Proven Sales Presentation Strategies: 5 Ways to Wow Your Audience

Selling is all about presentation. Whether you are pitching a potential client or presenting product information to a team, the ability to effectively communicate and persuade is key. Contrary to popular belief, you don't need to be born with stellar presentation skills; great sales presentation strategies can become second nature through hard work and practice. Here are a few tips to help you improve your presentation skills.

5 sales presentation strategies

1. Use storytelling techniques

The best salespeople are often the best storytellers, and the best storytellers are often the best salespeople. People are more likely to remember and be moved by a story than by a list of facts and figures. Use anecdotes, examples, and case studies to illustrate your points and make them more relatable.

The key is capturing your audience’s attention. People are busy and have short attention spans. While this doesn't mean being obnoxious is the answer, you need to do something to stand out, such as a bold intro, the use of visuals, or establishing your credibility in a given subject.

Once you have the audience’s undivided attention, you have to keep it. Here is where it’s beneficial to use examples and case studies to illustrate the points that you’re making. Here’s an example:

Last year, there were 150,762 layoffs across 971 tech companies. Here is why layoffs are happening.”

When you use a statistic, you are showing you’re knowledgeable about the subject at hand while simultaneously capturing the attention of the audience. After hearing the statistic, the audience will want to know: 1) why this is happening; 2) what the solution is; and 3) what happens next.

As you work your way through your presentation or pitch, be concise. No one likes a rambler. Make your claims, support them, and stay on topic! The fastest way to lose your audience is by rambling.

2. Engage your audience

Don't just stand at the front of the room and talk at people. Instead, try to involve the audience in your presentation. Ask questions, encourage feedback, and use interactive elements like polls or quizzes to keep them engaged. And you can do the same for video calls.

Make sure to leave dedicated times for questions throughout your presentation. A good rule of thumb is that you should never present material for longer than 15 minutes without engaging your audience in some way, shape, or form.

Study other people's presentations on YouTube. You’ll notice that the best speakers are constantly engaging with their audience. They’re commenting on behaviors, asking questions, making people raise their hands. Why? Because it keeps the audience on the edge of their seats. Try working some of these techniques into your presentation.

Bonus tip: Leave time for a Q&A at the end of your session. For an audience member, there's nothing worse than leaving a presentation without having their questions answered.

3. Know your audience

Before you start preparing your presentation, make sure you understand whom you are speaking to. A presentation for college students should look and feel much different than a presentation for senior business leaders. Do your homework ahead of time by looking up attendees on LinkedIn; try to understand who people are and where they work.

Consider the audience’s needs, interests, and level of knowledge about the topic. Is the audience a prospect? College students? A group of key decision makers? This will help you tailor your message and make it more relevant and engaging. Don’t make the mistake of trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. Your language, humor (if applicable), visuals, and statistics should be relevant to the audience.

In the end, when it comes to giving a successful presentation, you’re only as good as how well you prepare.

4. Pay attention to your body language

Your nonverbal cues can speak just as loudly as your words. Stand up straight, make eye contact, and use your hands and facial expressions to help convey your message.

Be bold and assertive, but be careful not to do too much and be overbearing. Too much movement can be incredibly distracting. The best speakers use just the right amount of movement, voice inflection, and eye contact to captivate their audience and drive their points home.

Tip: Study comedians doing crowd work. The best comedians know when to use hand gestures, when to pace, and when to stand up straight to deliver the punch line.

5. Use visuals effectively

Visual aids are a sales presentation strategy that can help your audience to better understand and retain information. Use charts, diagrams, and other visuals to illustrate your points and make them more impactful—just make sure they are clear and easy to understand.

If you're on a video sales call with a prospect, consider screen sharing and presenting a deck. Besides helping guide the conversation and keeping the prospect interested, it will keep you on track.

Tip: Choose your visuals wisely and make sure they aren’t distracting. Visuals can actually work against you if they are not right.

Strong presentation skills will help you be a better communicator

Whether you’re pitching a product, presenting a business plan to your team, or interviewing for your dream job, having strong presentation skills is a plus. With some practice and a little bit of preparation, you can deliver persuasive and engaging presentations that will help you close more deals and advance your career.