emIts common practice to throw up an agenda slide before you dive into

    the details of your presentation. And if thats what you need to stay

    organized and map out the flow of your presentation, great! Otherwise,

    putting up an agenda is typically a poor use of time and space in your

    slides that only delays the start of the real presentation. Best practice

    use it or lose it!

    #6. Proof your slides every time!If the slides you create are going to be seen by prospects, make sure

    that the information is flawless and up-to-date, and the graphics are

    effective. Bad data, sloppy designs and (especially) simple spelling and grammar errors are too easily avoidable to risk derailing a

    potential deal.

    #7. Prepare your slides with visuals and lots of em

    Graphics are your friend! Text-heavy slides and excessive bullet points

    are not only unappealing to the eye, they can distract your audience

    and invite them to read rather than listen to what youre saying.

    Instead, it can be a better idea to map out the points you want to make

    ahead of time and find an image that complements your narrative. This

    way, the prospect is able to focus on YOU rather than rushing to read

    every last word.

    #8Why not add

    a video?

    Including a video is a great way to add variety to your presentations while keeping your audience engaged. You can strengthen your sales presentations by using video to demonstrate processes, incorporate testimonials, show promotional material anything that helps reinforce your message.

    Just keep it short you dont want to lose the momentum of the conversation. A simple 90-second clip can be ideal.

  • #12Its better to be

    early than on time!Plan to arrive early to the meeting to greet your prospects. This allows you to make a personal connection with your audience ahead of time, which can work to your advantage as you interact during your presentation. Connecting offline removes barriers between you and the prospect, which is an important part of a successful sales presentation. Arriving early also shows that you are organized and value the attendees time, and gives you a chance to set up without being in a rush.

    #9. Use hyperlinks to make life easierNo matter how strong your slides are, sometimes youll need to go

    outside of PowerPoint to show the audience a separate webpage,

    product demo, and so on. Including links in your slides makes it easy to

    quickly find the webpages you need at the right time, without making

    your prospects wait as you desperately search for the right content.

    #10. Get in the minds of your audienceIts easy to focus on the content of a presentation, and forget that

    how that content is presented is as much if not more a part of the

    overall presentation, explains speaker and author Stephen Anderson,

    noting that every animation, font, border and more should serve some

    sort of purpose.2

    For example, you might want to think twice about bouncing in your

    introductory text typed in Comic Sans to make a serious point (or

    hopefully any point just saying). Ask yourself, does the physical

    presentation of your content reflect the company brand and/or the

    message you are trying to send? Better yet, if your company has its

    own style guidelines and templates, just stick to those!

    #11. Dont open with Me, me, meSome teams consider it a best practice to introduce a presentation

    with several slides on their own company, its background, its

    customers, its high school prom date, the first time it drove a car (OK,

    we made those last two up). While the logic behind this is that your

    audiences attention-span needs time to ramp up, this is typically the

    best way to put them to sleep. Instead, grab their attention from the

    get-go by addressing their challenges, needs, and what you bring to

    the table for them. Dont start with Me, me, me. Open with You,

    you, you!

  • #15Prepare to be quiet for a moment and

    LISTENWhen was the last time someone talked at you instead of with you? How did that feel? Boring, authoritative, and uninviting are a few words that come to mind. Its important to have a conversation with your prospects and to make them feel heard.

    If you go in with the idea that you are just going to talk, talk, talk, and make the sale, its going to be a struggle. But if you go in with the idea that you are going to have a conversation

    and build a relationship with the prospect,

    youll have a much better success rate, advises Wendy Weiss (aka The Queen of Cold Calling).3

    #13. Stalk your prospects (but not in a creepy way)

    Has the prospects company been in the news lately? Do you have

    any colleagues in common? What are their interests outside of

    work? Taking the time to learn these details can go a long way toward

    building rapport with your audience. It shows that you are genuinely

    interested in them, not just the sale. Its amazing what a simple Google,

    LinkedIn or Twitter search can reveal about a person these days. Do

    your social homework and it may pay off when youre breaking the ice

    before you present.

