HOW TO PRESENT A SUCCESSFUL SALES PROPOSAL LIKE A PRO!
Make your first sales pitch deck a success with the below best practices and tips when writing your sales pitch deck or presentation. Find below one of the best Sales Pitch deck templates you can use in Google Slides or PowerPoint presentations for free!
Written by Mau, a Senior Sales Specialist at eDigital.
Need help with your sales and marketing? contact us
HOW TO PRESENT A SUCCESSFUL SALES PROPOSAL LIKE A PRO!
Meeting with prospective clients (whether in-person or remotely) is a crucial component of sales management.
Sales meetings can range from informal conversations with prospective clients to structured sales pitch presentations.
In any case, some preparation will ensure your meeting is a success!
THE BEST 5 TIPS FOR A SUCCESSFUL SALES PROPOSAL PRESENTATION
Sales presentations aim to provide information, build trust, and ultimately convince the prospect to take the desired action, contributing to the sales process and the growth of the business.
Below you are about to find our top 5 tips for a successful sales proposal presentation.
5. PREPARE BEFORE THE SALES MEETING
Before the meeting, take the time to do some research about your prospective client’s business and the people attending your sales meeting.
Things to do before the meeting:
- Learn about your client by visiting their website. If it is a publicly listed company, it is worth having a read of its latest annual report so you have an understanding of its business objectives and roadmap.
- Always aim to speak to the client in advance of the meeting. Any direct contact is an opportunity to discuss the project, but also a chance to ask questions about the meeting.
In particular, ask:
- How long is the meeting scheduled for, and is that timeframe flexible?
- Do they expect a formal presentation?
- How is the meeting structured? For example, is there a time slot reserved for presenting, followed by a time for questions?
- Who will be attending the meeting? If possible, find out the attendees’ names and their roles.
Information about the meeting format and attendees will allow you to tailor the pitch deck or presentation and talking points. For example, if the stakeholders include a Marketing Manager, emphasise the marketing benefits of your proposed solution.
Having background information is not only beneficial to guide the conversation; it can also improve confidence when meeting with the client.
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4. MEET WITH THE CLIENT AND PRESENT YOUR SALES PITCH DECK LIKE A PRO!
There are two distinct objectives for meeting with a client. It is an opportunity to:
- Explain your proposal in more depth and
- Build a rapport with your prospective client.
Building a Rapport
It is easy to be so focused on giving an excellent presentation and answering the client’s questions, that establishing a relationship with the client gets neglected. Building rapport is a crucial component to winning work. The following are four things to consider when establishing a good working relationship with a client:
- Stand in your client’s shoes. Consider how the client is feeling during this process and make sure you factor that into your behaviour. For example, consider the pressure the client might be under to deliver the project. Often the point of contact has had deadlines and budgets imposed upon them.
- Show interest. Clients want to work with suppliers who care about their needs. Find something about the project that is exciting and let that excitement shine through.
- Be professional. Make sure your clothing is appropriate for the situation. Avoid being overly casual, and always be respectful of people’s time.
- Pay full attention to your client. When talking, pay attention to what people are saying. More importantly, when someone is looking unsure about what is being said, ask if they need anything clarified.
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3. KEEP YOUR SALES PITCH DECK SIMPLE
The number one rule when presenting to a client is not to overrun on time. Clients often are scheduled for other meetings and it is rude to put them behind schedule. Most importantly, presentations that run long cut into time for the client to ask questions, which is a crucial part of any pitch meeting.
To keep your presentation short, ensure that self-promotion is as brief as possible. Nobody wants to hear a heavy sales pitch. Not only does it sound arrogant, but it is also unnecessary. The proposed solution will demonstrate suitability and ability to deliver. Let the client come to their own conclusion about you and your proposal.
Do not waste time repeating every nuance of the document. Although it cannot be presumed that everyone in the room has read the proposal, focus on bringing added value to those who have.
Instead, spend the available time focusing on the benefits of delivering the proposed solution.
To achieve this, discuss previous, similar client projects you’ve completed. You can bring key insights about conversion improvements and other key metrics resulting from previous projects.
The presentation is also the time to show the client the deliverables they can expect.
If the client has not explicitly specified that they are interested in a specific solution, product or service, the pitch is an opportunity to upsell and show them what is possible.
Finally, try to preempt common questions the client might have. This will demonstrate an understanding of foreseen challenges, and get ahead of any potentially difficult issues. It is particularly important to do this if the proposal suggests a different approach than asked for in the original request for the proposal.
Regardless of preparation, expect clients to have questions that were not addressed in the presentation and if you do not know the answer straight away, it is ok, you can always have a follow-up call to answer these questions.
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2. MANAGE YOUR CLIENTS’ QUESTIONS SUCCESSFULLY
Some clients’ questions are impossible to prepare for as you do not know in advance. However, the below five principles will help your answers to go more smoothly and avoid unnecessary mistakes:
- Always be honest. Do not exaggerate successes or downplay potential problems. They often cause problems further down the line. Most clients find an open and transparent approach appealing.
- Admit what you don’t know. Sometimes a client will ask a question that you do not know how to answer. Do not try to come up with something immediately. Instead, say that you are not sure, and ask if you may come back to them after the meeting.
- Reference previous work. Nothing is more reassuring to a client than to hear of similar projects you have completed. Whenever possible, refer back to previous projects relating to the subject.
- Never undervalue questions. Clients will sometimes ask questions that seem nonsensical or obvious. Be careful not to condescend or patronise clients when answering these questions. Aim to understand and empathise – these questions may come from a lack of knowledge or a low-quality experience with a past supplier. Also, compliment a client when raising an insightful question, if it feels natural to do so.
- Don’t make commitments. Sometimes the client will ask for a commitment to a lower price or change in scope. Resist the urge to make a decision there and then. Request the opportunity to consider it first.
Finally, before ending the meeting, ask the client if they have any worries or concerns. This provides an opportunity to better understand their success factors, and identify any stumbling blocks that could jeopardize winning the work. Equally, if they cannot think of anything, it leaves them with a favourable impression of the meeting.
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1. DESIGN YOUR OWN PROPOSAL FRAMEWORK
Save time writing proposals by having reusable content that can easily be added to new documents. For example, have a general introduction to your business, highlighting your team’s expertise and impactful case studies.
Create a basic sales pitch slide deck.
As well as creating reusable content for proposals, have pre-prepared slides that can be used in client pitches. For the best sales proposal pitching slides, email us and we will send you our exclusive and premium sales pitch deck presentation template.
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CONCLUSION
Successful sales are born from understanding prospective customers and tailoring the approach specifically to their needs.
This will provide a firm foundation upon which you can continue to grow your sales skills finding, pitching, and winning work and new clients.
eDigital can help you conceptualise, plan, develop and optimise successful sales proposals that generate leads and sales for your brand.
Our digital marketing services include:
- Strategic planning for social media and other digital marketing channels.
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- Celebrity and influencer marketing campaign strategy.
- Brand development. Logo creation, brand personality development and design of marketing materials.
- Consumer contests/competitions/giveaways.
- Email marketing. Dip sequence design and deployment.
- Conversion rate optimisation. It is also called “path to purchase” optimisation.
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HOW TO PRESENT A SUCCESSFUL SALES PROPOSAL LIKE A PRO!
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