A good sales presentation is important for landing a deal, but other factors play a role as well. It is important to understand the dynamics of the decision makers. Investing a lot of time and effort in making slides prettier is a waste if the decision has nothing to do with the presentation.
Some thoughts that can go on in the back of the mind of the decision maker:
- “These slides look totally 1990s and are full of typos, they are not serious professionals”
- “Great slides, but I have no idea what they are trying to say”
- “They never seem to understand/answer my questions”
- “They are always 5 minutes late, what about future project deadlines”
- “Better play it safe and hire a big brand for the project, I need a promotion at the end of the year”
- “Sorry, but I cannot see myself working with this woman managing the project for the next year”
- “Hopefully she notices my favourite tie I always wear on the days of the tender meetings”
- “We need on the ground presence in China, and I already told them it is a deal breaker if they don’t have it”
- “They do not know what they are doing, they charge far too little for all they are doing”
- “Again trying to argue why we need to spend $10m when our budget is $5m”
- “The other contender offered a summer job position for the daughter of my boss”
- “Last night’s venue was a bit shady, but they kept their promise and opened a 1996 Dom Perignon at the end”
- “All these small calculation errors, not a big deal in a presentation, but a catastrophy for the project”