    #14. Plan to be dynamicInteractive and nonlinear presentations allow you to switch directions

    throughout the allotted time, catering to the prospects objectives. If

    you know your slides like the back of your hand (which you obviously

    do, right?), it enables you to speak to one point, listen to the prospect,

    flip back or ahead to slides that support your answers to their

    questions, and so on. This go with the flow informal type of structure

    not only puts your audience at ease, but keeps them engaged.

    #16. Do a final slide check does each one deliver value?

    Before you present, do a little quality assurance. Deliver value, says

    speaker and marketing executive Susan Gunelius. Your slides should

    enhance that value not detract from it, distract the audience from it,

    or confuse it Dont use extra features because you can. Use them

    because they deliver even more value than you can deliver without

    them.4 In other words, if a slide doesnt pass the value test, change it

    up or give it the boot.

  • #18Be prepared for

    remote attendees

    While most reps prefer in-person presentations, there will always be times when some stakeholders simply cant be in the room for the meeting. Dont be caught off guard! Theres nothing worse than fumbling with electronics in front of a room full of people waiting for your presentation to start. Save yourself the struggle and be prepared to present to remote audiences. Remote presentation technology has been around for quite some time be ready to use it.

    #17. Embrace the possibility for changeThough your slide deck may be perfect now, chances are it wont

    always stay that way. Consider setting your deck up so that elements

    like charts, tables, figures, and case studies can be customized and

    updated from presentation to presentation. This will make it easier on

    you a few months down the line as data changes and youve got the

    perfect new use case scenario to include for a particular slide.

  • THE

    EXECUTION

  • #21Go mobile and leave your laptop at home

    Laptops are so 2008. These days you can step up your presentation game (and impress your audience) by presenting from a mobile device like an iPad tablet, or even share slides straight from your smartphone (seriously). The SlideShark app makes it easy to present confidently from your iPad or iPhone with all your slide graphics and animations intact. Its as simple as plug and play, and lets face it, not only are tablets easier to carry, theyre just cooler too.

    #19. Set the scene start with the problemCommand the room before you lose it! Start by identifying what everyone is there to address: the problem at hand. If you hit the

    ground running by showcasing a fresh perspective on the prospects

    situation, you may be able to hook your audience for the remainder as

    you lay the groundwork for your proposed solution.

    #20. When it comes to your audience, size matters

    Depending on how many people show up for your presentation, you

    may need to adjust your approach for the sake of effectiveness. For

    example, if its a small group, it may be a better idea to ditch your slide deck altogether.

    Business author and speaker Geoffrey James says, Never make a sales presentation or pitch to an individual or even to a group of two or three people. If the size of the group is small enough to have

    a conversation that is, a real give and take of ideas [then] have a

    conversation. You still may end up making the same points, but if the meeting is personal, its more effective to have the points evolve from the conversation rather than presenting them in a one-to-many format.5

  • #25Work the room when possible

    Standing behind a podium or frozen at the front of the room screams high school world history teacher. If you feel comfortable, strut your stuff a little as you talk. With SlideShark, you can even use your iPhone as a clicker to control your slides from wherever youre standing. If walking into a meeting with an iPad already makes a strong impression, just think about how cool presenting with your iPhone will look!

    #22. Try to lighten up literallyGone are the days when presentations needed to be delivered under

    dimmed lights. BrightCarbons Joby Blume points out that todays

    presentations are delivered using LED displays, better projectors, and

    really less excuse to switch the lights down. Presentations work better

    when the presenter can be seen.6 Let the lights shine bright and keep

    those prospects wide awake.

    #23. Say you not weA simple tip: frame the presentation from the perspective of your

    customer, not your company. For example, rather than saying we

    offer say you get. See what we did there? So will your audience.

    #24. While youre at it, ditch the word pitch

    A pitch typically conjures up images of a one-way presentation, with

    the salesperson talking at a prospect, which is not the effective way

    to sell, explains sales trainer and author Art Sobczak.7 The word is

    outdated, and is typically used in a derogatory way when talking about

    sales and salespeople. Instead, avoid the stigma and try replacing

    the word pitch with recommendation. This is a simple way to show

    the prospect that you want to engage in a conversation talking with them, not at them.

