How to Create the Best Sales Deck in 2024

Table of contents

What is a Sales Deck?
Sales Deck vs. Pitch Deck
How to Create a Great Sales Deck in 7 Easy Steps
Wrapping Up

A sales deck is more than just a collection of slides—it’s a powerful tool that tells a compelling story about your product or service, highlights its unique benefits, and persuades potential customers to take action.

And, a well-crafted one, you can transform a lukewarm response into a resounding “yes” from your prospects!

In this guide, we’ll walk you through the process of building an outstanding sales deck from start to finish.

You’ll learn about the key elements that make a sales deck effective, discover helpful strategies for crafting a persuasive narrative, and see real-world examples of successful sales decks.

Whether you’re a seasoned sales professional or new to the field, this guide will equip you with the knowledge you need to create a sales deck that stands out and converts.

Let’s dive in!

What is a Sales Deck?

A sales deck is a series of slides crafted to support a sales pitch or presentation. It serves as a critical communication tool that visually conveys the value and benefits of a product or service to potential customers.

Typically, a sales deck includes a combination of visual elements such as images, graphs, and infographics, along with concise text that tells a compelling story.

Its primary purpose is to provide a structured and engaging way to present your product or service, making it easier for your audience to understand and remember your key messages.

A well-designed sales deck often includes a mix of the following elements:

A strong cover image to captivate the audience’s attention from the start.
Data and statistics that provide evidence to support your claims and build credibility.
Customer testimonials to add social proof and showcase the success of your product or service.
Customized content to tailor the presentation to the specific needs and pain points of the audience.
Clear next steps that guide the audience on what actions to take following the presentation.

Sales Deck vs. Pitch Deck

If you want to effectively tailor your presentations to their intended purposes, understanding the distinction between a sales deck and a pitch deck is important,

While they may seem similar at first glance, their objectives and content differ significantly as they cater to different audiences and goals.

Sales Deck

A sales deck is specifically designed for direct sales presentations. Its primary focus is on converting potential clients or leads into customers.

This type of deck is highly detailed, often including information about product features, pricing, and case studies that demonstrate the product’s effectiveness in real-world applications.

Sales decks are tailored to the prospective buyer’s needs, emphasizing how the product or service solves specific problems they face.

Pitch Deck

In contrast, a pitch deck is generally used to attract investors or partners. The objective here is to present a compelling story about the business itself—its vision, growth potential, market opportunity, and the team behind the venture.

Pitch decks are less about the granular details of products or services and more about the business at a high level.

They focus on broader topics like business models, the competitive landscape, and financial projections to capture the interest and confidence of potential investors.

Image Source: Goodmeetings

How to Create a Great Sales Deck in 7 Easy Steps

While crafting an effective sales deck might seem daunting, breaking it down into manageable steps can simplify the task and ensure you cover all essential elements.

In this section, we’ll walk you through 7 simple steps to build a powerful sales deck that showcases your product’s value, addresses your prospect’s pain points, and ultimately, helps you close more deals.

1. Use real customer research to find a key pain point

The foundation of a compelling sales deck is its relevance to the audience’s needs and challenges. So, your first step in crafting a sales deck should be to conduct thorough customer research to identify a key pain point that your product/service addresses.

This involves gathering and analyzing data from existing customers, market surveys, feedback forms, and industry reports.

Aim to understand not only what challenges your potential customers face but also how these challenges impact their day-to-day operations or long-term goals.

By focusing on real, validated pain points, you can tailor your sales deck to emphasize how your solution uniquely solves these issues.

Aside from increasing the relatability of your presentation, doing this will also position your offering as the essential remedy to their specific problem.

Remember—the more precisely you can connect your product’s benefits to your audience’s pain points, the more compelling your sales pitch will be.

2. Develop a narrative around your product

Once you’ve identified your customers’ key pain points, the next step is to weave a compelling narrative around your product or service.

A narrative does more than just list features; it tells a story that connects emotionally and logically with your audience.

This story should illustrate how your product emerges as the “hero” in the customer’s journey that transforms their challenges into triumphs.

