Sales Presentation Skills

I once asked my youngest daughter what she thought I did for work, and she said, "You sit on Zoom and give people your opinion all day." While there's more to my day than that, she's not entirely wrong! As you climb the career ladder, your schedule fills with presentations—some inspiring, others not so much. Here’s how to make sure yours stands out when presenting to senior leaders: 1. Be Specific, Not Overly Detailed: You've probably heard, "Keep it high-level for executives; avoid the weeds." True, but don't swing too far into the abstract. Ground your points with concrete facts and data. For instance, instead of saying, "Some code deployments aren't automated and there are opportunities for improvement," try, "Our analysis shows 25% of code deployments require manual effort, particularly in post-change validations and service restarts." 2. Harness the Power of Storytelling: Transform your presentation into a captivating narrative. Stories make data relatable and memorable. Start with a real-world example, like a customer struggling with your current system, highlight the problem and then move on to your solution. 3. Start with the 'Why': Dive into the heart of your proposal by explaining its significance. Why should your audience care? How does it align with their goals? For example, "By automating these processes, we not only boost efficiency but also advance our strategic goal of enhancing customer satisfaction." 4. Foster a Dialogue, Not a Monologue: Remember, communication is a two-way street. Anticipate your audience's reactions and be ready to engage. Hit your key points swiftly, avoid over-explaining, and focus on insights that empower decision-making. After presenting, ask questions to invite discussion. These strategies can help you tie together facts, emotions, and strategic insights, making your message not just heard, but remembered and acted upon. #presentationtips #careertips #careeradvice

"We're moving forward with another vendor." Every rep's nightmare sentence. I pressed for details. "Their approach felt more open. We actually knew what we were buying into." That stung. I'd shared: ••• Exhaustive feature documentation ••• Dozens of success stories   ••• Complete pricing breakdowns Where'd I go wrong? Days later, I got access to our competitor's sales process. The difference hit instantly: They didn't preach transparency. They lived it. Their follow-up wasn't an email avalanche. It was one collaborative hub where buyers could: ••• Monitor which stakeholders engaged with what ••• See their exact position in the evaluation journey ••• Find materials curated for their unique pain points ••• Manage internal distribution seamlessly My revelation: I was buried in PDFs. They were cultivating partnership. Next prospect, new approach: I built a shared workspace exposing EVERYTHING: → Which team members on our side viewed their data → Critical docs they'd missed → Realistic implementation expectations → Where we excel AND where we don't The buyer's response: "Finally, someone not playing games." Ink on paper in 10 days. Here's what's real: Today's buyers aren't starved for data. They're starved for authenticity. Yesterday's strategy: Bombard with polished assets that sidestep weaknesses. Tomorrow's strategy: Build transparent environments that tackle doubts directly. Your buyers know when something's off. Even when nothing is. Quit running sales like a shell game. Start running it like a glass house. You with me?

Think about the last presentation you sat through. Do you remember anything from it? Probably not. Most presentations fail because they are: ❌ Overloaded with bullet points ❌ Devoid of emotion ❌ Data dumps with no clear story The good news? You can make your presentation unforgettable with these 7 simple shifts: 1. Start with a Hook, Not an Intro Most presenters begin with "I'm excited to be here today..." and lose the audience immediately. Fix: Grab attention from the start. Example: “Your company is losing $10M a year—and you don’t even know why.” 2. Tell a Story, Not Just Data People remember stories, not statistics. Instead of listing facts, wrap them in a compelling narrative. Fix: Use the “Problem → Struggle → Solution” technique. Example: "Before using our system, Sarah’s team spent 3 hours a day on reports. She tried different tools, but nothing worked—until she found our solution. Now? Just 15 minutes a day." 3. Use Contrast & Surprise The brain is wired for novelty. If your presentation sounds predictable, people will tune out. Fix: Vary your tone, pace, and visuals. Drop in an unexpected question, statistic, or pause to keep them engaged. 4. Say Less, Mean More Too much information overloads the audience. They’ll remember nothing. Fix: Cut the fluff. Stick to one core message per slide, per section, per speech. 5. Make It Visual Bullet points don’t inspire. Images and metaphors do. Fix: Instead of saying “Our product is faster,” show a race car next to a bicycle. 6. End with a Bang, Not a Fizzle Most presentations end with “Thank you” and no real impact. Fix: Leave them with one key idea and a clear next step. Example: “If you only take away one thing today, let it be this…” 7. Master the Pause Most speakers talk too fast and leave no room for ideas to sink in. Fix: Silence is power. Pause after key points to let them land. 💡 A great presentation isn’t about information—it’s about transformation. Make your next one impossible to forget. What’s the most memorable presentation you’ve ever seen? Drop a comment below! ⬇