  • #29Put your presentation

    in the palm of your (audiences) hand

    Many professionals these days attend meetings with their laptops or tablets in tow, but have you thought about using it to your advantage? Forget screen sharing with SlideShark you can simply share a link and broadcast your slides live so prospects can follow along on their own personal devices smartphones, PCs, Macs, iPads, Android tablets you get the picture.

    This obviously make sense for remote attendees, but you might be asking, why encourage those in the room to look at their screens while youre talking? Look at it this way: theyre doing it anyway, so you might as well take advantage of it especially in very large rooms. The people in the back no longer have an excuse to tune you out, and the broadcasting capability adds a wow factor to your presentation that can help keep everyone engaged regardless of their location.

    #26. Dont insult your audienceYoure probably thinking, Um duh! But sales presentations can

    be high-stress situations, especially when youre not getting the

    response youre looking for. Getting frustrated and uttering something

    obnoxious like, Well I guess youre not interested in doing X better

    will not only turn your prospect off in the meeting, it will damage any

    future relationship you might have with that company. Be professional,

    dont get defensive.

    #27. Leave the cheese in the fridgeCheesy sales presentations are even worse than cheesy pickup lines.

    Steer clear of eye-rolling clichs like What keeps you up at night? or

    sentences that begin with What if I told you... The goal is to have a

    human conversation so speak like a real person!

    #28. Plant the seed for a solution without name-dropping

    Dont jump the gun and flash a slide of your product with a golden halo

    around it too early. Instead, offer a rough sketch of the ideal solution

    to their challenges. Try using general terms: you need something flexible,

    scalable, long-term things like that. This can put you in a better

    position to sell a solution to a problem, not a product. To put it another

    way, you are planting the seed for what they needand you have the

    water to make the solution blossom! (Nice, right?)

  • #33

    You know your products great, but that doesnt mean you need to rattle off a laundry list of

    every single thing it does.

    [This] can actually lead to a salesperson losing a sale he otherwise would have won, writes

    sales strategist Marc Wayshak. Heres why: prospects dont

    care about every benefit your product has

    to offer. They only care about

    the aspects of your product that

    address their specific challenges. Everything

    else is irrelevant.8 Put simply, present the benefits

    that are geared toward the client, then stop.

    Be selective with your value prop

    #30. Know the difference between advantages and benefits (there IS a difference!)

    If you are at the appropriate stage in the sales cycle to address the

    Why us? question, use the term advantages on your slide, and let the

    presenter sell the value that the advantage brings. Think of advantages

    as the what and the benefits as the how. For example, an advantage

    might be a differentiated feature of your product or service, while the

    benefit is how that differentiated feature is going to help the prospect.

    If you simply say one benefit is that we can help you save money or we

    can increase your ROI, you may get eye-rolls because theyve heard it all

    beforefrom your competition. But if you highlight that your product

    has XYZ feature which will increase your ROI becauseyoure bringing

    an A-game that is more likely to pay off.

    #31. Show a customer exampleThe proof is in the pudding! Showcase your value by using anecdotes and

    success stories from real-life customers. Everyone knows testimonials

    are great marketing assets, but they are excellent selling tools as well. Slip

    one into your presentation to reinforce your value!

    #32. but be careful not to come off too salesy

    Customer testimonials are especially effective for new prospects who are

    not familiar with your company, but trying too hard to sell the success

    story can be a turn-off to some audiences. Once you highlight a similar

    use-case that generated positive results, transition back to the prospect.

    People like to be treated as unique individuals, not living in the shadow of

    the trophy customer.

  • #37Try using props

    (hey, it works for Carrot Top, right?)

    Slides dont count; a prop refers to a real physical item to show, pass around, and talk about. Whether its your actual product or an object representing the differentiated value your product brings, the right prop can keep your audience engaged in the room and take some pressure off your slides.

    #34. Be a Positive PollyNobody likes a Negative Nancy or a Debbie Downer for that matter.

    Be sure not to harp on the gaps and flaws that have brought your

    prospects before you. Instead, try focusing on their opportunities.

