How To Craft A Compelling Sales Pitch Deck: What You Need To Know

Knowing how to craft a compelling sales pitch deck is a vital skill for business owners across various verticals. If your company sells high-value products and services with complex features, you’ll need to create a detailed sales pitch deck.

Use this strategy to craft a compelling narrative that highlights the product’s benefits and why users should choose your brand. A sales pitch deck, also known as a sales deck, is particularly relevant to B2B customers. Some of the primary industries where a great sales deck is effective include:

• High-value or customized products, such as industrial machinery, tools, and equipment, require detailed explanations of their features and utility.
• Investment opportunities and financial products must generate adequate investor confidence.
• Consultancy and professional service providers must demonstrate their expertise to build trust and demonstrate the value they offer.
• Technology and software solutions must convey how they can address customer problems and provide a competitive advantage.
• High-ticket deals and transactions involve multiple stakeholders who require information about the impact of these transactions.

An effective sales pitch deck, complete with engaging materials, is the most valuable tool you’ll provide to your sales representatives. Not only will it interest potential buyers, but you can also include it in the customer slide of your fundraising pitch deck.

Investors examining the deck will be keenly interested in your marketing and advertising efforts. Lower customer acquisition costs (CAC) are a powerful metric for attracting capital to the company. Thus, crafting a compelling sales pitch deck serves multiple purposes and is a vital growth asset.

Understanding What is a Sales Pitch Deck

A sales pitch deck, also known as a sales deck, is designed in a presentation or slide format. You’ll use tools such as Google Slides or Microsoft PowerPoint to create a series of slides complete with visual aids. This deck is similar to a fundraising pitch deck, but has an entirely different objective.

When you create a conventional pitch deck, you’re demonstrating the company’s business model. The objective is to convince investors of the company’s profitability and viability, as well as the returns they can expect to earn. A sales pitch deck conveys the value that the company’s products offer.

The target audience here is your buyers, but again, you’ll craft an engaging narrative using a series of slides. This deck is an effective tool for in-person meetings or pitches delivered via video calls. You’ll start by identifying the problem or pain points customers face, and move on to the best solution.

By the time the presentation concludes, customers should be prepared to sign a purchase agreement. The deck guides them through the purchase journey by helping them understand how the product resolves their challenges. Or, helps them achieve their goals.

A compelling sales pitch deck is well-structured and designed to have a lasting impact on the buyer or audience. You’ll include a series of charts, product design visuals, and diagrams, along with data that demonstrates use cases. Think–number of satisfied customers or higher productivity levels.

Don’t overlook the importance of color psychology, professionalism, and using the right combination of eye-catching elements. Every pitch deck presentation should be tailored to the target audience, and the sales deck is no exception. Customise the key slides according to the buyer and their pain points.

Note that The Sales Pitch Deck is Not a Sales Pitch

Before we discuss how to craft a compelling sales pitch deck, understand its differences from a sales pitch. Both the sales pitch deck and sales pitch are complementary assets you’ll provide to the company sales reps. Using them, they can attract buyer interest and establish trust with them.

By combining the right color themes, graphics, metrics, and customization approaches, you’ll create an engaging message that effectively demonstrates value. You’ll also establish new communication channels with prospects and motivate them to progress along their purchase pathways.

You can use the sales pitch deck to take the sales pitch one step further. For instance, the deck can talk about user case studies and reviews from appreciative customers. It can also showcase the team’s credentials, expertise, and success track records in similar positions with competing brands.

Information like this evokes confidence in customers’ minds and nudges them through the sales pipeline. Sales reps can use the slides to highlight the key points and enhance their pitch with visual aids that reinforce their message.

Here’s another aspect. Business owners should recognize that the commercial landscape has undergone significant evolution over the past few years. B2B customers are looking for more than just products and services. They are seeking to build strategic partnerships with their providers.

Enterprise clients investing significant resources into products that can improve efficiency and productivity need expertise, advice, and customized solutions. At least 84% of buyers expect sales reps to have done their homework by researching their needs and providing on-point solutions.

A great sales pitch delivers the value customers are seeking, but the sales pitch deck displays actual numbers and visuals. Those are the assets that remain with buyers when they leave the conference room, prompting them to place orders. Sales reps are more than just sellers. They are consultants.

A Well-Crafted Sales Pitch Deck Helps Close Deals

Do you need to craft a compelling sales pitch deck? The answer is yes, and here are some of the reasons why:

• A sales rep arriving to give a presentation can come across as rehearsed, delivering the same pitch to multiple clients. But a well-designed sales pitch deck indicates that the representative has taken the time to prepare customized materials. They will come across as professional and well-prepared, offering authenticated metrics and information. At least 57% of B2B clients are unconvinced by just the pitch.
• The human brain processes images and visuals 60,000 times faster than just written text. Images simply have better recall value. Prospective buyers and audiences are more likely to remember a graph or a pie chart depicting improved efficiency. When you’re looking to create a lasting impression, that’s what you need to add to the pitch.
• Enterprise clients are typically represented by top-level executives and key decision-makers. They will have questions about the product and its features as they evaluate whether it is a good fit for their company. The sales rep must be prepared with in-depth information about every aspect of the product and the value it delivers. Having a sales pitch deck in hand helps them deliver that vital data that can translate into actual conversions.
• An engaging sales deck not only discusses the value the product delivers. But also addresses industry-specific challenges that clients are currently facing or may encounter in the future. In this way, you’ll establish your company as an authority that understands the industry and is well-positioned to handle new developments.
• Presenting customer success stories, reviews, and feedback adds validation to your brand and the products you offer.

