How to Deliver a Sales Presentation That Actually Sells
I’ve seen brilliant people bomb sales presentations.
Not because their offer sucked. Not because their deck wasn’t pretty. But because they disappeared. Behind “just the facts.” Behind 38 slides and a polite smile.
You are the presentation.
Not your Slides. Not your bullet points.
You.
The Real Goal of a Sales Presentation
Let’s clear this up once and for all…
A sales presentation isn’t about “informing” your audience. It’s not a polite data dump. It’s not a chance to read bullet points off a slide deck of aspirational buyers wearing $2,000 t-shirts, hoping someone in the room feels inspired enough to buy.
It’s to persuade and influence, so your audience signs on the dotted line.
Yes, you want to connect. Yes, you want to build trust. But let’s not twist this.
This isn’t a group therapy session. It’s sales.
That means the goal is action. Not applause. Not “great insights.” A decision.
You build that decision by creating two things:
Connection — so they trust you.
Conviction — so they believe your solution is the right one.
Connection opens the door. Conviction walks them through it. That’s what gets you the signature.
What Actually Makes a Sales Presentation Work
People don’t buy products. They buy into people. Then they buy products.
Think about the last time you walked into a store and asked for advice or a recommendation.
You probably didn’t grill the employee for a resume. But if they seemed friendly, confident, and knew their stuff? You trusted them.
That’s authority. And there’s actual brain science behind this:
Authority Bias
You, me, and every audience member from aisle 12 at REI to the keynote crowd in Vegas are wired to trust people we perceive as experts.
Even if that person isn’t a lawyer or PhD. If they’ve got experience, conviction, and a vibe that says “I got you,” your brain gives them a big ol’ green light.
We shortcut decision-making by leaning into perceived authority. It’s efficient. It feels safe. It’s the prefrontal cortex doing its job: helping us choose quickly by weighing who seems to know best.
So no, you don’t need 19 years of field data in your slides. You need to show up like someone who knows how to lead the room. That’s what makes a great sales presentation.
Sales Presentation Structure (That Leaves Room for You)
Look, there are a million presentation templates and frameworks floating around the internet for “perfect” presentations.
But most of them are built for the speaker, not the listener. They’re too linear. Too focused on checking boxes instead of making a point.
And too often, presenters lose sight of the most important person in the room: the audience.
They’ve got “all this great stuff” they want to share — which is fine. But if your audience doesn’t care, that content is dead on arrival.
Your slides might as well be background noise while they tune into TikTok. Sales presentations aren’t just about what you say. They’re about how you lead someone to a decision.
And that means your structure has to:
Be flexible enough to fit your style
Be strategic enough to hold their attention
Build toward action (not applause)
These are the two core structures I teach my clients:
Problem → Solution
ALT text: Infographic showing a simplified sales presentation structure: Problem → Solution.
This is the one I use most often. Clean. Simple. Powerful.
It goes like this:
Hook: Get their attention with something sharp. A story. A stat. A moment that makes them think, “Wait, what?”. This is the part most presenters skip. “I don’t need a hook,” said the worst sales presenters ever. If you don’t have their attention, you can’t persuade. No attention = no sale.
Problem: Name it clearly. The thing that’s slowing them down, costing them time, making their lives harder.
Solution: Spend the most time here. This is where your offer lives — your value props, your product, your process, your proof. This is where you show how you solve that exact problem with elegance, clarity, and actual results.
CTA: Always end with a clear next step. Your closing isn’t “Thank you!” or “Questions?” — those aren’t CTAs. Instead, tell them what comes next. Spell it out. Invite action.
This structure works best when your audience is already aware of the problem. They’ve felt it, maybe even named it, and they’re ready to hear how you can fix it.
2. Problem → Cause → Solution
Infographic showing a 3-part sales presentation structure: Problem → Cause → Solution.
This one’s for the ohhhh now I get it crowd.
Sometimes, your audience isn’t totally clear on the real issue.
They’ve normalized the inefficiency. They’ve adapted to the dysfunction. They don’t yet realize how bad it is or why it’s happening.
That’s where this structure shines:
Problem: Start by naming what’s off.
Cause: Now spend time here. Explain the why. What’s causing the problem? What’s reinforcing it? This is where you build shared understanding and connection.
Solution: Once they’re onboard with the cause, the solution slots in like a missing puzzle piece. You’re not just offering a fix, you’re completing the picture.
This one works beautifully in more low-key settings — Lunch and Learns, internal buy-in pitches, stakeholder presentations where you need to connect some dots before you sell the thing.
11 Sales Presentation Tips to Be Unforgettable
Movement = Energy
Let me be clear. Movement doesn’t mean pacing like you’re tracking an escaped hamster across the stage.