You know that sinking feeling… Someone interrupts your carefully prepared presentation with “But what about...?” and raises a point you never considered. Everyone is looking at you, and you feel the weight of the world on your shoulders. In that moment, the idea or solution you’ve been presenting weighs in the balance. Address the resistance well, and your idea will likely be adopted with even more optimism than before. Address it poorly, and your idea is as good as gone. Here’s a quick overview of my “RAP” formula that you can use in these moments to turn blindside objections into “aha” moments. 1. R: Recognize the type of resistance you’re facing: - Logical resistance (conflicting data or reasoning) - Emotional resistance (values or identity challenges) - Practical resistance (implementation concerns) 2. A: Address it proactively in your presentation: - For logical resistance: Acknowledge competing viewpoints before they’re raised. "Some might point to last quarter’s numbers as evidence against this approach. Here’s why that perspective is incomplete..." - For emotional resistance: Connect your idea to their existing values. "This initiative actually strengthens our commitment to customer-first thinking by..." - For practical resistance: Demonstrate you’ve considered the real-world constraints. "I know this requires significant change. Here’s our phased implementation plan that accounts for..." 3. P: Provide a path forward that transforms resistance into alignment: - Give them space to voice concerns (but in a structured way) - Incorporate their perspective into the solution - Show how addressing their resistance actually strengthens the outcome The most powerful thing you can say in a presentation isn’t "trust me", it’s "I understand your concerns." When you genuinely see resistance as valuable feedback rather than an obstacle, you’ll find your ideas gaining traction where they previously stalled. #CommunicationSkills #BusinessCommunication #PresentationSkills

🎯 Don’t just prep for interviews. Map the decision-makers - and tailor your message for each one. This is where strong candidates become the clear choice. Because here’s the truth: Most people prep for the questions. Top performers prep for the audience. 👇 Here’s how: 👤 1. The Recruiter What they care about: → Are you qualified on paper and in person? → Are you aligned with salary and expectations? What to highlight: ✅ Relevant titles, skills, company types ✅ Clear communication and professionalism ✅ No red flags, good culture fit 💬 Example: “I’ve worked in similar fast-paced environments and understand the expectations around stakeholder management and delivery speed.” 👤 2. The Hiring Manager What they care about: → Can you solve their problems? → Will you make their life easier? What to highlight: ✅ Business results tied to your function ✅ Thought process behind decisions ✅ Experience with similar challenges 💬 Example: “When I joined X, we were struggling with [similar pain point]. I led [strategy] which resulted in [outcome] - and freed up my manager to focus on strategic work.” 👤 3. Cross-Functional Peers (Product, Ops, Finance) What they care about: → Will you collaborate well? → Do you understand their world? What to highlight: ✅ Communication style ✅ Experience working across silos ✅ Empathy and clarity 💬 Example: “I partnered closely with Finance to redesign our forecasting model - that alignment helped us prioritize more accurately and cut wasted spend by 18%.” 👤 4. Senior Leadership (VPs, C-level) What they care about: → Do you think like a leader? → Can you represent us externally and internally? What to highlight: ✅ Strategic thinking ✅ Business acumen ✅ Executive presence 💬 Example: “When our team hit a ceiling with user growth, I reframed the goal - shifting from acquisition to retention - and drove a cross-functional initiative that lifted net retention by 12 points.” 🧭 The mindset shift: - Don't prep the same way for every round. - Prep with stakeholder influence in mind. They’re not just evaluating your answers. They’re deciding: Can I see this person leading here, with us? 💬 Which type of stakeholder do you find most challenging to connect with in interviews? Follow me for more advanced job search strategies that help experienced professionals stand out - not burn out.

