6 Tips to Create a Killer B2B Sales Presentation

Developing a pitch-perfect sales presentation to sell B2B tech products is one of the most difficult challenges a content marketer will face. Sales and marketing see things differently, and a sales presentation is where sales-marketing misalignment most commonly comes to boiling point. If a marketer is successful in developing a sales presentation that the sales team is happy to use, it’s a good sign the organization is aligned. And if the sales presentation helps move a lead up the sales funnel – that’s a win.

Here are a few tips for marketers looking to successfully navigate the minefield of creating a sales presentation that rocks:

Tip #1: Just listen 

Most marketers know the organization’s messaging inside and out. After all, they created it. But the truth is, unless you are constantly talking to potential clients and prospects, you don’t really know what makes them tick. And that’s why you need your sales team’s feedback before you start.

Here’s a list of some of the questions you need answers to, assuming you know the product and the market:

• How is this sales presentation going to be used? Face-to-face, through an online meeting, as a send-out?
• Is the sales presentation the first touch-point between sales and the prospect? What does the prospect know before getting this sales presentation?
• What are the sales team’s expectations regarding this presentation? What is it intended to achieve?
• How many competitor sales presentations does the prospect/potential client get to see? How hard is it to stand out?
• What works best when pitching the product to potential clients?

Tip #2: Keep it grounded – start with the pain

Marketers have a tendency to aim high, think big and be inspirational. Sales, on the other hand, have to ground their pitch in order to sell. Sales presentations need to do likewise and speak to a very specific pain. A good place to start is the pain point the potential client is experiencing.

Tip #3: Be actionable and very specific about the next steps

The buyer needs to know the solution will have an impact in a relatively short time frame. That’s not always possible with Enterprise products that take time to deploy. The important thing, if this is the case, is to show very clear next steps and a path that is both impactful and efficient. Oh, and of course, your buyer within the organization should feel like this process is not going to put pressure on them. You – the vendor – will do the heavy lifting and support the organization along the way. When you develop your presentation remember that the buyer wants to be accredited for doing something meaningful for the organization.

Tip #4: Sales put on one-man-shows: one presentation does not fit all

We’d like to think that if we are specific enough about our audience – industry, role, etc. – we can create one presentation and run with it. It doesn’t work like that in one-on-one sales presentations. For example, we sell content marketing. But it’s a different presentation when we approach a potential client that has an in-house marketing team, versus someone that relies mostly on outsourcing marketing initiatives.

Always leave room for the salesperson to change the presentation based on the individual needs and challenges of the potential buyer. Create the presentation in a way that’s clear where the information changes.

Tip #5: Make sure you cover all the basics:

• The specific pain point 
• The unique way we solve it 
• How and why our product works 
• Why we should be trusted 
• What it takes to get there: Implementation process and next steps 

But never assume there’s really ‘a template’…

These sections can be interpreted in different ways, of course. The product section can be a demo, or just a good description. The “Why Us” can be testimonials, case studies, or hard numbers that support the product benefits. You just need to ensure you have all these in mind when developing your presentation.

To achieve this we create a slide toolkit the sales team feels comfortable using, and can easily update and customize their presentations. The ability to adapt and personalize the presentation for each salesperson leads us every step of the way during the creation process, from wording, to image selection to format and file management.

Tip #6: Every piece of content has to reflect the brand and product narrative 

Make sure the X factor you worked so hard to weave into your product story has a key role in everything sales put out there. And, more importantly, that they feel passionate about telling that story. Remember, your product story aligns your entire team, your investors and your ecosystem around your product and the unique challenges it solves.

It’s time to test yourself:

Do your titles tell the story?

My golden rule for every deck, right before you think you’re done, is to copy all slide titles or key claims into one document and then read it. Did you get the basics? How fast? Did you get excited? If the answer is yes — hand the deck over to sales, they’ll know what to do with it. If the answer is no, go back to the drawing board and work out the flow of slides or title copy until all clicks. 

Want to learn more on how we give sales and marketing teams happily-ever-afters? Check out our Blog, or contact us.