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51

S
P
TI
FOR DELIVERING

BETTER
SALES PRESENTATIONS
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INTRO D UCT I O N
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

C O N T EN T S
THE

PREP .................P.4
THE

EXECUTION ....P.8
THE

FOLLOW UP ...P.18

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.

Give them stories


not just stats

#2. Get in the minds of your audience


When 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 & personas


Prepping 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

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.

#8
Why not add
a video?

#5. Agenda slides: Use em or lose em


Its 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
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.

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.

#9. Use hyperlinks to make life easier


No 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 audience


Its 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, me


Some 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!

#12
Its 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.

#15
Prepare to be quiet
for a moment and
LISTEN
When 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 dynamic


Interactive 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.

#18
#17. Embrace the possibility for change
Though 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

Be prepared for
remote attendees

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.

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.

THE

EXECUTION

#19. Set the scene start with the problem


Command 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

#21

Go 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.

#25

Work the room


when possible

#22. Try to lighten up literally


Gone 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 we


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!

A 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.

#26. Dont insult your audience


Youre 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 fridge


Cheesy 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?)

#29

Put 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.

#33

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.

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.

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 example


The 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.

#34. Be a Positive Polly


Nobody 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 show


Many 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 fly


Some 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.

#37
Try 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.

#41

Finish 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
questions
dont sweat
it! That means
they were
engaged with
what you
had to say.

#38. Be open for feedback and lots of it


Soliciting 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 questions


Be 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 behavior


If 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.

#42. Build suspense


You 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

#45
Dont turn your back
on the customer

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

#43. Dont save ALL the good stuff for last


And 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.

Figuratively 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 handin-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

#46
Slowww down
Some 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

#47
Write 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

#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.

#51

Can I have a copy of


those slides? YES!

#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.

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!

About Brainshark
Brainshark 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.
Contact
Brainshark Inc.
866.276.7427
info@brainshark.com

Copyright 2014 Brainshark, Inc.

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13
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1
2

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