Prospecting is a perpetual challenge. So it’s rewarding when a potential client invites a rep to deliver a sales presentation.

According to sales consultancy RAIN Group, it takes an average of eight touches to get to an initial meeting. If you’ll be expected to present, it’s imperative that you make a good impression and engage the prospect to set them on the path to becoming a satisfied customer.

Here are nine ways to enhance your sales presentations.

1

Research the company.

Once you have a sales presentation scheduled, do some additional digging on the company. Identify several pain points you can address in your meeting and see if there are other promotions they’ve done in the past that resonated with their audience – or that flopped.

2

Master body language.

Stand during your presentation instead of sitting, so you’re speaking from a place of authority. Make eye contact with each of your audience members to exude confidence and bring energy to the conversation. Show them you’re excited to offer them solutions.

3

Use visuals.

Create a presentation (which is easy to do in ESP+, ASI’s new business management platform – see box) with statistics, mocked up renderings and photos from successful client campaigns. In addition, bring a few physical product samples with the prospect’s logo on them.

4

Keep it simple.

Center the presentation on the solutions your prospects need. Acknowledge the challenges they have, show how you can solve their pain points, include case studies from successful projects, and wrap up with next steps for bringing the campaign closer to fruition.

It takes an average of
eight touches
to get to an initial sales meeting. (RAIN Group)

5

Practice the delivery.

Write out your script ahead of time, including all salient points you want to hit, and take the time to run through it. You want to show you’re confident in what you’re presenting and how it can help the prospect. Still, be flexible. Anticipate their objections and have responses ready.

6

Start with a hook.

Your audience may need to be convinced that they should invest more in promo, or that they should switch from their current provider. It’s your job to persuade them at the beginning of the presentation that they need what you’re offering.

7

Describe successful campaigns.

Go into detail about other projects you’ve done for clients with similar pain points – show them how the customer used promo and how it solved their problem, with hard numbers to back up your assertions whenever available. Real-life examples are a concrete way to demonstrate you’re an expert in the space.

8

Open the floor for dialogue.

Avoid just reading a script and flipping through slides. Ask open-ended questions of your audience, inquire for more information about their needs, and welcome interaction. A two-way discussion will engage them while uncovering more details about what they’re looking for.

9

Follow up afterwards.

The next day, email the prospects thanking them for their time, and include key points from the presentation. Avoid the phrase “just following up” in your subject line or message (use something like “Next steps”). Also, be sure to mention what needs to happen subsequently to get to close.