There are a number of key slides which should be included in any presentations to make it effective. 

A sales presentation can be really condensed down into A: Telling your story and B. Telling your customers’ story. 

Storytelling positively affects the brain creating an emotional connection, which makes it easier to remember the information related, process facts, relate to the storyteller and in the whole, build up trust. 

In an earlier article on How to Build an Effective Presentation I set out the key slides in an effective PowerPoint presentation. These slides are as follows:

1. Title Slide
2. The ‘Problem’
3. ‘Solution’
4. Why You?
5. Product Demo
6. Customer Story
7. Numbers & Stats
8. Call to action

You really only need eight effective slides to get your message across and create that connection which makes your audience want to reach out to you to further the conversation. 

Your audience really doesn’t care about how good your products are, and a list of products is just that-  a list of products. We probably all know by now the importance of highlighting the benefits of your product i.e. how they make someone’s life easier or solve a problem. The best way of highlighting the benefits is sharing your customer’s story, how you made their life better, how you solved their problem. A picture of a smiling customer with a personal quote is always a winner here. 

The best way to talk about your product is to show it in action. You can do this via a very short product demo. I recommend sixty seconds tops – just enough for your audience to have further questions; if you tell all they have nothing to ask and question asking is engagement!

Personally I don’t bother with a Thank You slide. This in my opinion is  a waste of a good slide. Your final slide should be a call to action – a compelling reason why your audience should reach out to you. A call to action can be a free consultation, a discount code, limited time offer or something of that nature. 

If this resonates with you and you would like to discuss your presentation further, please reach out to me. 

My easy-to-follow How to Design a Winning Presentation course may also be of benefit to you given how it has helped others create an effective presentation in PowerPoint in a matter of hours.