How to effectively engage prospects with your sales presentation

Uninterested prospects are a constant challenge for a sales rep. In today’s information-heavy environment, it’s extremely difficult to capture someone’s attention and get them to follow through. That’s why people seek out different tools and techniques to keep their prospects engaged during a sales presentation. One of the best ways to do that is with visual content, such as engaging presentation slides and captivating infographics.

Before we dive into how you can elevate your next sales presentation, let’s look at some research behind the effects of visual content.

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How important is visual content?

Simplify your message the right way

Increase engagement with interactive visuals

Stand out with diverse visual content

Elevate your sales presentation

How important is visual content?

To illustrate the importance of visual content in sales, let’s explore some statistics. 

A study on visual learning revealed that 65% of the general population are visual learners. This clearly explains why people are drawn to social media platforms like Instagram and Snapchat. Another study found that brains process visuals 60,000 times faster than text. Consequently, if the sales rep’s goal is to make a memorable impact on the prospect, effective visual content is a must.

What’s important to note is that it’s not enough to just accompany your sales presentation with static slides. To make a memorable impression with your visual content, you need to consider: 

1. How you can simplify presentation visuals;
2. What kind of visuals increase engagement;
3. How you can stand out with diverse visual content. 

In this blog post, we are going to cover all three points and outline the best ways you can engage your prospective customers with different types of visuals. 

Simplify your message the right way

In a sales call, the sales rep’s goal is to clearly and effectively communicate the company’s message and how the product or service can be of benefit. There’s nothing worse than losing the customer’s attention halfway through the call due to confusing or overwhelming amounts of information. To avoid this scenario, it’s crucial to nail down the message and tailor the information to the target customer’s understanding. Here’s where supporting visual aids can make a great impact and ultimately carry the message for you. 

Whether you’re using an infographic, slides, or another form of visual display, simplify your sales presentation in the following ways:

1. Use visual metaphors

A common mistake in presentations is having too much text. Visual metaphors like icons can easily replace descriptive text. By using visual metaphors instead, you can free up significant space, a key aspect of an information-packed sales presentation. Furthermore, icons appear more visually appealing than cramped text and take much less time to be processed. (see: the example below).

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2. Choose a clean design

Creating a sleek presentation design can be a challenging task for anyone who’s not a graphic designer. Luckily, there are many templates available for you to choose from in Infogram’s library. Opting for a clean design with harmonious colors will create a pleasant viewing experience. Most importantly, a clean design helps emphasize written information. The design should simply accompany your message.

Try this template

3. Add context to numbers

If your sales presentation, infographic, or other visual includes numbers, make sure to accompany them with context. Numbers don’t say much. However, they can have a great impact on your sales presentation if you add short descriptive text or a visual component that emphasizes the importance of these numbers. As you can see in the slide below, numbers are given meaning and context and they tell a more interesting story than those in the second slide. 

4. Remove anything that doesn’t support your story

Lastly, it’s important to declutter your message. Make sure that there are no confusing or unnecessary details taking space in your sales presentation. Don’t be afraid to leave some time for questions at the end of your presentation, where you dive more into details. 

Increase engagement with interactive visuals

Crafting an engaging sales presentation is truly a form of art. Luckily, there are plentiful ways you can create an engaging experience for your customers with presentation slides and infographics. Let’s explore what elements truly elevate your sales presentation. 

1. Interactive maps and graphs

One of the best ways to increase engagement and capture one’s attention is with interactive content, such as interactive maps and graphs. 

Interactive maps display location-specific information and engage the viewer with an interactive data discovery process. The viewer can uncover hidden data by hovering over the map, making the process highly engaging. 

Interactive graphs and charts can display a wide range of data-rich information. The recipient can discover data by clicking, scrolling, and hovering over data points. By involving the viewer in the information discovery process, he or she will be much more engaged and pay closer attention to the content. 

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2. Animations

To make a memorable impact on your prospective customer, consider adding animations. Where appropriate, add GIFs or stickers that can help the reader connect with your content better. Animations carry emotions and cultural references that allow you to express and attach a feeling to your content. On that point, a study in 2012 revealed that emotions highly influence memory performance. Consequently, you can use animations to make your sales presentation more memorable. 

3. Transitions

In presentations, try adding page and element transitions. This feature adds movement to your content and ultimately engages the viewer. Transitions also make the whole content piece appear more visually appealing and attract more attention. However, keep in mind that transitions should be aligned with your content and tone of voice (you don’t want your next page to come in with jumping elements if you’re discussing serious aspects of the company). 

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Stand out with diverse visual content

Presentation slides might be your go-to’s, but they’re also widely used by other sales reps. If you are planning to stand out, consider implementing other types of visuals, such as infographics.

Infographics help break down complex statistics into easy-to-read formats. So, an infographic can come in handy when you’re trying to make a point out of complex data.

If you’re planning to use an infographic in your sales call, make sure to follow best practices on how to create an infographic to make the best impact on your prospects.

Below is a great example of an infographic you may want to use in your next sales call, or simply use as hand-out material for your clients. 

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Elevate your sales presentation

These days, sales presentations are taking place online more often. And it’s important to create the same engaging experience for your prospects as if you were presenting in person. You wouldn’t hide behind your visual content in person, so why would you be online?

With Prezi Video, you’re able to show your visuals next to you, so you never lose that face-to-face connection with your audience. Create your visuals in Prezi, or simply upload your existing presentation slides and go from there. If you want to learn more about Prezi Video, please watch this video: 

Keeping your prospects engaged during the whole sales presentation isn’t an easy thing to do. Not only do you want to keep your prospective clients engaged, but you also want to leave a lasting impression so they feel compelled to follow up and close the deal. That’s why effective visuals are so important. With interactive elements and diverse content, you can truly elevate the overall experience and make a memorable impact.

Interested in discovering how Infogram can enhance your team’s work? Join a brief Zoom session with our Infogram representative to explore key features, get answers to your questions, and understand how we can assist. It’s quick, informative, and just like a coffee break chat. Schedule your call now!