Sales pitches are both an art and a science.
Daniel Pink, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of To Sell is Human, sums up the “art” part well: “The ability to move others to exchange what they have for what we offer is the art of the pitch.” It takes significant training and coaching to perfect a sales pitch and refine any seller’s soft skills.
As for the “science,” sellers need the right content, skills, insights, and analytics to connect with prospects and prove their product or service’s value. Without a doubt, one of the most vital pieces of sales content they need in their toolkit is an excellent sales pitch deck.
A sales pitch deck is a visual representation of the value your organization provides. It’s an indispensable piece of sales collateral that anchors millions of virtual and in-person pitches each year.
Most decks combine data, storytelling, and emotional engagement to create a compelling narrative — a narrative that convinces buyers to move forward in the sales cycle and eventually make a purchase.
So, what do the most successful sellers include in their pitch decks? In this post, we’ll share five key components of a winning, revenue-driving sales pitch deck.
What should a sales pitch deck include?
Most markets are saturated with good options for buyers to choose from, so your pitch deck has to stand out and answer this question: Why should people buy your product or service instead of someone else’s?
An impactful sales pitch deck includes:
- Your solution to a burdensome problem
- The standout features of your product or service
- Proof that your product is better than your competitors
- Real stories from happy customers
- Pricing information
We’ll dig into each of these five things shortly, but remember that the overarching goal of your deck is to combine visuals and concise text in a way that communicates your value proposition loud and clear.
But here’s the kicker: No two customers are the same, and neither are the best sales decks.
Did you know?
59%
of buyers are irritated by a generic sales pitch?
Source: Zendesk, 2023
That’s why personalization is the backbone of any great pitch deck for sales. (Hint: Tools like Seismic’s pitch deck generator make it simple for sellers to customize every pitch deck to their prospect’s interests, industry, and potential use cases in seconds).
With personalization in mind, let’s dive into the five elements your sales deck design should address to make the best impression.
1. Challenges and pain points
A great place to start is with the specific challenges and pain points your prospect is experiencing. Every impactful sales deck outline shows a clear understanding of the prospect’s pain, right from the get-go.
This shows the prospect you’ve done your homework and have a deep understanding of their world. This slide (or a couple of slides) should always be personalized based on any initial conversations or past interactions you’ve had with a prospect before the call.
2. Your solution and value proposition
This part of the deck is where you demonstrate how you’re the pain relief they’ve been looking for. Share what your product or service can do and how it’s going to make a difference.
Don’t be afraid to dive into the details of your solution. Highlight, at the highest level, the value you provide by showcasing a benefit or two that demonstrate your competitive edge. Charts, graphs, and data points are powerful elements that bring your value prop to life in this section.
This is the moment in your sales pitch deck that needs a compelling narrative. In other words, there is a better time to list off features.
3. Product features and capabilities
Once you have a solid narrative, transition to the highlight reel of your business. A great sales pitch deck outline includes slides showing key features and personalized product screenshots and GIFs.
The goal is to provide a comprehensive overview of what you offer, complete with technical specifications prospects will care about, like integrations, and any unique capabilities your product offers that your competitors may not.
A word of advice for this section: Your prospects will either tune in to what you’re saying in this section or tune you out if what you’re saying doesn’t apply to them. Know who you’re talking to. If it’s a champion who’ll be an end user or, perhaps, an Ops person who’ll be responsible for implementation, share the technical details you feel are relevant. But if it’s a C-suite decision maker, they want value and proof of ROI — not a list of features.
4. Industry-specific customer testimonials
“When people are uncertain, they are more likely to use others’ actions to decide on proper behavior for themselves.”
Robert Cialdini, the author of Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion said this, and it couldn’t be more true.
Social proof is everything. Seeing how others in the same space solve problems with your product is often just the push prospects need to affirm their decision. Be sure your sales pitch deck includes real customer feedback, complete with the exact wins they enjoyed because of your solution. Short quotes, headshots, and stats often work well on these kinds of slides.
Maggie Amador
Enablement Content Manager
Again, personalization is so important here. Work to find a story or two that will resonate most with your prospect.
5. Pricing and packages
As you approach the end of a pitch, it’s time to talk numbers. The best thing you can do in these concluding slides is be transparent about your pricing model.
Outline the cost structure and all available packages or options. Cover all pricing tiers, any discounts or incentives, and what’s in it for the customer. Your prospects should leave this meeting with a clear understanding of how you can help them, and what it looks like to partner with you.
One last bit of advice: A sales pitch should never feel like a monologue. Engaged prospects will have questions along the way, so be sure your deck isn’t so inflexible or that you don’t have time to listen to the prospect and address their questions and concerns.
Personalize every single pitch deck with Seismic
A one-size-fits-all approach to sales pitching simply doesn’t cut it anymore.
To create the best sales deck and pitch experience for sellers and prospects alike, consider Seismic’s suite of revenue enablement tools, including Guided Assembly and Seismic for PowerPoint. These two tools enable thousands of global sellers to create personalized, informative B2B sale pitch decks that incorporate all five elements above and resonate deeply with prospects. We also have a free toolkit with a customizable pitch deck generator to create the best presentation possible.
Personalized selling at scale is possible with Seismic.Think you’re ready to see Seismic’s pitch deck personalization in action? We’d be thrilled to show you our platform.