Learn from my failure. When’s the last time you walked away from a business review knowing you nailed it? Quarterly reviews? Exec updates? Board meetings? You delivered, and you knew it landed. Not often? I've failed multiple times, including recently. And here's the thing: most reviews/presentations fail before they even start. Not because your content is wrong. Not because you’re unprepared. But because you’re focused on the agenda instead of the goal. The goals of the room. I’m constantly reminded that I can get better at this after every. single. presentation. The truth: they aren’t just about reporting on what’s been done. They’re about building trust, proving impact, and aligning with what actually matters to the business. And the best part? The skills you develop to deliver an effective review aren't just for the exec team, management team, or board meeting. They're the foundation that turns a Director into a CMO. And after my 100000th review, I'm still learning. Here's where I'm at today. A great business review should: 1. Counter assumptions & build credibility – Directly counter any assumptions that important tasks are not being addressed or mishandled. Show that leadership is in control and delivering on priorities. 2. Showcase metrics, not just words – Avoid overemphasizing areas the audience doesn’t value, especially when there are gaps in delivery elsewhere. Data beats anecdotes. Show progress, don’t just talk about it. 3. Invite constructive feedback – Create a venue for stakeholders to suggest areas they feel are overlooked or misprioritized. Alignment doesn’t happen in a vacuum. Bring the room into the process. 4. Make invisible work visible – If stakeholders don’t see it, they assume it’s not happening. Prove them wrong. 5. Demonstrate say-do alignment – “We said we’d do X. We did X. Here’s the result.” Set clear expectations for what will be done and when. So, before any major meeting, I remind myself: THE AGENDA IS NOT THE GOAL. Start with the goals, then shape everything else around it. I've finally built out my template for an effective business review, and I'm happy to share it. But remember, it starts with the goals, not an outline from some random LinkedIn connection. :) I'll also send my longer diatribe on running an effective review. Comment ✅, and I'll send it to you!

How I figured out exactly who I can reach on LinkedIn (and built a 2,000-person target list in 20 minutes): Last week I needed to scope a new market for notus: construction companies in DACH. I wanted clarity on who I'm trying to reach, whether they actually spend time on the platform, and how to get more touch points with them through content, ads, network expansion, and DMs So I opened LinkedIn Sales Nav and ran this process: 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟭: 𝗙𝗶𝗹𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 (𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲) Most people go straight to Lead Search. I did the opposite. I filtered for construction companies with €100M+ revenue in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. LinkedIn gave me around 700 relevant companies. I saved them all to an account list. 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟮: 𝗟𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝗯𝘂𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘀 I saved that general list first. Then created a second list filtering for companies showing buying indicators: → Department headcount = internal team composition → Growing X team (pick the function) = signal for certain offers → Job postings = active hiring (perfect if you're selling HR/recruitment) → Funding rounds = signals growth (great for selling to SaaS) 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟯: 𝗙𝗶𝗹𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘆𝗲𝗲𝘀 I took my saved company list, went back to Lead Search, and filtered for people working at those accounts. 12,000 people appeared. I added one more filter: "Posted on LinkedIn" in the last 30 days, which put me at around ±2000 people. It's the only filter we have to get closer to active users. I'd rather have a smaller list than a bunch of inactive accounts. I can always expand from there if needed. This gives me cleaner data to work with. 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟰: 𝗦𝗲𝗴𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 ±2000 was the total. But I focused on decision-makers. So I ran more filters: → 300+ were Director level or above → 700+ sat in operations roles → 60% were based in Germany, 25% Austria, 15% Switzerland This helped me know exactly who I was writing for. 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝟱: 𝗘𝘅𝗲𝗰𝘂𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝘀𝗲𝗴𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗰𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗶𝗴𝗻𝘀 Now comes the actual "outreach". I can do this manually or with a tool. I ran campaigns for the decision makers in Switzerland and decision makers in Austria/Germany, which let me A/B test acceptance rates across audiences. Swiss decision makers hit 27% acceptance rate → Austria and Germany only got 10%. Clear signal that my profile resonates better with Swiss executives. As these campaigns ran and my network grew with these target personas, I sprinkled in some niche-relevant content such as a construction case study with Hubert. Still tied to my core service, but showing I’ve operated in their world. The goal was to make sure they know I exist and start building the relationship. Next up will be running targeted thought leadership ads to this audience. Let's see how it goes. P.S. Want a vid walkthrough? Comment "TAM" and we’ll DM it to you.

