The right sales presentation will turn your employer prospect into a customer. Whether your discussion is online or in-person, there are some basic guidelines to keep in mind when putting your presentation together. Below are five tips to help you create a winning sales presentation.
1: Do your research upfront – before you begin putting your presentation together.
A winning pitch begins with your research. Where did the lead come from? What do you know about your prospect’s or client’s current situation? What is their industry? Who are their competitors? Is the group currently insured, and why it is considering a change? Is it a virgin group and coverage would be all new? What about a census? Do you have one yet? Are there specific pain points that your client has shared that need to be addressed? The more you know, the better you can tailor your presentation and quote.
2: Structuring your presentation.
Your presentation has several primary objectives. Introducing you, your agency, and your value proposition. You want to demonstrate you understand your client’s pain points, and you have the solution. Use visuals that complement what you plan to say, but don’t make your slides too text heavy. You do not want folks – including yourself – to get bogged down reading your slides and not listening to what’s being said.
Highlight your most important points. Help your customer understand that without you and the adoption of your solution, their pain will likely continue.
If you have successfully helped a client in a similar situation in the past, share it. If you have a product that seems like the right solution, discuss how it has helped others.
3: Consider a sales presentation template.
Your best return on investment is on your content development – not design. A sales presentation template can help you reinforce your brand, while also saving you time. It can streamline your process, improve your content by helping you create a consistent look and feel, and ensure a visually pleasing experience.
Showell offers a comparison of several templates, including Canva, Envato, Microsoft PowerPoint, and Slidesgo.
4: Ask open-ended questions.
One way to keep your prospect or client engaged is to ask open-ended questions. What do you view as the ideal solution to your situation? Do you think what I’m suggesting can help you and your employees? What else would you like to see? There are many things you can say and do to engage your customers.
Listen to their answers and be ready to answer your client’s questions, too.
As you wrap up your pitch, reiterate the advantages of your proposal, backed up with data, and drive it home your differentiators over other brokers. Address head on why you believe your solution is the right next step for your client to make.
Depending on how your conversation and presentation go, you may have follow-up action items. Set a timeline for getting back together – in person or by phone – to answer any final questions and present resolutions to any discussed objections.
If you get a positive reaction, you may be able to close on the spot. If not, you may need to reach out again on whatever timeline your client suggests.
5: Timing and follow up.
There are different points of view about how long your presentation should be. Some experts say no more than 10-15 minutes. Others say longer is okay. Each customer is different, and it’s hard to predict how a conversation might go. You want to give your client the information they need to understand how what you have to offer will help them, and why your solution works to address their challenges.
Once you have a thumbs up from your buyer, you will want to discuss next steps: needed paperwork, first premium payment, employee enrollment (online, in-person, or hybrid), etc. Make it clear what needs to happen and when. Having it in writing can make it easier.
If you don’t close the deal as expected, evaluate what might make your next presentation more successful. Reflect honestly, but do not beat yourself up. Adjust your strategy to better highlight your value proposition or re-evaluate your proposed solution. Approach your next presentation with resilience. Your lost sale is not a reflection on your ability, but an opportunity for future growth.
