The big day is almost here. You've built a strong relationship with a mammoth new client. And over the past few weeks, you've generated strong rapport. All that's left is winning them over with an engaging sales presentation.

But you know the templated sales deck your company provided won't make the grade. And with a game-changing commission on the line, you're prepared to put in the extra work this time.

This six-step sales presentation framework will tighten up your pitch and share some killer sales presentation tips. With them, you can create a truly valuable presentation that leaves your buyer saying, “Where do I sign?” rather than “what product or service is this dude actually selling?”

The first step to building the best sales presentation is research. Research on the company. Research on the challenges they're facing today. And research on the audience you'll be presenting to.

Your research should guide your presentation and uncover insights and angles to use during your pitch.

Below are a few sales presentation tips to guide your exploration of these categories.

Too many salespeople make the mistake of focusing on how great the product is. But you have to remember—you aren't actually selling a product. You're selling a solution. A prospect won't care about how innovative your features are if they don't see how they solve their problems.

Instead, put the main focus on their problems. This is key when building a sales presentation that is going to have an impact on a prospect. Please educate yourself on the buyer's pain points and put them in the sales presentation's spotlight.

The core benefits of taking this approach include:

The best sales presentations will add value to the buyer in the presentation itself. The buyer should walk away with some action points and not just a pile of marketing material in their hands.

How should you begin your sales presentation? Simple—with a conversation.

So many salespeople tend to jump right into the thick of things. No small talk. No “getting to know you” chit-chat. And most importantly, no learning more about who they're presenting to.

Getting to the point is an understandable impulse. After all, time is money. And the more you spend on niceties, the less time there is to focus on the meat (selling your product).

But starting your presentation with this mindset is a mistake. Because when you skip over the casual conversation, you're also missing the chance to:

So, take just a few minutes to chew the fat with your audience. Keep things focused on the business, though. A friendly remark about the weather is a great icebreaker. But a 10-minute conversation on the rain is a waste of time.

One of the biggest myths in the industry is that a sales presentation is one-sided. Get in. You present your case. And get out. The only time you engage with the buyers is before and when you answer questions at the end.

But staying so structured is a misstep. And it's hurting your numbers.

Instead, take a few moments throughout your presentation actually to talk with your buyers. Ask if a point is resonating with them. See whether the challenges they're facing match up with the pain points you present. Then, inquire about solutions they've used in the past to try and solve those challenges.

You can use the information you gather to shift your presentation on the fly.

This isn't a mindless sales presentation technique where you're trying to tick a box. Ask questions throughout your presentation and you'll be keeping your audience engaged.

Nothing spells “doomed deal” like a room full of glazed-over eyes. Shifting the focus to the audience for a moment resets their attention span and brings their concentration back to the sales presentation.

Protip: Shift your presentation every 9 minutes.

According to sales revenue intelligence platform Gong, the best performing salespeople switch up their presentation every 9.1 minutes.

If you're searching for a quick way to improve your sales pitch and build more effective sales presentations then this is it.

When you're planning out your deck, keep the 9-minute rule in mind. Try to space out sections with a mix of different focuses and mediums like:

The more varied your sales presentation is, the lower your audience's likelihood of having their heads in the clouds.

Your company may recommend using their time-tested B2B sales deck. And averaged across industries, with generic key points, it may bring in some great results. But if you want to perk up your buyer's ears, you need to drop the cookie-cutter approach.

Instead, optimize your sales deck with the tips below to keep your audience more engaged throughout the presentation.

Prospect overwhelm is real. And a 50-slide deck that drags on and on can be a bit too much to swallow.

Sales professionals often feel productive building out a deck like this but think it from your prospects perspective. Your prospects are looking for tips to help them solve an issue from your sales presentation. Not death by slides.

Rather than throwing everything you have into your sales deck, keep it relatively simple. For example, highlight the key images and statistics. Include dynamic media like videos to simplify your sales presentation. And leave the “in the weeds” content to other sales collateral like case studies and product specs.

Focus on customer stories rather marketing collateral to build an effective sales presentation.

You'll also want to cut down on your on-slide content too. It can be tempting to include all the information you're covering right on the screen. But doing so leads to buyers simply reading your presentation rather than focusing on your delivery.

When you're selective about the info you display, you control your prospect's attention. And that gives you the power to:

Social proof is a vital component of any successful sale. Positive reviews can be powerful, even if the buyer doesn't even know the reviewer. 70% of people will trust a recommendation from someone they don't even know.

This is something that sales and marketing teams will battle over. Sales teams know the importance of customer stories specific to the buyer sat in the room. Where are marketers want to tell fluffy, generic stories that “build brand” over time… Stick to the specific social proof when building an effective sales presentation.

But displaying social proof early on in the pitch can hurt your close rates. So instead, save it for later. Be sure to use faces and names if you can. And use companies that the prospect can relate to, not companies that will alienate them (from the same industry vs. well-known brands).

Finally, be sure to practice your sales presentation and run through your sales deck several times before stepping in front of your audience. Doing so will build your confidence and present you as an expert your buyer trusts.

Memorize specific metrics and statistics. Rehearse answers to concerns to keep the flow going. And be sure to build in time for in-the-moment questions, so you're not rushing at the end.

But be careful, though—coming off too scripted is a surefire way of losing attention. Instead, stay flexible in your delivery. You may notice in the moment that some selling points aren't landing as well as you planned. If that's the case, be prepared to shift course if need be.

The success of the deal hinges entirely on your sales presentation. Done poorly, it'll alienate the prospect and lead them to side with your competition. But done well, it'll convince enthusiastic buyers that your product is the perfect solution to their pesky problem.

Stop procrastinating and Googling for more sales presentation tips. Follow this six-step sales presentation framework to craft a targeted, solution-driven sales presentation your buyers will love today.

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