A sales pitch delivered by a company representative is often less effective in resonating with the audience than a sales deck.

How to Craft a Compelling Sales Pitch Deck

The process of creating a great sales pitch deck often involves extensive experimentation. Expect to refine the design constantly and tweak it according to what works and what doesn’t. A good starting point is to place yourself in the buyer’s shoes and think from their perspective.

What are the key questions customers will likely have? How will you convince them that your product is suitable for their needs and will address their challenges? Here’s what you need to know:

1. Researching the customer’s organization and the gaps they intend to fill with your product is an excellent strategy. That’s where you’ll start working.
2. Next, you’ll customize the sales deck to demonstrate how your product is the ideal solution.
3. Avoid using excessive text, but include visuals whenever possible.
4. Create two different versions that are compatible with in-person and online presentations.
5. Don’t hesitate to use available templates and adapt them to your brand and product portfolio.
6. Focus on creating a narrative instead of listing product features. You can relay that information when the customer is ready to place an order.
7. Revisit the sales deck consistently to make tweaks each time you’re ready to present. Adapt the pitch to meet evolving market conditions and changing customer needs.

Keep in mind that storytelling is everything in fundraising. In this regard, for a winning pitch deck to help you here, take a look at the template created by Silicon Valley legend, Peter Thiel (see it here) that I recently covered. Thiel was the first angel investor in Facebook with a $500K check that turned into more than $1 billion in cash.

Remember to unlock the pitch deck template that founders worldwide are using to raise millions below.

Essential Slides in a Compelling Sales Deck

Here’s a quick overview of the essential slides an effective sales pitch deck should carry. Of course, you’ll customize them according to the customer’s needs.

Challenges, Problems, Pain Points

You’ll base the information for this slide on initial conversations you may have had with the prospect or their queries. Your objective here is to demonstrate that you understand the buyer’s challenges and are offering to resolve them. Coming across as an expert, credible consultant–not a seller–is crucial.

Remember that you’re building trust at this point and that you’re open to helping them find solutions. Even if that means considering competitive brands or eliminating the problem entirely. Focus on building a strategic, long-term partnership rather than a one-time sale.

Product’s Value Proposition

This slide presents your product’s value proposition and how it can solve the buyer’s problem. Each bullet point should address each pain point individually. Also, offer data on the return on investment (ROI) the buyer can expect. Let’s assume your company sells onboarding software for HR teams.

Accordingly, you’ll include numbers that talk about how quickly new employees can be recruited and onboarded. Additionally, discuss how the software supports orientation, enhances productivity levels, and improves employee job satisfaction.

Round off the presentation with an enhanced company reputation. Emphasize that the customer’s organization can attract new talent quickly due to its streamlined workflows and efficient culture.

Case Studies and Testimonials from Satisfied Users

Nothing convinces customers better than testimonials from other users who have achieved excellent results with the product. When you craft a compelling sales pitch deck, you’ll include a user case study slide. Outline similar challenges the user faced and provide metrics to demonstrate solutions.

Testimonials and reviews add credibility to the slide and make your claims more believable. You’ll reinforce the value your products deliver. When providing this information, you’ll select reviews from buyers within the same vertical, location, and scope who have similar problems.

If you can’t find similar verticals, discuss how your techs can customize the product to meet the buyer’s specific needs. And that brings us to the next crucial slide–the team.

Knowing how to create a convincing sales pitch deck is crucial because you’ll add it to the marketing strategy in a fundraising pitch deck. Check out this video in which I have explained in detail how to integrate the materials.

Team Expertise

Who are the people designing and building the product? Do they have the industry-specific expertise to understand its pain points? Have they resolved similar problems in the past? Are they competent enough to handle enterprise-level challenges?

Your team slide will answer these questions. Similar to the team slide in a conventional fundraising pitch deck, you’ll provide a quick overview of their qualifications and credentials. Include their LinkedIn profiles and a successful track record with notable products.

Pricing structure

Whether or not you’re ready to talk about the price points is subjective. Your decision will depend on the interactions you’ve had with the customer. Alternatively, you can eliminate this slide and offer the information when the customer is ready to negotiate the purchase agreement.

Call to action

What happens next? What’s the next step in the sales funnel? This slide should answer these questions. Are you ready to provide a live demo so customers can see how the product works in the context of their organization? Or, you could be prepared to discuss the logistics and installation.

By the time the presentation concludes, your audience should understand the next steps they must take. For instance, discuss the pricing or draw up papers to finalize the sale.

In Conclusion

Knowing how to craft a compelling sales pitch deck can make the ultimate difference in convincing customers about the product. If structured convincingly, you could walk away with an order or a long-term partnership.

Create a well-coordinated sales pitch and sales pitch deck, and you can confidently push sales. That’s how you can position the company for accelerated growth and success.

You may also find our free library of business templates interesting. There, you will find every single template you need to build and scale your business completely, all for free. See it here.