    Justin Croxton emphasizes for CustomShow, As sales people we

    also have to speak to the light at the end of the tunnel. If we do this,

    X will happen. Those opportunities should be peppered strategically

    throughout the presentation and utilized throughout the conversation

    where they make sense.9

    #35. Dont be a one-person showMany B2B sales presentations feature more than one rep, so theres

    no need for one person to do all the talking. If youre the lead

    presenter in the room, be sure to include others on your team and

    let them chime in (especially when the prospects in the room have

    questions). This will encourage more conversation among those in the

    room, demonstrate that your team is in sync on your value prop, and

    of course, show that youre not a know-it-all.

    #36. Annotate your slides on the flySome tools allow you to highlight certain parts of your slides with

    annotations during the meeting to emphasize certain points, which

    can be especially useful if things go in a direction you werent

    expecting. This is not to say that reps should start drawing on their

    screens with a highlighter (because that would be weird). But when

    presenting from an iPad, for example, you could use the SlideShark

    annotation tools to emphasize key points on your slides with a variety

    of colors and shapes.

  • #41Finish your

    presentation early if you can

    While this can be difficult at times, it does two things: 1) It forces you to streamline your pitch to the most important points, and 2) it avoids the risk of running out of time at the end. If the presentation is typically a half hour, aim to finish it in 20 minutes; if its an hour, finish it in 45 minutes. If you use up or exceed the full time due to the prospects questionsdont sweat it! That means they were engaged with what you had to say.

    #38. Be open for feedback and lots of itSoliciting feedback and checking to make sure your audience is following

    your presentation throughout will typically work to your advantage. Its

    as simple as asking questions like, Do these kinds of issues apply in your

    environment? or How can you see this working for you?

    If the prospects response is positive, theyve given you the green light

    to close the sale. If they point to a gap in your offering or something that

    needs clarificationthats great too! (UhWhat?) Absolutely: it opens

    the door for you to readjust your approach/explanation to cater to their

    needsno guessing games necessary.

    #39. Ask plenty of impact questionsBe inquisitive. Delve into the issues that will reveal questions and needs

    the prospects didnt even know they had. The folks at Sales Engine call

    these impact questions,10 and the idea is that they show that you are

    thoughtful and sincere in your intentions to build a relationship, not just

    close a deal.

    #40. Encourage interruptive behaviorIf youre a known rambler, try to scale it back and be attentive. Be

    sure to look out for the prospects verbal or facial cues indicating they

    have a question or comment. The audience should be able to interject

    throughout your presentation; their comments and questions are always

    more important than your points.

  • #45Dont turn your back

    on the customerFiguratively and literally, this is not cool. But for the sake of this conversation, make sure you are actually facing your audience. Talking with your back to people often seen hand-in-hand with looking back to read directly from your PowerPoint slides is unprofessional at best, and outright rude at worst,

    says sales expert

    Colleen Francis. Dont do it.

    Ever.12

    #42. Build suspenseYou dont always need to front-load your presentation with the most

    important information every time. After all, if you start too strong,

    where do you go from there? Sometimes it makes sense to gradually

    reveal important facts, ask more questions, and deliver coveted

    information over the course of your presentation.

    You give a clean, mean, 30-second elevator pitch. Then what? asks

    Inc. Theres nothing left for rest of your sales presentation. The

    second your listener says I get it, theyll immediately lose interest.11 That being said

    #43. Dont save ALL the good stuff for lastAnd by good stuff we mean the benefits your product has to offer.

    When selling a great product, its easy to fall into the trap of focusing

    the bulk of your presentation on features. But features dont sell. The

    prospect is less interested in how the product works; they want to

    learn about what theyre going to get out of it. As such, mentioning the

    benefits on slide 50 when your audience zoned out at slide 10 is less

    than ideal (as are decks with 50 slides, for that matter).

    #44. Take notes there COULD be a test later!

    Ensure that somebody in the room is taking extensive notes on the

    comments, questions, and reactions from your prospects including

    who said what. This will be an integral resource as you build your

    proposal and allows for a more detailed follow up with attendees that

    demonstrates real value.

