As a consultant or salesperson in a B2B environment, you will often need to deliver a sales presentation to a potential new client.
I frequently sit with prospects with the goal of getting them interested in our services.
Recently however, I decided to switch things up. Instead of basing my sales conversations on a PowerPoint overloaded with information about Vet Digital: our logo, the logos of our clients, our services, and our vision on modern marketing, I took a different approach.
I was inspired by the presentation of Zuora, a company that offers automated solutions for complex online subscription payments.
The storyline in this presentation consists of 5 steps that I will summarize below.
Use these 5 steps to make a successful sales presentation
Follow these five steps for a successful sales presentation!
1. Name a big and relevant change in the world
Instead of talking directly about themselves, the sales presentation of Zuora starts with naming a big and relevant change in the world of their client that will bring them new opportunities, but also new threats if they do not react to this change in a timely manner.
View this slide as an example:
Zuora subsequently provides an overview of the changes that have happened in the last couple of decades in the world of their client, which helps emphasize the shift.
So instead of starting with the presumed problem or pain point of their client, Zuora illustrates the (near) future of her potential client and the possibilities that this future holds.
2. Show that there are winners and losers
In the next step of their presentation Zuora shows what happens with companies who successfully react to the above mentioned change (the winners) versus companies who lag behind and experience the disadvantage of not taking action (the losers).
Prospects of Zuora will understand that "doing nothing" is not an option and that they can only be a winner if they take action.
3. Show the "promised land"
Instead of listing the products and advantages of Zuora, in the third part, the sales presentation shows "the promised land" to their potential customer.
In this slide Zuora shows which criteria need to be met in order to be a winner in the "new world", as illustrated in the first stage of their sales presentation.
4. Describe your products and/or services as "magical gifts"
Only towards the end of their sales presentation do Zuora reps talk about their products and services, which they position as "magical powers" that can help their potential customer reach the "promised land."
In other words, they completely flipped the switch.
5. Show convincing evidence that helps you live up to your own story
In the last part of their sales presentation, Zuora shows precisely how they helped other companies to the "promised land".
For their potential clients this provides the necessary evidence that Zuora is the right party for them.
I hope the example of Zuora inspires you as much as it has inspired me!