Juniors do presentations to show data But Seniors (should only) build presentations to persuade and influence people Because if insights don't drive specific actions, they're practically useless. Or at best a "good to know" fact that will be forgotten by lunch There are infinite ways to improve a persuading presentation but 4 very simple-to-remember are: 🔵 𝐂𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 & 𝐒𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 Speak too technically or make difficult-to-understand graphs if you want to lose your audience's attention immediately Cognitive load theory tells us that human brain resists complex messages So eliminate all numbers and charts that aren't clear or may cause confusion and (too) many challenging questions 🔵 𝐒𝐨𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐟 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭 When you're looking for a good restaurant or doctor, you're asking for recommendations and reviews from people you trust (or at least have some authority) This happens because you're anxious with the unfamiliar and unknown Same goes for your presentations If the Commercial Director has already seen and validated your data presentation, the Marketing manager is more likely to agree with your insights and actions 🔵 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐫𝐲 𝐛𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬 Neuroscience is undisputable on this Stories and narratives make every presentation much more persuasive and memorable in the human brain than slides-after-slide with data & facts If graphs and p-values could, alone, convince people, everything would be an email 🔵 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 Presenting a finding that goes against every strategy and business decision taken up until now? You could have Nobel-prize winners backing you up and you would still get challenged Start with one challenge at a time 💡 Long story short, be simple, build a story around data and find supporters to back you up before the Big presentation. Even Gauss couldn't help you change the business strategy overnight #data #analytics #presentation #communication

19 years ago, I used to get incredibly nervous before speaking on stage. Racing heart. Tunnel vision. Dry mouth. Today, half of my job is being on stage. Here’s my 7-step pre-stage checklist for how I conquered stage fright: (Before you step on the stage) Step 1: Set One Clear Intention Nerves often come from scattered thoughts.  So anchor your mind with a single, positive goal: • For a pitch: “Get the buyer to sign and stay firm on numbers.” • For a presentation: “Connect with the audience and deliver value.” Avoid negatives like “don’t mess up.” Your brain clings to “mess up.” — Step 2: Pick a Focal Point Choose a random spot in the back of the room (or bring a grounding object, like a pen). Right before you begin, mentally send all your nervous energy there. It gives your brain somewhere to “put” the anxiety - and frees you up to focus. — Step 3: Breathe Mindfully Most people shallow-breathe when they’re nervous. This just worsens anxiety. Do this instead: • Close your eyes • Breathe in through your nose, out through your mouth • Push your belly out with each inhale (deep belly breathing) — Step 4: Release Muscle Tension Anxiety makes us clench everything - jaw, shoulders, stomach. This kills blood flow and increases anxiety. Instead, start at your head or toes and relax each muscle group with one breath: • Relax your face and eyes • Relax your jaw and neck • Loosen shoulders and chest • Relax arms and hands • Relax your stomach and abs • Continue down to your toes You’ll feel calmer and more grounded instantly. — Step 5: Find Your Center Before going on stage, shift your focus to a spot 2 inches below your belly button. This is your physical center - used by athletes and performers to stay grounded. As you breathe, imagine calm radiating from that point. During your talk, return to it anytime nerves creep in. It’s your internal anchor. — (While you’re on stage) Step 6: Repeat Your Process Cue This is your personal “how” mantra. • Interviewer: “Smile and ask great questions.” • Speaker: “Keep it warm and engaging.” • Performer: “Smooth and steady.” Keep repeating it silently throughout to stay focused and intentional. — Step 7: Direct Your Energy Feel the nerves rising? Don’t fight them - redirect them. Use your focal point from Step 2. Mentally “throw” your anxious energy toward it. It’s like dropping a heavy backpack: instant relief. __ Save this post and come back to it before your next big moment. Whether it's a presentation, interview, or performance, these steps will help you show up as your most confident, centered self.

I bombed my first 15 VC pitches because investors were reading my slides instead of listening to me. Here’s why you need TWO versions of your pitch deck and how to craft each 👇🏾 If you’re fundraising, you should have two decks: 1. A shared deck 2. A presentation deck The difference between them is subtle but huge if you want to raise VC. 1️⃣ A shared deck - to be sent via email as you ask for introductions to investors, or send cold emails. - Use complete headlines that summarize key points - Include sufficient context so it makes sense without you - Make it skimmable with bold text highlighting key metrics - Includes citations/sources 2️⃣ A presentation deck - to be displayed during pitches to GUIDE your pitch, not do the presenting for you. - Limit text to 10 words per slide maximum - Use large, impactful numbers (57,000 companies!) - Rely on visuals, graphics, and icons to tell the story - Keep slides simple - YOU are the presentation, not the deck When I switched to this dual approach, it was easier to engage investors. They asked better questions. My pitches became conversations instead of my clicking to the next slide for the investor. The worst thing that can happen during a pitch is for you to share a great story or point about your traction, but the investor isn’t paying attention because they’re too busy reading the essay that you put on your slides. What questions do you have about your deck? Share them below!