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Use these sales presentation ideas in the boardroom and your prospects will line up to say YES! as fast as they can

The prospect is ready. You’ve set the date. Now it’s time to step up to the plate and pitch your idea. It’s a skill that makes or breaks a salesperson. You’ll close the deal or walk away with nothing. Let’s hope you prepared.

Are you sweating yet? That’s a lot to handle. Maybe you should just go home, watch TV, and grab that secret Ben & Jerry’s pint out of the freezer. And a box of tissues.

No? Oh, good. Because we have a few sales presentation ideas that might tip the deal in your favor.

Let’s dig in. We’ll start by ripping out your heart and then piece it back together with significant improvements.

sales presentation ideas

7 Sales presentation ideas to help you close the deal

1. Nobody cares about you, your product, or why it’s so great (they only care about themselves!)

Ouch. That stings, doesn’t it? It might be a little over-dramatic, but it’s essentially the truth. And the truth hurts sometimes.

Your presentation is not about you. It’s not about your product either. It’s about the person sitting across from you.

That guy. It’s about him.

  • his needs
  • his fears
  • his desired outcomes
  • his wants
  • his goals

(Hint: how do you solve these problems?)

Luckily, he’s come this far to hear you out. That means something you’re offering has caught his attention. Now it’s your job present the big idea.

And the big idea is not “This is who I am” or “This is what we do” or “This is how our products work.”

It’s one thing: “Here’s how you will greatly benefit from working with me.” How will his life improve?

Approach every sales presentation from the right frame of mind. Everything you say should aim towards engaging with the prospect’s unique problems and then providing solutions. Focus on the major benefit. Focus on the prospect.

Nobody cares. Until you make them care.

2. Start by choosing your desired outcome for the presentation

A lack of direction causes a sales presentation to flop and flounder. It starts off strong, then dwindles, and never wraps around again. It has no distinct purpose.

Decide the end goal of the presentation. What do you want your prospect to do afterward? Make it clear.

Is it a purchase? Is it signing on the dotted line? Is it having lunch tomorrow at 12:30 p.m. to talk options?

Choose the next step and build a path towards it. Your sales presentation ideas should connect seamlessly to an end goal. Then you’ll naturally progress in that direction.


lead-managerlead-managerSet up a meeting for the day after your presentation and make sure you follow-up without fail. Schedule a free demo of our sales follow-up software and see how easy it is!


3. WOW your prospect by saying what they want to hear

A sales presentation is the business version of dramatic theater. It’s supposed to move an audience. It should captivate.

We don’t play by the same rules as playwrights, but we’re aiming for a similar response. The WOW factor. That experience of being overwhelmed with intrigue and uplifted.

It sounds like a lot of pressure, right? But it’s not impossible. Unlike playwrights who craft stories for the general public, we’re doing it for one person. That means we have an advantage: we can learn what that person wants and speak directly to her.

Figure out the one major benefit your prospect desires. Not two or three, but one. Whittle it down until you’ve nailed it, and then structure your presentation around that one idea. Speak directly to it. Agitate the problem and then solve it.

If you can demonstrate that you know the prospect better than anyone else, you will achieve the WOW factor.

4. Make your prospect the main character in a visually compelling story

Fantastic presentations tell gripping stories. It’s the art of pulling your prospect into a narrative where he is the main character. He’s the one who beats the odds and triumphs.

But, the medium doesn’t call for text. No one wants to read the screen; he wants to see the story unfold visually. You narrate the story with images that grab attention and elicit responses.

Once you have the material on what to say, brainstorm ways to present it with visuals. And not stand-alone stock photos. Choose pictures, graphics, or clips that visually articulate your message.

Another way: demo your product or service. If you can captivate him with a story and put the product in his hands, you’ve already won him over. He’s taken possession of it.

5. Your presentation should not waste any time

Every moment you have in front of an audience is crucial. One misstep, and the “spell” is gone. Your audience gets distracted. Your message loses its edge. For every hour you spend creating, you should also spend an hour compressing, refining.

How can you say that part more concisely? How can you shorten this segment, and not lose any of its power? Which of your sales presentation ideas lack forward movement?

The tighter your presentation, the greater impact it will have. It makes you look prepared. It shows skills and confidence. It keeps your prospect’s attention from start to finish.

6. Support everything you present with undeniable proof

Facts are powerful statements. You can use all of these sales presentation ideas, but still lose the deal if you can’t prove it. The proof is your credibility. It takes the abstract notions of your pitch and makes them a reality.

You can use facts throughout your presentation to continually build trust. Statistics, studies, graphs, hard numbers–these are the cornerstones that hold it all together. They cement what you say.

Red alert: do not fudge or misconstrue a fact. The second a prospect asks, “How did you come up with this number?” and you can’t back it up, you’re in trouble. You lose everything.

In other words, there are no alternative facts in sales rooms. Only the real stuff with clear explanations.

7. Make it easy for the prospect to say yes, then ask for it

Every person on the opposite side of a sales presentation feels some degree of anxiety. They always have one foot out the door (that’s their rational brain speaking). Your job is to take away the perceived risk about buying.

Your prospect will ask herself, “how do I know this salesperson will deliver as promised?”

From high-level executives purchasing entire companies, to retail salespeople selling shoes, that anxiety is always there.

So you have to make a promise. One that you will stand behind, no matter what happens. Just as your prospect signs the dotted line, so will you.

Now the risk is transferred from her shoulders onto yours. Even if that risk is only “perceived,” you must find a way to squash it. You have to instill confidence in the action to move forward.

Finally, once you’ve accomplished risk-reversal and ended the show, ask for the sale. Don’t move around it. Don’t show weakness at the last moment. Just ask for it.

If you don’t ask for the sale, no one will hand it over. They’ll gladly walk away and consider someone else’s sales pitch.

There you have it. Now go out and nail that presentation!


lead-managerlead-managerSet up a meeting for the day after your presentation and make sure you follow-up without fail. Schedule a free demo of our sales follow-up software and see how easy it is!


Have you got a pitch story we should hear about? Tell us the details, and we’ll match it with our own!