How to Communicate During Sales Presentations

Do you think you sound smart when you talk? After almost 20 years in marketing, I've watched thousands of "smart" presentations fail. The ones packed with industry jargon? Ignored. The complex frameworks? Forgotten. The sophisticated analysis? Collecting dust. Want to know what actually works? The pitch your 5th grade nephew could understand. The strategy explained in simple, plain words. The presentation without one single buzzword or acronym. Turns out, sounding "smart" can actually make you look stupid. Here's the uncomfortable truth: If your audience needs to be as "educated" (whatever that even means) as you are to understand your point, you've already failed. Here are 6 ways to make your complex ideas stick with anyone, no matter how much exposure they've had to your work or your way of working: 1️⃣ Start with the "why" before the "what" Don't dive into the technical details first. Lead with the problem you're solving. Instead of: "We need to implement a multi-channel attribution model..." Try: "We're missing sales opportunities because we can't tell which marketing efforts are working. Here's how we fix that..." 2️⃣ Use analogies Complex concepts become simple when you connect them to familiar experiences. Explaining marketing automation? "It's like having a personal assistant who never sleeps, sending the right message to the right person at the right time." Brand positioning? "Think of it as your personality at a party -- it's how people remember you when you're not in the room." 3️⃣ Kill the jargon, keep the precision Every industry has its secret language. Your audience probably doesn't speak it. Replace "optimize our conversion funnel" with "help more website visitors become customers." Swap "synergistic collaboration" (🤢) for "working together better." 4️⃣ Break big concepts into bite-sized pieces Don't explain an entire marketing campaign in one breath. Start with the goal, then the target audience, then the execution plan. 5️⃣ Use visual aids that actually aid A good diagram beats a thousand words. A bad one creates a thousand questions. Flowcharts for processes. Simple graphs for data. Quick sketches for concepts. Even stick figures work if they make your point clearer. 6️⃣ Check understanding in real time Don't wait until the end to see if they're following along. "Does this make sense so far?" "What questions are popping up?" "How would you explain this back to me?" The goal isn't to sound smart. It's to be understood.

How I run sales meetings that lead to next steps 90% of the time. Running a successful sales meeting involves clear communication before, during, and after. Often, attendees aren't sure what to expect, so we have to make sure to set the tone before the call even happens. So I send an agenda 24 hours prior to the call and include the following. • What topics will be discussed • Questions to answer beforehand • Use cases if applicable Also, make sure to do some research about the company so you have context. No one likes an unprepared sales rep. During the call immediately set expectations. • Ask if they have a hard-stop • Refer back to the email to set the agenda for the call • Mention that you did some research and tell them what you found Be an active listener and ask deep discovery questions to uncover pain. As the call wraps up, make sure to leave 7-9 minutes to guide them through the next steps. Here is an example: "Typically, when we see a problem like this, we would most likely include (x person) and (y person) on the next call to discuss how we help in that area. Would Thursday at 10am EST work for you?" I book these meetings directly from Calendly's browser extension while still on the call because it's quick, smooth, and instant. Calendar invites are sent before we end the call so you remove the possibility of being ghosted after. We still have work to do after you nail down the next steps. We ain't done yet. Send a summary email, not to do more selling but to recap for accountability. • What their main goals/priorities are • Timeline • Next steps When you have a system to run better meetings, it leads to great results. P.S. Do you agree with this framework? #BetterMeetings

After 29 meetings helping CEOs improve sales. I found 4 mistakes that destroy deals: (plus how to avoid them) — 1. Poor Questions Asking a surface level question Will get a surface level answer The simplest trick: Use “Tell me more…” to get deeper. Level 1 “We need a better approval process” Level 2 “We need to stop overspending” Level 3 “We overspent by 100k last year” Now you’ve found the REAL problem to be solved. — 1. Loss of Control Too many salespeople are people pleasers Prospects don’t need a friend Prospects need a partner that delivers Before each call / meeting. - Set an agenda - Outline the value of the interaction During each call / meeting. - Confirm the agenda - Provide immense value - Challenge with a different perspective At the end of each call / meeting - Summarise - Get a commitment to the next step diarised — 1. No Differentiation If you don’t have something unique to offer You will: - Have to discount often - Have to fend off competitors - Have to deal with high loss rates You can differentiate with a similar product by: - Creating sub-brands for product / delivery methods - Becoming experts in a vertical / niche - Producing more concrete results — 1. No dream outcome A proposal is not a list of features with a price A proposal is a path to a desired outcome So when you present you’re proposal. 1. List bleeding neck challenges 2. Outline the cost of doing nothing 3. Paint a picture of their dream future 4. Walk them through how they’ll get there — TL;DR. 1. Ask questions that uncover REAL problems 2. Maintain control with micro-commitments 3. Differentiate with sub-brands and niches 4. Paint a picture of dream outcomes Sales is simple: BIG problem BIG solution Be the bridge people trust not to break. Enjoyed this? Save for later, then re-share 💾 ♻️ And for more visit my profile here → Adam Shilton → then hit follow 👍

