Sellers constantly ask me how to deliver sales presentations that separate them from the competition. Sometimes that separation can be accomplished with something as simple as fewer slides.
Working with a software team last week, an account representative told me that he was pitching for a piece of business against several other highly qualified vendors. Â “I never bring more than five slides,” he told me.
The prospect told him that the streamlined nature of his pitch was in stark contrast with his competition. “Thanks for keeping your presentation so short,” the decision-maker told him. “I appreciate not having to look at so many slides.”
He won the business. And while there were many reasons for the win, he separated himself from the competition by refusing the temptation to overwhelm the prospect with too many slides.
Sellers often try to separate themselves from the competition with increasingly complex attempts to distinguish their products and services. That often means more slides. Â But often we can separate ourselves by just executing the presentation in a way that makes life easier on the prospect.
User-friendly presentations send a wonderful message about what it’s going to be like to do business with you. That separates you.