Why Your Sales Presentation Can Make or Break Your Business

First impressions are vital in business – and you never get a second chance to make one.

For many people, this first impression comes from your sales presentation. It’s often the first direct interaction between your company and potential customers. That could be a presentation in person, a virtual presentation or a standalone encounter where they view the presentation themselves.

Don’t just take our word for it. The professionalism of a potential supplier’s presentation was listed as important or very important by 97% of senior decision makers when awarding a contract. Want to make sure yours makes your business rather than breaks it? Read on for our insights…

Understanding your audience

The first make or break point when it comes to presentations is audience understanding. On the face of it, a sales presentation is about presenting your business and offering to potential customers. But going beneath that, it should actually be about your audience.

When making a presentation, you should know about your audiences needs, preferences and pain points. Now imagine a presentation that offers a solution to those pain points – the things that keep them up at night. It’s going to naturally engage them, interest them, draw them in!

Tailoring your sales presentation to your audience is step one to its success. Not just in terms of demographics, but by addressing the things they want, need, like, and even dislike.

Crafting a compelling narrative

It’s one thing knowing what to focus on and talk about, but it’s another challenge framing it in a way that audiences can relate to. This is where storytelling comes into play.

From the moment we come into this world, we’re told stories to help us understand all manner of things. Think the boy who cried wolf and the ugly ducking. With good reason too. They frame ideas, put them into reality and make them more relatable.

This approach can work wonders for your presentation. A well-structured narrative can engage your audience and resonate with them. It’s all about connecting your key messages and solutions to create a compelling story that sticks with your audience.

Visuals are key to this process. Firstly, graphics and videos are more visually appealing than text. They also help your audience take information in – it’s often cited that visuals can be processed 60,000 times faster than text.

With this in mind, you can use your slides, graphics and videos to build up a narrative and make the complex simple. That could be annotations on an image of a problematic situation for your audience. Or perhaps several stages of a relatable process, explaining how you can make each step easier.

Learn more with these 5 tips for authentic b2b brand storytelling >

Building credibility and trust

Content – check.

Structure – check.

Now it’s time to establish credibility with your audience and gain their trust. Even if you master the two key points above, failing to consider credibility in your presentation can see you fall at the last hurdle.

So how is it done? Success stories are a tried-and-tested way to showcase your industry expertise. Many businesses are tempted. But remember, the focus should be on the audience, not you.

Outlining a case study where you helped customers in similar circumstances will make your presentation and your expertise more relatable to your audience. That could be the same sector or just people encountering the same issues.

This is much more effective than simply saying you’ve got 10 years of experience or that you’ve helped a thousand customers. Going back to our last point, it creates a narrative that engages your audience and makes your credibility more real and memorable.

Interactive elements

Interactivity can be a secret ingredient that ensures your presentation is truly engaging. This can include product demonstrations, samples and Q&A sessions – more on this later.

With an interactive sales experiences platform, this isn’t something you have to go out of your way to worry about to accommodate. From product demonstrations to 3D modelling, you can include interactive elements in your presentation more seamlessly and naturally.

This highlights the importance of technology in modern sales presentations. Unfortunately, traditional tools like PowerPoint no longer live up to audience expectations. They leave people disengaged, which doesn’t bode well for your business.

One of the most commonly used examples of interactive technology is virtual reality, where an immersive virtual environment is created using a headset. Or perhaps augmented reality, where virtual elements become part of the real environment around you.

But this isn’t the only option for presentations. Interactive touchscreens are fast becoming a presentation staple, allowing seamless product demonstrations and so much more.

Top Tip: Take a look at these ten real-life examples of interactive touchscreen experiences and see them in action.

Handling objections and questions

We’ve mentioned above that questions can make your presentation more interactive. All too often, these questions are expected at the end of the presentation. The problem? In truth, there are several:

• Someone might have forgotten their question from early in your presentation.
• Or they could keep a question in their head since minute one and not take in any information after that.
• If people do ask questions as they arise, it can disrupt your presentation if you’re not prepared for it.

The best way forward is to be ready for questions at any given time. This is another area where an interactive presentation can help. Rather than being linear and rigid, it allows you to jump to different sections of your presentation based on stakeholders’ needs.

Top Tip: Want to dig deeper? In this article, we have unveiled the secrets of the best sales presentation ever!

Make or break – the choice is yours

A sales presentation can make or break your business. As we’ve shown above, there are several factors that can make or break your sales presentation too. These include understanding your audience, creating a narrative, building credibility and making your presentation interactive – including questions at any time.

Cut any of these corners, and you’ll find that potential customers are less engaged and ultimately less interested in what you’re offering. It really is make or break for your presentation and your business.

At POP, we have a wealth of experience helping businesses create interactive presentations that immerse, inform and delight potential customers. If you’d like to find out more, take a look at our success stories, watch our video, book a demo, or contact us on +44 (0)117 329 1712 or hello@popcomms.com.