How to Build an Engaging Sales Presentation? Tips from the Experts

Most people think of a sales presentation as a bunch of slides, a marketing pitch or a demo. While a great presentation does include all of these elements, it is more than just the sum of its parts. If it is done at the right time in your sales process, a presentation can get your prospects’ attention, get them excited and make them want to move forward with you.

Consumers are evolving in terms of searching and consuming information, particularly with an expensive product or service. Marketers and sales reps need to up their game to have more engaging sales presentations.  This is particularly true with the rise of video services, like YouTube and TikTok, which create generations of video consumers.

As these platforms become prevalent, presentations and PDFs will soon become the next “paper.” Businesses need to start embracing innovative technology for their sales presentations if they want to create great presentations and stay relevant.

What Makes a Great Sales Presentation?

The quality of your digital sales presentation often determines whether a customer chooses you or one of your competitors. However, most presentations lack the ‘oomph’ that motivates customers to make a buying decision. Here are some of the characteristics of a powerful sales presentation:

  • Interactivity - Presentations can be so boring that most people fall asleep after listening for 18 minutes. Adding interactive elements to the presentation makes it more engaging and more effective as a sales enablement tool. Interactive elements include infographics, videos, interactive bullets, trivia, quizzes and polls. If you can incorporate them into your sales presentation, you won’t have to deal with an inattentive and detached audience.
  • Dynamic - Presentations should answer the specific issues of your audience. It should provide the latest information presented in a variety of visually pleasing ways. Instead of reading bullet points, the information should be provided in stunning visuals, keeping your audience's attention.
  • Depth - Linear presentations are flat and monotonous. Being able to jump around within a slide creates depth for your presentation. This allows your audience to access information that is relevant to what they are interested in learning more about.

Not all sales presentations are created equal. You need to incorporate the elements above to gain the competitive edge you need in a dynamic industry.

5 Sales Presentation Tips to Keep in Mind

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Tip #1: Discuss their problem and offer a solution

Your presentation should talk about the solution you’re offering to your customers, but it doesn’t have to start with it. Begin with the problem or issue your audience is facing and how your solution was designed to solve it. Discuss the challenges and pains associated with the problem.  Then deliver your solution with a story.

It should be a narrative that focuses on specific challenges faced by your audience. You can also choose to deliver the story to position your product as the hero and how it helps the customer vanquish the villain.

When offering your solution, forget about discussing each and every feature of your product or service. Your customers will not be interested in them because it sounds like a classic case of overselling. Instead, focus on the specific benefits your product will bring to the customer.

A great way to easily tell their story is through a before-and-after tactic that will draw their attention. Describe how things are now,  then talk about how everything will be better with your product or service.

Tip #2: Tell stories

Storytelling is one of the most powerful techniques salespeople use to communicate and motivate. Note that 63% of attendees remember stories, and only 5% remember statistics after a sales presentation. Using stories to connect with your audience can greatly improve your ability to close deals. Think about how your product or service has helped other companies, or how it has caused big changes for other organizations.

For example, TED Talks are so popular because of the subject matter's imagery and relatability through storytelling. It doesn’t necessarily have to entertain the audience. The story should be more about engaging them, creating trust and speeding up comprehension. For your stories to be effective, include character-driven stories with emotional content.

Tip #3: Replace text with visuals

According to studies, the human brain processes images 60,000 times faster than text. This is because 65% of people are visual learners. This means you’ll be able to send your message across faster if you use graphic elements instead of plain text. Try visual pacing to introduce variety into your slides. Use different layouts and interactive pages to sustain interest throughout the presentation.

Aside from images, you should also take advantage of the power of videos. If there is a video in your sales presentation, customers are 85% more likely to buy from you. Consumers prefer watching a video about a product rather than reading about it.

Tip #4: Incorporate case studies

Showing how your solution already worked for others can help establish your integrity and authenticity. Research shows that 91% of people read online reviews. Also, 84% of them trust online reviews like personal recommendations. They make purchasing decisions quickly, with 68% forming an opinion after reading between one and six online reviews.

When you present your case studies, do not talk about numbers. When you discuss ROI, your customer’s brain tends to argue with your assumptions. Instead, trigger your buyer’s emotional brain because that’s where buying decisions come from. You can do that by telling a before-and-after customer story we mentioned earlier. This tactic doesn’t stir your buyer’s logical brain but appeals to their emotions. Emphasize the "before" and "after" metrics because the contrast between these two is where customers learn about your product’s value.

Tip #5: Use a professional design.

Don’t stick with templates that make your sales presentations look generic. If you do use templates, make sure to customize them to include your branding. Keep the design simple and reference your brand’s style guide. Your presentation should be consistent with your branding to be able to communicate your brand message clearly and build trust.

Here are some tips to help you create a professional-looking presentation:

  • Stick to 2 or 3 colors
  • Use only two types of fonts
  • Describe your ideas using simple icons and images
  • Do not use unnecessary design; use white space to allow your presentation to breathe
  • Don’t use extremely bright colors because they can be hard to read
  • Use professional and high-quality photos only

Creating an Engaging Sales Presentation with Ingage

Ingage is the industry leader in interactive content creation through its unique combination of software and storytelling. The platform equips salespeople, marketers and business owners with powerful digital presentations to boost engagement, improve sales and increase brand awareness. Find out how Ingage can help you achieve your sales and marketing goals by signing up for a demo.


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