How to Create a Presentation for Sales, Marketing, or Management That Will Impress the Audience

A good sales or marketing presentation can mean the difference between landing a new client or losing them. This is your chance to present your offers, products, and services in a way that impresses and inspires your audience to take action. A quality presentation will often be the determining factor for whether or not a prospect buys from you or your competitor. Therefore, you have to make sure it is on point.  

All too often salespeople focus on making their slideshow flashy, fun, and exciting, but they are doing very little to actually address the prospects’ problems or concerns. This results in a boring presentation and a huge waste of time. A successful presentation should show prospects how your product or service will solve their problems, give prospects confidence in your brand, and convince prospects that your product or service is valuable. As you prepare for your next sales or marketing presentation, consider these best practices to get better results. 

Make the Presentation Relevant to Your Prospect

This is not the time to use a generic presentation. If you want to impress your prospects, you have to tailor your presentation specifically to them. The discussion of your product or service should be adapted to fit the individual needs of your audience. You need to identify exactly what your prospect’s problem is and then describe how you can provide the perfect solution. This requires you to do some homework and probing beforehand, in order to gather important information about your audience. 

Create a Connection Between Your Product/Service and the Prospect

It is important to establish a connection between your prospect and your product or service. This is how you persuade them to consider what you have to offer. For example, think about test driving a car before you buy it. Once you have driven the car and experienced its features, you are more connected to it and more likely to consider buying it. The same is true for a sales presentation. If possible, bring a sample product for the prospect to touch, see, and feel. If they can examine it in person, they are more likely to develop a connection to the product. Let your prospect actually experience the benefits of your product or service firsthand. 

Tell a Story

Storytelling techniques can be a great way to entertain and engage your audience, while also demonstrating the benefits of your product or service. Tell a story about how your product or service changed or improved the lives of other customers. Try to insert specific details that pertain to this particular prospect so they can relate. A compelling story can capture the attention of your audience and show them that you are here to help them. 

Ask Open-Ended Questions

In order to keep your audience engaged in your presentation, you must hit them with questions. Throughout your presentation, ask open-ended questions to keep your prospect involved. Ask questions like: 

• Can you walk me through how you currently handle this problem?
• What does your ideal solution look like?
• How will a solution improve your current situation?

These questions can lead to conversation and keep your prospect engaged in what you are telling them. 

Be Energetic

The majority of presentations you have heard have probably been dull and boring. If you really want to stand out and impress your audience, present with energy and enthusiasm. Use voice inflection, hand gestures, positive body language, and even humor to engage your audience. Let them see that you are passionate about your product/service and you want to share that passion with them. Don’t be afraid to use a little showmanship to sell your product or service.