It means using your body intentionally to inject energy into your delivery. The way you stand, shift, pause, or gesture communicates volumes before you even speak.
A purposeful step forward can signal urgency. A gesture that aligns with your words (“three things to know” while holding up three fingers) reinforces retention and intention.
When your body matches the rhythm and emotion of your message, your audience feels it, not just hears it. That’s what makes people lean in, not zone out.
Body language makes up over 50% of what we communicate. So heck yes, it deserves the number one spot on this list. Ignore it, and you’re leaving most of your persuasive power on the table
2. Ask Real Questions (and Listen to the Answers)
Asking questions just to hear yourself speak isn’t interaction, it’s theater.
The best sales presenters know: rhetorical questions might sound polished, but real questions spark conversion-level engagement. They’re also the most challenging. Because when you ask a real question, you’re inviting real participation. And that means your audience expects you to respond in kind.
It’s not easy. But the payoff is massive. Because nothing pulls your audience into the moment like being part of it.
If your goal is to get someone to buy, start by getting them to speak.
Not:
❌ “Wouldn’t you agree this is a huge opportunity?” (That’s a trap.)
❌ “How many of you want to save money?” (Everyone. Always.)
Instead, ask something they can feel in their gut:
✅ “How long does it usually take your team to pull this data together each week?”
✅ “Who here has had to explain the same metric three times to three different stakeholders?”
✅ “When’s the last time a client asked you for something your current system / product suite couldn’t deliver?”
And when your audience answers (out loud or even with a subtle head nod), they’re no longer passive. They’ve started to invest.
When people engage, they begin simulating the situation in their own minds. They draw from their own experiences. Your message becomes personal. Psychologists call this self-referential processing — your content links to their identity and experience, making it stickier, more meaningful, and more likely to lead to action.
Bonus: When you listen to the answer, actually listen, not just nod and move on, you position yourself as a partner, not a pitch machine. And people buy from partners.
3. Insert Yourself Into Your Presentation
This is the “why should I trust you?” part.
Your audience doesn’t want a flawless expert. They want someone who gets it. Someone who’s lived it, messed it up, figured it out, and can now help them shortcut the same pain.
That doesn’t mean turning your sales presentation into your memoir. It means showing up with the kind of specificity only experience gives you.
Insert yourself not for attention, but for credibility. (And no, that doesn’t mean listing every degree, certification, or job title you’ve ever had.)
Credibility comes from how you show up. It’s in the stories you share, the experiences you draw from, the signals of grit, determination, and insight.
Sometimes it’s as simple as a photo of you at the top of a mountain, it tells them what kind of person you are, without a single credential.
Want to get better at using stories without oversharing or veering off-course?My blog on storytelling in presentations breaks it all down with examples and frameworks that actually work in sales.
That’s what makes people lean in and buy.
4. Make It About Them, Not You
I know… you’ve heard this one a million times.
“Make it about your audience!” It’s the most overused, under-explained advice in public speaking. So let’s actually break it down.
You’re the guide with the torch, not the hero with the swelling soundtrack. Your job isn’t to center your story, it’s to use your story to center theirs.
Every stat, every slide, every joke, every anecdote should ladder back to their reality (you can even say these out load to an audience):
“Here’s what that means for you.”
“Here’s how you’ve probably seen this play out.”
“Here’s where most teams get stuck.”
Your story is just a vehicle. It works when it helps them feel seen, not when it helps you feel smart.
If they don’t recognize themselves in what you’re saying, they’ll mentally exit before you even hit your CTA.
5. Make Eye Contact, Not Eye Scan
Most people glance across a crowd like they’re watching a tennis match. Instead, lock in. Hold someone’s gaze just long enough for them to feel seen (3 to 5 seconds) then shift.
That moment of connection builds intimacy and trust. It says, “I see you. I’m with you.”
That said, neurodivergence is real. And holding eye contact can feel uncomfortable. I usually tell people to aim just above: at the bridge of the nose or between the eyebrows. The connection still lands, without making anyone feel uneasy.
6. Open With Presence, Not a Name Tag
Most presenters think they’re opening with intention when they say:
“Hi, my name is [X]. Thanks to Bob in accounts for having me. I’m so excited to be here today to talk about [Y].”
They’re not.
That’s not presence. That’s polite filler, and it burns your most valuable seconds.
Presence is when your first line grabs attention. A story. A surprising fact. A line that makes the room go still for a second. That’s how you get people leaning forward before they even know what hit them.
Your opening should say, “This is going to be worth your time.”
Not, “Let’s get through this together.”
And if you want to steal one of my favorite openers, I’ve spilled all the tea in my blog: The Best Way to Start a Presentation.