  • #46Slowww downSome people talk fast when theyre nervous. Oftentimes, they do it without even realizing (if youre short of breath after a slide, thats a clue). Talking too quickly can not only make it difficult to understand what youre saying (especially for those on the phone), it can make it difficult for your audience to interject with questions as well. Slow down and let your presentation breathe and take a few extra breaths for yourself while youre at it.

  • THE

    FOLLOW UP

  • #47Write a thank you note,

    and make it count!Sending a personal Thank you to each person you

    presented to is common sense, but your competitors are undoubtedly doing the same. To ensure that your

    gesture stands out amongst the crowd, put some effort into your follow-up letter.

    As sales thought leader S. Anthony Iannarino explains, Your follow-up letter needs to

    reinforce your ability to generate the result that you and your solution will

    provide More than anything else, you have to reiterate and reinforce your

    differentiation Your follow-up letter is your chance to sell,

    and it is your chance to remind your

    dream client of the differences that will make the difference.13

  • #51Can I have a copy of those slides? YES!

    Its the most common question reps hear following a sales presentation. Its a good idea to make it a point to email the presentation immediately following your meeting, while the information is still fresh in the audiences mind. This gives your prospects the opportunity to go back and study the slides more carefully and focus on areas that they were particularly interested in. If you share your deck via SlideShark, you can even track when you prospect opens it and what slides they viewed more ammo for your next follow-up!

    #48. RE-answer their questions (as in, answer them again)

    In your follow-up communications, try to recall questions that the

    prospects asked during the presentation and write out thoughtful

    responses. This not only makes you look sharp for having taken notes,

    but also allows you to expand on your answers and communicate

    value in a forum where you dont have a time limit.

    #49. Set a follow-up schedule and stick to it Map out a schedule for following up with your contacts: 24 hours, 2

    days, 5 days, and 10 days afterwhatever it is, stick to the schedule.

    Be strategic about it, and remember that follow-up preparation can be

    just as important as preparing for the presentation itself.

    #50. Identify content that supports your message

    Are there blog articles, videos, or other customer testimonials

    that would help reinforce the value you discussed during your

    presentation? If so, curate existing content to pass along. If not,

    you could always try creating something yourself, like an electronic

    brochure or video to embed in your email.

  • About BrainsharkBrainshark sales enablement solutions accelerate revenue through faster training, increased

    demand, and more successful sales conversations.

    Brainsharks easy-to-use solutions ensure that key audiences regardless of location are

    always up-to-date with access to anytime, anywhere video training on virtually any computer

    or mobile device. Sales enablement functionality including tight integration with Salesforce.

    com helps reps win deals through better training, improved demand generation, and live

    presentation delivery. Detailed analytics help identify the best opportunities, the highest-value

    content, and provide insights that improve the effectiveness of managers coaching efforts.

    Thousands of companies including half of the Fortune 100 and millions of individuals rely

    on Brainshark to increase the impact and reduce the cost of their sales, marketing, and training

    efforts. Learn more at www.brainshark.com.

    ContactBrainshark Inc. [email protected]

    Copyright 2014 Brainshark, Inc.

    1 Ifbyphone, 7 Sales Stats that Will Change How You Sell, July 20142 Custom Show, Creating To Giving Great Presentations: Hear From 10 Experts, March 20143 Forbes.com, 7 Tips for Crafting an Effective Sales Pitch, January 20144 Custom Show, Creating To Giving Great Presentations: Hear From 10 Experts, March 20145 Inc.com, 5 Tips for Better Sales Presentations, July 2026 Bright Carbon Blog, Sales Presentations 2.0, June 20137 Forbes.com, 7 Tips for Crafting an Effective Sales Pitch, January 20148 Salesforce Blog, 5 Tips to Giving the Perfect Sales Presentation, January 20149 Custom Show, Effective Sales Presentation Tips & Ideas Win More Business, March 201410 Sales Engine Blog, Why Impact Questions Are the King of All Questions, January 201211 Inc.com, 7 Deadly Sins of Sales Pitching12 The Sales Leader Blog, Its All in How You Say It: The Top 9 Sales Presentation Mistakes - and What To Do Instead13 The Sales Blog, How to Say Thank You After a Big Presentation, September 2010