Want to learn how to give a successful sales presentation? We’ve all heard many times to be confident, to smile, to practice in the mirror..however there are a few other tips to giving an effective sales presentation that could go a long way in helping you close those deals.
Take note of the below 5 key tips to giving an effective sales presentation:
1. Only focus on your prospects challenges
Make a great first impression by focusing entirely on your prospects challenges right from slide one, proving that you really understand their needs. To do this it’s a good idea to ask all the relevant questions beforehand so you can sufficiently prepare. During the presentation, resist detailing all the product features you can offer that are irrelevant to helping solve their problems. It’s a waste of time for both you and your audience. According to best-selling author and speaker Ryan Mathews, “To become an effective corporate storyteller, you must understand that your job is always to build the truth.”
2. Pay attention to your prospects reactions
It’s easy to get so absorbed with presenting your sales pitch that you forget to read your audience’s reaction to what you’re saying. If there is a particular positive or negative reaction from someone or perhaps a puzzled look, make sure to acknowledge it at the time. It’s a good idea to mention from the start that you are happy to be interrupted at any time during your presentation to answer questions. You’ll want to take in all the feedback you can get.
3. Less is more
According to Sean O’Brien, VP of communications firm PGi, “With an attention span of five minutes, the average audience is going to tune out 84% of your 30-minute speech.” He advises to get straight to the point, focusing on one point per slide, each within 15 words. As spoken by Albert Einstein, “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.” The golden rule of three also applies to a business presentation. It’s an effective strategy for people to grasp and remember concepts easily.
4. Create a visual impact
Depending on who your prospect is, consider keeping them engaged by including appropriate visual aids such as video and animations, or interactive features such as quizzes and dynamic charts. These can really differentiate your business from the competition. Remember that colours can evoke different emotions (blue is calming, red conveys power), so pay attention to the colours you choose as well as the font type to represent your brand. We can all learn from one of the greatest corporate speakers, Steve Jobs, who believed in clean, elegant and image-based design. This simplicity worked, and appealed to his audience every time he presented.
5. Be personal
Although easier said than done, care should be taken when presenting to not come across as too detached or impersonal. It’s important to maintain the right balance of personal and professional – letting your personality show to connect and engage with your audience. Again, a lesson of passion can be taken from Steve Jobs who always believed in his products, frequently saying the words “cool” and “amazing” to convey his enthusiasm. When done right, storytelling is a great tool to influence and persuade, and should always be used when giving a business presentation. See our article How to Engage your Audience While Presenting for more tips on presentation skills. A great quote from the poet Maya Angelou is, “People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
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