Start by outlining a clear, simple storyline that includes:

The context: Set the stage by describing the common scenario or struggle that your target audience faces.
The conflict: Highlight the pain points or challenges discovered through your customer research.
The resolution: Introduce your product as the solution to these challenges, showcasing its unique features and benefits.
The success: Provide real-life examples or testimonials that demonstrate how your product has successfully resolved similar issues for others. (We’ll cover this in more detail in a later section.)

3. Decide on 3 key benefits to highlight

A common pitfall in sales presentations is trying to cover every single feature and benefit of the product. This can overwhelm your audience and dilute the impact of your most compelling selling points.

So, to avoid this, focus on highlighting just three key benefits of your product or service that directly address the identified pain points of your audience.

You can select these benefits based on:

Relevance: Each benefit should be directly linked to a real pain point that you identified in your customer research. This ensures that every feature you highlight is presented as a solution to a specific problem your audience is experiencing.
Differentiation: Focus on benefits that set your product apart from the competition. Highlight unique features or superior outcomes that your customers can achieve only through your solution. This will help reinforce why your product is the preferable choice.
Impact: Choose benefits that have a clear and measurable impact on your customers’ business or personal life. Whether it’s saving time, reducing costs, increasing efficiency, or improving quality, make sure these benefits are tangible and quantifiable.

4. Choose your most powerful proof

To build credibility and reinforce the value of your product, you need to include powerful proof in your sales deck.

This involves selecting the strongest, most persuasive data, testimonials, case studies, or endorsements that substantiate the benefits you’ve highlighted.

This could be anything from success metrics and ROI figures from existing customers, to expert endorsements and certifications. 💡

Pro tip: It’s important to present this proof in a way that’s not only compelling but also relevant and convincing to your target audience.

For example, if you’re pitching a technology solution that improves operational efficiency, providing a case study that shows a quantifiable percentage of time saved for a similar company can be highly effective.

5. Use a sales deck template that’s tailored to you

Using a sales pitch deck template can save time and ensure your presentation is structured effectively, but it’s essential to tailor the template to fit your unique needs and industry specifics.

Start by selecting a template that aligns with your industry to ensure it includes relevant sections and design elements.

Personalize the template by incorporating your brand colors, logos, and specific content that addresses your prospect’s needs and pain points.

6. Adjust your content for different presentation formats

When preparing your sales deck, it’s essential to adapt your content based on whether your presentation will be delivered live or online.

Each format has its own set of challenges and advantages, and your deck should be optimized to leverage these effectively.

For live presentations, you can rely more on your personal charisma and interactive elements. Engage with the audience through questions, and be ready to adjust your pace based on their reactions.

(Note: Visuals should support your speech but not overcrowd it, as your physical presence and ability to connect personally are central.)

In contrast, online presentations require your slides to do more heavy lifting. Since you may not be able to gauge audience reactions in real time, your content must be clearer and more engaging visually.

Ideally, you should include high-quality images, clear and concise text, and interactive elements like polls or clickable links (if the platform allows.)

7. Craft a strong call to action (CTA)

The final and perhaps most critical step in creating your sales deck is crafting a strong call to action (CTA).

This is the point at which you convert interest into action, guiding your audience toward the next steps. So, your CTA should be clear, compelling, and directly linked to the narrative and benefits you’ve presented.

Consider what action you want your audience to take after viewing your deck. Do you want them to schedule a demo, sign up for a free trial, or perhaps contact a sales representative?

Whatever it is, your CTA should be unmistakable and easy to follow. Use commanding, action-oriented language that leaves no doubt about what to do next, such as “Book Your Free Demo Today,” “Sign Up Now,” or “Contact Us to Learn More.”

5 Top Sales Deck Examples

Need some invaluable insights and inspiration for crafting your own persuasive presentation? We’ve got you!

In this section, we’ll highlight five top sales decks, analyzing their key features and unique aspects to help you understand what makes them stand out.

By examining them, you can gain practical ideas and best practices to elevate your own sales presentations.

1. Leadnomics Sales Deck by Katya Kovalenko

The Leadnomics sales deck, designed by Katya Kovalenko, is a stellar example of how to effectively showcase brand identity through a sleek and techie design.

