9 Must-Know Sales Presentation Tips to Close More Sales

Have you ever given a sales presentation that you thought was great—but then it ultimately ended with a “no” or a “let me think it over”?” We’ve all been there before.

It’s absolutely the worst feeling in sales. I’ve scoured the edges of the earth to find the best keys to crushing any sales presentation so you can avoid that feeling forever. The good news is that what I found is surprisingly simple. None of these powerful sales presentation tips are crazy hard to implement. You absolutely must learn these sales presentation ideas.

In this video, I’m going to show you 9 must-know sales presentation tips to close more sales.

Check it out:

Sales Presentation Tips Video Summary:

Sales Presentation Tips #1: Present only after a deep discovery.

This is absolutely key, which is why it’s first. Salespeople always ask me, “What went wrong in my presentation?” Many times, the answer is that nothing really went wrong during the presentation—the presentation was just given way too early. That’s why one of the most powerful sales presentation tips is that presentations must be given only after the deep discovery phase of the sales process. Otherwise, salespeople jump right into the presentation before knowing what actually matters to the prospect. Be sure to ask tons of questions during that discovery phase of the sale to really understand what’s going on with the prospect before getting into the presentation.

Sales Presentation Tips #2: Only present to the prospect’s challenges.

During the discovery phase, salespeople need to discover the most critical challenges the prospect is currently facing. Once there is a complete understanding of those challenges, then salespeople should present the solution only to those challenges—nothing more. Prospects only care about solving their challenges. The best sales presentation tips help shape sales presentations around prospects’ challenges, and that’s it. No exceptions.

Sales Presentation Tips #3: Keep it as short as possible.

We salespeople love to hear ourselves talk. We get excited when we’re in presentation mode. I get it. But the presentation is actually the most dangerous part of the sales process. It’s the point at which we’re most likely to say something that causes a prospect to be turned off—and we never even know where it went wrong most of the time. One of the most important sales presentation tips is to keep presentations as short as possible by only presenting the parts of the offering that will solve the prospect’s challenge.

Sales Presentation Tips #4: Share case studies.

At the end of the day, prospects want results. There’s no better way to prove that an offering with get results than by sharing real-life examples of how other clients have achieved outcomes. Out 

of all the sales presentation tips out there, this one will have the biggest impact on the approach you take with your actual presentation style. The entire presentation should hinge upon case studies or examples of other clients that you’ve helped in similar ways. Stories are always going to be more compelling than facts and details.

Sales Presentation Tips #5: Get feedback throughout.

A presentation absolutely must not be a one-way conversation. Salespeople need to constantly be getting feedback from prospects throughout the presentation by asking them little feedback questions like, “Does that make sense?” By getting quick bits of feedback during each point of your presentation, you will keep the prospect engaged while continually taking the pulse of the situation to make sure you’re actually on the right track. Does that make sense?

Sales Presentation Tips #6: Allow prospects to interrupt constantly.

What the salesperson has to say is inconsequential at any point in the selling situation. What matters is what the prospect is thinking. So often, salespeople don’t want to be interrupted during the presentation. They’ll actually keep going even if a prospect raises a hand or starts to speak up. But this is exactly wrong. Any time prospects so much as moves funny, salespeople must stop and ask if they have something to say. Invite them to interrupt you at any point. This might be one of the most difficult sales presentation tips for salespeople to implement, because it requires changing the way you interact with prospects during the presentation. But it will completely overhaul the process and make each presentation far more successful.

Sales Presentation Tips #7: Go back into discovery if prospects ask about something new.

The sales process is dynamic, not rigid. Just because the process is already in the presentation phase, that doesn’t mean the salesperson can’t go back to the discovery phase. Remember, the more that the salesperson can discover, the better the salesperson will do. This means that if the prospect mentions something totally new or asks about something completely different, the salesperson should immediately dig into that. Find out about that. Unpack it. Ask questions. Go back into that discovery phase if it seems relevant. This sales presentation tip will only make it more likely that the presentation will end in a closed sale.

Sales Presentation Tips #8: Drop the hard close.

Old-school sales gurus have been teaching “headlock close techniques” forever. And maybe you use one in your own selling right now. Regardless, you must stop. Hard closes are not only transparent to a prospect, but they’re also losing you sales by turning prospects off. You’re applying tremendous pressure. If you’ve done a strong job of understanding their key challenges in the discovery phase and then presented the solution to their challenges, you don’t need a hard close, just next steps. This is one of the most critical sales presentation tips to remember.

Sales Presentation Tips #9: Always have a scheduled next step.

Very rarely are salespeople in a “one-call close” selling situation. Most sales nowadays are complex and require multiple steps. Just because you didn’t close after your presentation doesn’t mean that you’re in a bad place. You’re only in a bad place if you don’t have a next step in the calendar. If you’re just going to follow up next week, you’re screwed. But if you have a scheduled call for next Tuesday at 9am in everyone’s calendar, you’re moving the ball forward. Always have a scheduled next step.

So there you have it. Those are the 9 must-know sales presentation tips to close more sales. Which of these ideas did you find most useful? Be sure to share below in the comments section to get involved in the conversation.