10 Mistakes That Will Ruin Your Sales Deck

By Dominika Krukowska

For the longest time, sales decks were used merely as another tool in a sales rep’s arsenal to complement their sales pitch or product demo. However, as B2B buying decision units are expanding, sales decks have become a crucial tool for sales reps to get in front of every decision maker.

And as buying patterns have evolved, so have best practices for creating great sales decks. It’s particularly important now that sales efforts are effective, as pitches are passed around internally within a prospect’s organization instead of being delivered directly by the salesperson.

Unfortunately, most B2B companies have failed to embrace this change. They stick to run-of-the-mill technology solutions that worked for them in the past. The result? They fail to stand out in a sea of sameness and lose deals they could have closed.

10 things to avoid putting in your sales deck

As part of my work, I have analyzed over 100,000 sales and marketing presentations to identify the key common elements of the top performers. I have learned that what you should not include in your sales deck is as important as what you should. In the end, I've come up with 10 data-driven tips on what not to include that will help you better navigate the B2B buying journey.

Stay away from:

1. Purely static content

When thinking about sales decks, most people visualize a static slide-based presentation. But with research showing that the average attention span of a human is less than a goldfish, static decks just won’t cut it.

The lesson here is that the first impression is critical. One key element that will help you make a better first impression is video. Prospects are way more likely to interact with presentations that include a video in their cover slide as opposed to those with a static cover background. And this is true for any part of your sales deck, not just the cover slide. If you embed video in your presentation, you can enjoy a longer average reading time and an increase in the CTA click-through rate.

The best part is your audience doesn’t even have to open the video for you to reap the benefits. The mere fact that video is in your presentation will make your deck appear more credible.

2. Generic pitch

The only thing worse than a static pitch is a generic pitch. Making people feel special is the foundation of building business relationships. It shows prospects that you care enough to conduct your due diligence prior to sending out your deck.

At the same time, it doesn’t take a lot of effort to make a deck feel personal. You can reference something a prospect mentioned during a discovery call or address specifics of their business situation. Also, when a personal note is included with a deck, the recipient is more likely to read the deck in full compared to just a generic presentation.

3. Walls of text or complex diagrams

You should never treat your sales deck like a teleprompter. Ideally, each slide should provide just enough information so that it still makes sense when your deck travels around a company without context. You should stick to the most important pieces of information, and expand on them should your prospects have further questions.

That said, it’s not your audience’s job to make sense of your data. Walls of text and complex diagrams are a sure-fire way to lose a person’s attention. Think of it this way, if your prospect only has 15 seconds to look at a slide, can they understand your message without a lot of effort? If the answer is no, simplify.

4. Too much information

You’re obviously enthusiastic about the business idea you’re selling. So, it may feel intuitive to include all there is to know in your sales deck to get people sold on the idea. Unfortunately, that has the exact opposite effect on your audience. It’s better to keep your sales deck focused on a given prospect and their particular needs and challenges. Don’t try to answer too many questions. Your customers will get lost if they receive a massive deck.

Also, customers don’t want to hear about what your solution can do—they want to hear about what your solution can do for them. By tailoring your sales deck to their situation, you’ll make them feel understood and, therefore, more likely to trust in you as their ideal solution provider.

A final benefit of not revealing all your cards right away is that you’ll leave them wanting more.

5. Sending more than one deck at a time

Don’t bombard your prospects with too much collateral. Keep them focused on one clear narrative and avoid sending a deck, and a brochure, and a case study, and an ROI calculation all on one touch point—even if you’ve been asked to. Add slides about different points if they're important to your prospect, but stick to one piece of collateral at a time.

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• 10 Things Entrepreneurs Should Never Say to Potential Investors
• The 17 Biggest Mistakes Startups Make With Their Investor Pitch Deck
• Want to Raise Financing for Your Mobile App Startup? Here’s the Ultimate Investor Pitch Deck

6. Too much professional lingo

One of the worst traps a sales rep can fall into is assuming everyone has the same level of knowledge about their industry, and then overloading a prospect with product features and technology information. The harsh truth is your audience likely doesn't care. As impressive as the technology behind smartphones is, most people are just glad to have one in their pocket to communicate on the go. They don’t need to know all the technical details; they just need to know how the product is relevant to them.

Also, a universal truth about human beings is that we like things we can understand. If your prospect feels like you’re talking down to them, they may feel uncomfortable, or worse, stupid for not understanding what you’re assuming is clear. If you want your pitch to be successful, don’t ever create a knowledge gap between you and your prospect.

7. Inconsistent colors and fonts

The last thing you want your sales deck to look like is a medley of different business presentations haphazardly thrown together before a sales meeting. A great sales deck should look and read as a stand-alone document.

To achieve this, slides should have a cohesive look in terms of colors, sizes, and typography, and provide a coherent visual experience for your audience. If a prospect gets the impression you didn’t put much effort into your sales pitch deck, why would they assume you’ll do an outstanding job with client onboarding and day-to-day service?

Every single detail adds to the overall perception of what a prospect can expect from you should they become a paying client. Just like you wouldn’t wear a dress shirt with sweat bottoms to a sales meeting, don't give clients a sales deck that isn't visually cohesive and professional-looking.

8. Claims without data

Don’t make ambitious claims without any hard data to back them up. People can see right through business pitches that overpromise. Your business idea may sound great on paper, but how has it already helped similar companies in their industry? What have you achieved for others that you can also achieve for new prospects?

By including social proof in the form of reviews, testimonials, or case studies from current or past customers, you’re legitimizing your business in the eyes of your prospective customers.

9. Data without a narrative

You may have all the elements of a winning sales deck, but if your pitch offers only dry details, you’re going to lose your prospects along the way. Through storytelling and telling a narrative, you can improve your sales efforts. A compelling story should include these elements:

• Intro: what’s the context for your sales pitch?
• What is your prospect's problem and what are the challenges they face?
• How will your solution help your prospect?
• How will your prospect's situation improve after they use your solution?
• Why should your prospect trust that you’re going to deliver on your promises?
• What actions and next steps should your prospect take to enjoy your solution?

10. Thank you slide

Once you finish your sales deck, your natural instinct might be to end with a thank you slide and call it a day. If you do that, however, you have just invalidated all the hard work you’ve put in thus far.

When sending out a sales pitch deck, the end goal isn’t to get your prospect to read it (although that is a means to an end), it's to move them down the pipeline.

If someone reads your deck in full, they are clearly interested in your value proposition and they’re ready to part with their money. The worst thing that can happen is for them not to know how to proceed. Including a clear next step (e.g., book a meeting, schedule a demo, etc.) can significantly boost your conversion rate.

RELATED: Create Business Presentations That Win Over Your Audience