The only time I am 100% sure I have your undivided attention is when you are talking to me. And I need your undivided attention to sell. So why do most sales reps talk so much? Why do they do a 30 minute demo or presentation without taking a breath? #CEOs you want your sellers to close more deals, make sure your sales leaders are teaching them how to: 💥 Say only what they need to 💥 Ask great questions 💥 Listen to the answer so they can drive the conversation You don't drive the conversation by talking you drive it by asking questions and listening and then formulating the next great question to continue driving the conversation. If you haven't watched a demo lately, do it. What are your sales reps doing? 🤔 Are they demoing all the bells and whistles without understanding what the buyer needs? Without planning to have a conversation their presentations and demos may not move deals forward. Why take a chance. The questions they plan to ask are as important as the features they plan to share based on their knowledge of what the buyer needs. Need some help to identify if they are doing it right? And you might be wondering if salespeople are asking and listening instead of telling and presenting how does the prospect learn about the solution? The solution should be interwoven into the conversation during the demo or presentation as appropriate. Here's what it might look like. Salesperson: The first slide is a statement of their problem as you understand it. “Your company needs to generate more leads quickly “How has your company done this in the past?”  (It's not about your company or product.) Prospect: “We have never really found a good solution.”  Is this an invitation for the salesperson to dive in with their product information? No, more questions need to be asked. Salesperson: (Second slide – the word Solution)“What have you tried?” and after they answer, “Why didn’t that work?”  The answers will help determine if your solution is a good fit, which you should have a good idea about from previous conversations. Salesperson: “It sounds like you need a solution that will be easy to use, consistent, and sustainable, is that right?” Depending on the answer, reveal some information about how your solution might work in that case. Share a slide or two about your solution. Keep the slides simple with graphics that show the solution and very few words. You do the talking, not the slides. Salesperson: “How would this work for your company?” Before moving on to the next part of your solution that is a fit, there is always a question and confirmation. 💡 If you are watching your sales team present and it is not a conversation, you'll need to do some retraining followed by practice. Want some content on this you can give to your sales leaders, see the comments 👇

I’ve spent years helping B2B companies build and standardize sales messaging. Here’s my model, in five acts. 1️⃣ Define the problem Your prospect called because they have a problem to solve. Help them tell you. ▶ Reflect domain knowledge about the big issues that trigger buying cycles ▶ Land on a clear, simple, mutually agreed statement getting to the heart of the problem 2️⃣ Frame the decision You’re talking to someone trying to understand their options and choose the right one. Help them make sense of what’s in front of them. ▶ Offer your expert perspective on their options, what makes them different, and where your product sits ▶ Be honest about the advantages and disadvantages 3️⃣ Share your unique value Your company or product solves your buyer’s problem in a certain way, which unlocks value that’s hard to get anywhere else. ▶ Tell them what the unique value is ▶ Make it short, sharp, and simple 4️⃣ Break down product capabilities What new abilities do buyers gain from your product? ▶ Tell them what they will do with it that they couldn’t before ▶ It will probably come down to 3-5 short present-tense action statements ▶ Then, reinforce this narrative with your demo 5️⃣ De-risk the decision Prospects are looking for reasons to say no. Take them off the table. This means speaking directly to things like: ▶ Your bona fides ▶ Relevant case studies  ▶ Value relative to cost (i.e., the price and the business case) ▶ How you support the implementation ▶ How you stand by your product ▶ Support after the sale And anything else you need to say to diffuse concerns. After that, you’ll have your obligatory call-to-action/next steps section. But you know all about that already because you’re smart. That’s pretty much it. PS: I am sharing this as a highly distilled, foundational mental model, not a template. You can use it as a framework for writing a deck, developing a sales elevator pitch, or as a jumping-off point for deeper sales messaging and assets. This framework can support a big, lofty narrative as well or a nitty gritty, in-the-weeds approach. Treat it as a springboard, not a Mad Libs exercise.

I’ve listened to over a thousand sales calls. Stop bonding. Start solving. Yes, relationships matter. Yes, trust is key. But if you spend the first 15 minutes of a sales call talking about their dog, your alma mater, and last weekend’s game—you’re wasting everyone’s time. Too much rapport-building feels like stalling. It delays the moment you get to real business problems, and it signals you’re not confident enough in the value you bring. The best reps build trust through relevance. Ask sharp questions. Listen closely. Show you understand their world. That earns respect faster than small talk ever will. Rapport is a byproduct of value. Not a substitute for it.

Most reps show what the product does, not why it matters. Tired of watching your sales team struggle? Here's a classic mistake that's costing you deals. And no, it's not forgetting to follow up. Your team is talking too much about the product. Rookie move, right? But even veterans fall for it. Here's how it usually goes: 1) Get excited 2) Pitch features 3) Pile on benefits 4) ...Silence Why? The buyer checked out. What's missing? Understanding their problem. Most reps show what the product does, not why it matters. Buyers want solutions, not features. They're asking: - Will this solve my pain? - Can it make my life easier? - Is it worth the investment? The fix? It's simple: 1) Start with questions, not slides    "What's your biggest challenge right now?"    "What's costing you the most time or money?" 2) Listen (really listen)    Take notes. Dig deeper.    The more they talk, the more you learn. 3) Position your product as a solution    "Here's how we've helped others in your spot."    "This is how we can make X easier for you." If your pitch sounds like an infomercial - "But wait, there's more!" - it's time to rethink. Struggling with this? Let's talk. I've coached sales teams for 20 years. Trust me, fixing this is worth it. #salescoaching #salesconsulting

I made this mistake for years because I'm a good presenter: 1. Prepare for my presentation by choosing the best features and benefits of my product 2. String everything together into a nice story 3. Tell the story and sprinkle in questions/interactions throughout It was engaging and entertaining. People even applauded me. But the client would leave the meeting with, "a lot to think about." If you're in sales, you don't want the client to have to think. You want them to get to the end of the meeting and know: 1. This is exactly what I need 2. This is not at all what I need You can avoid this mistake by telling stories. This is what I do: 1. Start by telling the client's story (i.e. talking about the 1 or 2 big problems that clients like them face every day). 2. Then, read body language and ask them if they are experiencing the same problems or different ones. 3. Then, walk them through how other clients solved the problems that they have. Bottom Line: Presentations and Sales Presentations are different. It took me way too long to figure that out.