Ultimate Sales Pitch Guide
â Introduction / Chapter 6 of 8
by Steli Efti, CEO
Last updated November 17, 2020
Youâve been working hard to sell this prospect. Youâve moved them down the pipeline, and now itâs time to clinch the deal with a sales pitch deck that blows their mind.
Youâre going into that sales meeting. The bases are loaded. Are you prepared to hit a home run?
The best sales pitch deck is a tool that knocks your sales presentations out of the park every time. But how can you create a sales pitch deck that really sells?
Keep reading. In this chapter, weâre going to discuss:
A sales pitch deck is a presentation that answers two essential questions for your prospect: what are you offering, and why should they care? When done correctly, your sales pitch deck can help prospects see the real value of your product and convince them of the ROI of the purchase. Itâs a gateway to a productive sales conversation that leads to a closed deal.
So, when can you use a sales pitch deck?
There are plenty of different situations where a deck can amplify your message and bring context to the value your product offers.
In fact, sales pitch decks can be used at almost any stage of your sales pipeline, including:
Decks are also essential to a startup investor pitch, and can even be created as an internal sales enablement presentation to help keep your sales messaging on track across the team.
Creating these different types of sales pitch decks will empower your sales team to reach their potential and sell in a way thatâs tailored to each situation.
Want to get a head start on creating the best decks for your team? Download 6 high-performing sales deck templates and adapt them to your own team and process:
So, what does it take to build a high-performing sales deck? Learn how to do it in 6 easy steps:
Building your deck from the ground up? Here are 6 steps you need to take to build the best sales pitch deck ever.
When you know who youâre selling to, you can tailor your pitch to their needs and circumstances.
Thatâs why, before anything else, you must do customer research before you start building your sales pitch deck.
Who are your customers? What kind of businesses do they run? What team does your main point of contact work on? What are the team or the companyâs main challenges? Which competitors are they considering? How does your product integrate with their current workflow?
To answer these questions, run customer interviews or send out a quick survey to your most successful customers. Hereâs an example of what that might look like from SurveyMonkey:
The more intimate knowledge you have of your customers, the better prepared you are to develop a sales pitch deck that resonates with your target audience.
Specifically, try to get constructive answers to these two questions:
Now that you understand the problems your audience is facing, itâs time to build a narrative around that problem.
In most cases, a sales pitch deck will start with slides that focus on the problem and provide a solution.
So, whatâs the story of your product?
Your customer research is a great place to start with this narrative. What was life like before they started using your product? What were the day-to-day challenges that just couldnât be solved? Was there a shift in the industry that caused new issues for businesses?
Then, paint a picture of the solution. What could life be like after solving these issues? How would the prospectâs day-to-day work life be affected? How would the team or company benefit?
After that, your story introduces its hero: your product.
By creating a narrative that explains the problems your prospects are facing better than they can, youâll prove your deep understanding of their needs. This builds trust and lays the groundwork for a relationship that will last.
Three is a powerful number.
Of course, your product may be an entire toolshed of features that your customers can use to improve their lives and their business. But remember: your sales pitch deck isnât here to teach them the A to Z of your product.
Itâs here to make an impression and convince them to move forward in the sales process.
Thatâs why choosing 3 main benefits is essential.
As Brian Clark of Copyblogger said:
To help you narrow this down, pick the three features that your customers regularly rave about. Then, turn those features into benefits and add them to your presentation.
Pro tip: Want to really cement these three benefits into the prospectâs mind? Donât just include them as a slide in your deck: use them as a quick summary at the end of your presentation to keep those benefits top-of-mind as prospects walk out of the meeting.
Everyone loves using social proof. Itâs spattered across SaaS homepages, wandering across our daily blog reading, and practically taking over our Instagram feeds.
In other words, what was once a powerful tool for trust has become just more background noise to your customers.
So, how can you include social proof that stands out and makes a clear point?
The best sales pitch deck uses social proof that is relatable.
For example, if youâre pitching to a small business owner, featuring a customer quote from P&G may actually turn them away from using your product. Because, while itâs cool that you have P&G as a customer, theyâre instantly doubting whether your product is ideal for a small business like theirs.
So, if your pitching to a startup founder, feature a use case and testimonial from another customer thatâs a startup founder. If youâre pitching to a restaurant owner, feature a quote from another restaurant owner that loves your product.
SEO software Ahrefs does a fantastic job of this on the product homepage, featuring different testimonials divided by the type of customer:
Use this same principle in your sales pitch decks. Whenever possible, feature social proof from customers that are part of this prospectâs tribe. Theyâll automatically feel better understood and more confident about your product for their company.
No, itâs not cheating.
Using an effective sales pitch deck template is a great way to get a head start on your deck and make it truly appealing to your prospects.