Katya was tasked with converting the sales presentation into an easy-to-use brand template with master slides. The result is a visually engaging deck that blends bold, modern aesthetics with functionality.

One of the standout features of this sales deck is its strong emphasis on brand identity. The deck incorporates the company’s colors, fonts, and logos seamlessly, ensuring consistency and a professional look throughout.

The design also leverages a combination of high-quality visuals and minimalistic text to keep the audience engaged without overwhelming them.

You can view the Leadnomics Sales Deck here.

2. UpstartWorks Sales Deck by BrightCarbon

This next sales deck is another exemplary presentation that effectively engages and informs its audience.

It begins with a captivating image of the “road to success,” setting a positive and aspirational tone right from the start.

This visual metaphor is followed by a clear and concise value proposition, outlining the benefits that buyers can expect from partnering with UpstartWorks.

The deck meticulously highlights these benefits, such as increased efficiency and enhanced market reach, making it easy for potential clients to see the tangible value they will receive.

You can view the deck here.

3. QS Sales Deck by BrightCarbon

Created by BrightCarbon for QS (a platform that ranks colleges and universities), this sales deck effectively uses visuals and concise content to deliver a powerful sales message.

It’s designed to communicate the company’s value propositions in an audience-centric approach, making it clear, engaging, and persuasive.

One of the key features of the QS Sales Deck is its use of animated illustrations, which keep the audience engaged and make complex information more digestible.

Check out the QS sales deck here.

4. Producter’s Product-Led Sales Deck by Pitch.com

This deck leverages a product-led growth strategy, showcasing the product’s features and benefits through engaging visuals and user-centric storytelling.

The slides are designed with a clean, professional aesthetic, incorporating Producter’s brand colors and minimal text to maintain clarity and impact.

Key elements include detailed customer testimonials, real-life use cases, and powerful data points demonstrating the product’s value and effectiveness.

5. Freshworks Sales Deck by BrightCarbon

Another excellent sales deck example is the Freshworks sales deck designed by BrightCarbon. This revamped presentation employs vibrant illustrations, animations, and minimal text to convey key messages effectively.

The deck highlights the product’s mobile app and provides a clear customer onboarding process, making the information engaging and easy to understand.

You can check out this sales deck here.

Source: Goodmeetings

Imagine having a personal assistant for every sales meeting, capturing every critical detail, automating follow-ups, and providing real-time insights—all aimed at helping you close deals faster. Well, that’s exactly what Goodmeetings offers!

With this AI-powered tool on your side, you can transform how you conduct sales meetings and supercharge your team’s productivity.

Whether you’re preparing for a pitch, engaging with a prospect in real-time, or analyzing meeting performance afterward, Goodmeetings equips you with everything you need to excel.

Key features of Goodmeetings

Records every word and detail of your meetings to ensure that nothing is missed.
Automatically generates accurate call transcriptions and summaries, making it easy to reference key points and improve preparation and response times.
Provides valuable metrics from your calls to help you understand customer interactions and sharpen your sales pitches/presentations.
Helps your team refine their sales pitches and improve their performance with human and AI-based coaching.
Allows you to engage with global clients and ensure clear communication across diverse markets with its multi-language support.
Identifies and organizes action items from meetings to help your team stay on top of post-meeting tasks.
Gives you a profile of your customer, including their name, designation, and previous interactions with your business; this way, your team can easily personalize its approach and make pitches more relevant and impactful.
Enables you to generate scores and qualify leads based on responses from AI-generated Q&As. This will help your team prioritize its efforts and focus on the most promising prospects.
Highlights the most critical moments in meetings so your reps can focus on and address the most important aspects of client conversations.
Lets you create meeting playlists that can serve as playbooks for onboarding new reps.
Integrates with CRM systems, schedulers, collaboration tools, and more to streamline workflows.

Transform Your Sales Pitches With Goodmeetings

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Wrapping Up

By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can craft a sales deck that not only resonates with your audience but also effectively drives conversions.

And, if you want to take your sales presentations to the next level, a tool like Goodmeetings can help you out!

With its comprehensive suite of features, Goodmeetings ensures that you can focus on delivering compelling pitches while it handles the rest.

Leverage Goodmeetings to Refine Your Sales Presentations

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