The Best Sales Pitch Deck in 20 Minutes

The 9 Steps to Your Sales Pitch

A sales pitch deck is an essential tool for a productive conversation. It’s the first impression you make on potential customers and an opportunity to present your value proposition in a concise and engaging way.

Here are some key steps for building a compelling sales pitch deck:

1. Start with the other person

When you begin your sales pitch, it’s important to start with what you already know about the person or organization you’re presenting to. It captures their attention (because who isn’t interested in themselves?). Plus, it shows that you’re a serious conversation partner and that you’ve done your homework. And it boosts the credibility of the solution you’ll present later on. You put the other person first, and that creates the ultimate goodwill factor.

2. Create a Calendar

Creating an outline for your presentation can help you organize your thoughts and convey your message clearly. It also serves as a roadmap for your audience, so they know what to expect and in what order the information will be presented. This reduces the likelihood of confusion and helps you present your points in a logical and coherent manner—it puts the mind at ease.

3. Another Problem Is (Still) on the Horizon

An effective pitch deck should not only focus on your product or service, but also on the problem you’re solving. This helps show your audience that you have a deep understanding of the issue and that you’re capable of providing a practical and effective solution. Make sure to explain this problem clearly and comprehensibly, usinganecdotes or storytelling whenever possible. The stage at which you use your pitch deck largely determines how specific you can be about the challenges and problems. It may be quite conceptual at the beginning, but should become very specific as you work toward a proposal.

“You’ve indicated that… however, we’re also seeing this happen”

4. False Hope “Sales Pitch”

An effective pitch deck also needs to build suspense and create disappointment—only to offer hope again afterward.

“This seems like an obvious solution, but it’s hard to sell internally.”

5. Present Your Solution

Now that you’ve identified the problem and explained your approach, it’s time to present your solution. This should be the core of your pitch deck, where you showcase the unique value of your product or service. Don’t forget to highlight the benefits and features of your solution, and why it’s the best choice for your target audience—here are some helpful templates.

6. Supporting Evidence with Results

Potential investors or customers want to know that your product or service works. By showing results or sharing case studies, you demonstrate the success of your solution. This could include successes with previous customers, tests you’ve conducted, or other evidence that your solution actually addresses the problem at hand.

7. Turn Risks into Opportunities

When presenting risks and countermeasures, it’s important not to focus solely on mitigating damage. Instead, try to transform risks into opportunities.

For example, if a client is concerned that the sales playbook you’re designing will end up gathering dust on a shelf (the risk), you can propose offering an adoption program in addition to developing the playbook (the countermeasure). This not only addresses the client’s concern but also provides an opportunity for you to deliver additional services and thereby increase the size of the deal.

By thinking this way, you can turn a potentially negative aspect of your proposal into a positive opportunity. Moreover, it shows that you’re proactively working with your client and focused on delivering success, which can help strengthen your credibility and build trust.

8. Identify the Success Factors

In this section, you will identify the key factors you need to succeed in the collaboration. These may include clear communication, timely decision-making, access to necessary information or resources, and so on.

Presenting these success factors has a twofold benefit. First, it helps your audience better understand what you need from them in order to be successful. Second, it allows you to maintain some control over the sales process by challenging the buyer to also invest in the success of the partnership.

It is important to present these success factors in a respectful and constructive manner, to show that you are looking forward to a partnership in which both parties are involved and add value. This way, you can lay a strong foundation for a long-term, successful business relationship.

9. Introduce Your Company and Summarize

Once you've covered the key points of your presentation, it's time to formally introduce your company and summarize what your audience has seen and heard.

Start with a brief description of your company, your mission, vision, and values. This helps provide a more complete picture of who you are and what you stand for as an organization.

Next, summarize the key points of your presentation, including the problem you’ve identified, your unique solution, the benefits for your audience, the potential risks and how you plan to address them, and the success factors necessary for an effective collaboration.

By ending your presentation this way, you can make a strong and memorable impression while reinforcing the key points of your message.

Furthermore, it shows that you don't just talk about who you are, but that you also demonstrate who you are through the value you offer and the approach you take.