But just remember these two essential keys to make a success of your template:
First, personalize the template as much as possible. Any self-respecting sales pitch deck template should be customizable, so change the fonts and colors and replace any stock pictures with your own. Otherwise, your prospects might notice that your sales pitch deck is awfully similar to the competitionâs deck.
Second, use a template thatâs based on your industry. The way you present your product as a B2B company may be completely different from the way a SaaS company pitches. Also, different types of sales pitch decks work better for different situations.
Thatâs why we built Pitch: High Performing Sales Deck Templates.
Get your free download now to have access to 6 beautifully designed and fully customizable sales deck templates.
This last step can turn your sales pitch deck into something even more desirable for your prospects.
Your customers have probably seen decks from other reps with their logo in the corner.
Want to make your sales pitch deck stand out? Build it in the colors of the brand youâre selling to.
This frames your message as if itâs coming from the inside, not from an external source. And, it helps you present the message in the voice of your customer.
With the sales pitch deck templates we mentioned above, itâs actually super easy to adjust the colors throughout. (We even include simple instructions within the decks to help you customize them to your own style and needs!)
(Donât forget to download your free pitch deck templates here.)
Want to see even more examples of what a good sales pitch deck should look like?
Sometimes, the best way to learn is by example.
See what top B2B and SaaS companies are doing with their sales pitch decks, and swipe the best ideas for your next sales presentation:
Industry Focus: B2B
In this deck, Zuora highlights a drastic shift in the market, shows the impact for companies who adapt well, and then uses real customer testimonials to show why their product is the solution. By telling a story, this deck captures attention and holds it to the end.
Industry Focus: SaaS
Again, storytelling is essential here. This deck also starts by describing a market change and leans in to the opportunities available. Then, in 6 simple slides, it explains a complicated product in simple terms (and the use of Waldo makes this even more relatable).
Industry Focus: SaaS
This deck doesn't mince words: it gets right into the meat by explaining the problem and providing a clear solution. For a simple product, this kind of simple sales deck is perfect.
Industry Focus: B2B
Snapchat shows the power of their ads with this easy-to-digest deck. It includes powerful data, bright colors, and excellent testimonials.
Industry Focus: B2B
This is a deck that gets the prospect to say, "Wow, that's me!" By telling a story the prospect can relate to, this deck does an excellent job of getting on the same side and showing what's possible if the prospect uses their product.
Industry Focus: B2B
Instead of using hard data to prove the value of their product, Immediately takes that data and turns it into the thoughts of their audience (sales reps). This adds a bit of humor to their very relatable deck, and shows what real-world impact their product has on the daily workload of a customer.
Now, your best sales pitch deck is ready to unleash its power on your prospect. But how can you present your deck successfully?
Here are 3 pro tips you need to follow:
Your sales pitch deck isnât here to replace the conversation. Itâs here to help guide the conversation and add context and meaning to what youâre saying.
So, use your presentation as a conversation, not a monologue.
While you will probably do most of the talking in this meeting, remember to ask questions throughout. Build context around your value points by talking about the specific pains that theyâre facing, then digging into how your product will solve their problems.
By asking questions, you can keep your prospects engaged throughout the presentation. This is especially important when youâre giving a remote sales presentation, since itâs easier for the prospect to be distracted.
But wait, doesnât that defeat the purpose of actually giving your sales presentation?
Not necessarily.
In fact, sending your sales pitch deck before you go into your meeting can accomplish a few interesting things:
So, while it may seem a bit backwards, sending your presentation beforehand can actually help your prospects stay focused and keep your sales meeting on-schedule.
While itâs true that itâs best to sell to decision makers, thatâs not always the first person you talk to at a company. Especially when selling to enterprise companies, itâs hard to get all the stakeholders and decision makers involved in your sales pitch meeting.
So, create a sales pitch deck that stakeholders and decision makers can peruse later. This deck may include more text than a deck youâre presenting in-person (or online), since the point is that it be easily understood by stakeholders who are going through it on their own.
Also, if an internal champion is presenting this information to higher-ups, they can use this deck to present ideas succinctly and with the right messaging.
Read more of our tips to give effective sales presentations, such as:
4. Adapt your script and presentation to the prospect
5. Open with your biggest selling point instead of saving it to the end
6. Ask open-ended questions
7. Build context around your biggest selling points and value differentiators
8. Never talk price before value
9. Spend less than 10 minutes presenting
Dig into those expert sales presentation tips here!
Giving a sales presentation may get your heart pumping. But when youâre using a sales pitch deck thatâs high-powered and follows a proven formula, youâll be well equipped to knock this presentation out of the park.
Throughout this guide, weâve given you clear examples and templates to learn from and imitate. Ready for a whole truckload more? Jump to Chapter 7: 14 undeniably good sales pitch examples proven to close deals fast.