7. Talk to One Person, Not “The Audience”
This is way harder to do if you’re delivering an online presentation.
You’re speaking to a grid of muted thumbnails, half of them dark, a third of them distracted, and one guy clearly emailing. And yet… You still need to connect like you’re talking to one person.
When you’re in person, don’t try to “cover the room.” Instead, speak like you’re reconnecting with a close friend you haven’t seen in a while. That warmth, that ease, that genuine interest? It changes your tone. It brings out the smiles, the emotion, the natural pauses, all the stuff that makes your audience feel like you’re with them, not at them.
If I’m delivering online to a large group of people. I tend to pick someone in my mind.
A real client, a teammate, a skeptical exec. Imagine they’re sitting just behind the camera. And then? Talk to them.
Make it conversational. Direct. Slightly more personal than it feels comfortable at first.
Because you can’t move a crowd. You can only move a person. And if you do that enough times… the crowd moves too.
8. Don’t Be a Voiceover for Your Slides
If you’re reading your slides out loud, we could’ve stayed home and read them ourselves.
Slides are not a script.
A good slide sets the mood, backs your point, or makes an idea visual. That’s it.
Here’s what happens when you let your slides do the talking:
You shrink.
Your presence dims.
Your audience disengages because they’re reading instead of listening.
Your job? To expand and enrich.
If your slide says: “Customer churn up 17%,”
You say: “That’s 1 in 6 clients walking away — not quietly, but with frustration and unmet needs.”
Your voice carries the emotion, context and experience.
So keep the text tight. Use visuals with intention. And for the love of all things persuasive, don’t narrate your bullet points like it’s karaoke night at the Quarterly Review Lounge.
9. Offer Your POV
Your audience doesn’t just want information. They want to know what you think.
Not your company. Not your product team. You.
What’s your personal take based on what you’ve seen, lived, built, or survived?
What’s something you believe deeply, even if it’s not universally agreed upon?
Say that.
“I’ve worked with over 50 sales teams, and I can tell you, the number one reason deals don’t close isn’t price. It’s confusion.”
“In my experience, the most innovative teams aren’t the ones with the biggest budgets, it’s…”
That’s what builds you as the authority, not just the messenger. When you’re brave enough to share your own conclusions, you become more than credible.
Don’t just show up with facts.
Show up with conviction.
10. Say the Thing They’ve Been Whispering All Year
Every room has one.
That unspoken truth. The tension no one will name. The shared frustration wrapped in a joke, muttered in Slack, or avoided in status updates.
You want to build trust? Name it.
Say the thing they’ve been whispering under their breath — out loud, on purpose, with compassion and clarity.
Not for shock value or drama. But to say:
“I see what’s really going on.”
“We’ve thrown money at this problem and it still sucks.”
“Your top performers are burning out and no one’s talking about it.”
“You’re measuring success in dashboards, but your team is measuring it in survival.”
That kind of honesty is magnetic.
Because when you prove you’re not afraid to tell the truth (especially the hard truth) you earn a kind of credibility that no credential can touch.
11. Close With a CTA, Not a Fade to Black
If your last slide says “Thank you,” you’ve misunderstood the assignment.
This is a sales presentation. If you don’t say the call to action out loud, it didn’t happen.
“Let me know if you have questions” is not a close. It’s a ghosting invitation.
Your CTA should be unmistakably clear and actually spoken:
“Let’s talk about what this could look like for your team.”
“Book a call and I’ll show you a version tailored to you.”
“If you’re ready, here’s what happens next.”
Don’t close with a question. Close with direction.
Want to Improve Your Sales Presentation Skills?
You’ve got the offer. Now it’s time to deliver it in a way that actually lands.
Whether you’re presenting solo or leading a sales team, I can help you/ your team feel more confident, more clear, and more persuasive when it counts.
Want a focused 1:1 session to refine your message, your delivery, or your deck? Buy My Brain gives you 60 minutes of tailored support to get your sales presentation where it needs to be to make more sales.
Supporting a team who’s ready to present with more presence, clarity, and conviction? Let’s talk company training. I’ll help your people build skills that stick and sell.
Sales presentations don’t have to feel stiff or overwhelming.
Let’s make them something you actually feel good about.
FAQs
Can I use humor in a sales presentation?
Yes, please do. Use humor to build connection, not perform. A light, human moment (“we’ve all been there”) builds trust. Avoid sarcasm, shock jokes, or trying too hard.
What’s one thing I should never do in a sales presentation?
Don’t apologize. Skip “Sorry if this is too much” or “I’m not great at this.” Own your space and your message. Also, never end on “Any questions?” — always close with a clear, spoken CTA.
