How to Make the Pricing Slide [For a Pitch Deck & Sales Presentation]
- Ink Narrates | The Presentation Design Agency
- May 1, 2025
- 7 min read
Updated: Nov 24, 2025
While building a sales presentation for a B2B SaaS client named Yasser, a question came up that sounded simple but revealed something deeper.
“How do we avoid scaring prospects with the pricing slide?”
Our Creative Director replied,
“By showing value before showing cost.”
We see this all the time. Teams pour energy into polishing their pricing tables, debating between monthly and annual formats, or finding the perfect shade of blue for the most expensive plan. Yet the real question isn’t how the slide looks — it’s how it makes people feel.
So, in this blog, we’ll cover how to make a pricing slide that earns trust, shows value, and gets your audience nodding before they ever see a dollar sign.
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Reasons Why the Pricing Slide Is Always Up for Debate
The pricing slide tends to spark endless discussions in every team meeting. Some love it, others fear it, and most can’t decide when or how to show it. The tension isn’t really about numbers, it’s about perception. How your audience feels about your price often matters more than the price itself.
Here’s why the debate never seems to end...
1. Fear of Sticker Shock
Teams worry that showing the price too soon might push prospects away. It’s a valid fear, numbers, when shown without context, can feel cold and final. That’s why many founders hold back, hoping to first establish value.
2. Desire for Transparency
On the flip side, there’s a growing push for honesty and clarity. Some argue that if you believe in your offering, you shouldn’t hide the price. Being upfront can signal confidence and professionalism, especially in B2B sales decks where trust drives every deal.
3. The Timing Dilemma
Even if you decide to include the pricing slide, when to show it is another battle. Too early, and it overshadows your value proposition. Too late, and it feels like a trap. Finding that balance is what separates a good pitch from a great one.
4. Lack of Storytelling
Most pricing slides fail because they drop numbers without building the story first. When there’s no emotional buildup (no clear link between cost and benefit) your audience sees price, not value.
So, the real debate isn’t “should we show pricing or not?” It’s “how do we make our pricing part of the story, not a surprise at the end?”
How to Make a Pricing Slide That Earns Trust & Shows Value
Step 1: Build the Value Story First, The Slide Comes Last
The most common mistake? Designing the pricing slide in isolation.
This is not just a slide. It’s the final scene of a story. And it only makes sense if everything before it has done its job — especially the problem framing, the vision of change, and the proof that change is possible.
If the pricing slide shows up too early in the creative process, it often becomes a mechanical decision. Rows. Columns. Checkboxes. Numbers.
But if it’s the final piece of a well-told narrative, it becomes a natural next step — something the buyer is expecting, not dreading.
So before even thinking about format or layout:
Clarify the core problem you solve
Articulate what happens when that problem is solved
Show exactly how your product gets them there
Reinforce the cost of not solving the problem
Once that narrative is built, pricing becomes a supporting detail. Not a disruption.
Step 2: Decide the Role of the Pricing Slide in Your Sales Process
Not every pricing slide needs to close the deal on the spot. Some are designed to spark a discussion. Others are meant to anchor budget expectations. And some exist to get sign-off.
But the slide must know its role.
Start by asking:
Does this slide need to show final pricing or just a starting point?
Will a salesperson be walking through this or will it be read asynchronously?
Is this meant for CFOs and budget holders or end users and champions?
The answers will determine tone, depth, and structure.
For example, if the goal is to support a champion in convincing others, the slide should include ROI framing and optionality — giving them the tools to make the case.
If the goal is to close, then friction must be minimal and confidence must be high — meaning all objections should be pre-handled visually and verbally.
Never let the slide exist without context. A generic pricing table rarely does what teams think it will.
Step 3: Choose the Right Format Based on the Offering
Different pricing models call for different structures. Forcing all pricing into a 3-column format is lazy. Great pricing slides match the format to the model.
Here are a few models and how to approach them visually:
1. Tiered Pricing (3 Packages) Use clear, buyer-centric language.
Each tier should address a specific kind of buyer — from cautious to committed. Avoid feature bloat. Instead, use outcome-based headers and call out the “Recommended” tier with contrast and clarity.
2. Per-User or Per-Seat Pricing Keep the math simple.
Use a price-per-unit, followed by a visual example showing what it would cost for typical teams. Add a pricing calculator in interactive formats or notes suggesting ranges for common team sizes.
3. Usage-Based or Volume-Based Pricing Use a slider or pricing bands.
Help the buyer see where they fall based on their size or volume. Transparency builds trust. And if the model is complex, pair it with a real-world example so the logic becomes tangible.
4. Custom or Enterprise Pricing Never hide behind “Contact Sales.”
Instead, explain why pricing is custom. Show what variables affect it. And list what’s typically included — onboarding, SLAs, integrations, account management — to justify strategic pricing.
Always remember: the format must match the business model, not the other way around.\
Step 4: Use Language That Removes Resistance
Pricing triggers emotion. The language around it should be engineered to reduce friction and build confidence.
A few high-performing techniques include:
Framing by value: “Only X per month to eliminate Y problem”
Anchoring to common benchmarks: “Less than the cost of one lost customer”
Showing comparative logic: “Costs 80% less than hiring a full-time team”
Labeling tiers thoughtfully: Avoid “Basic” if it sounds inferior. Try “Starter” or “Essentials”
Using cues like “Most Popular” or “Best Value” to guide decisions
Every word around the price should help the buyer feel one thing: this is the smart move.
Step 5: Design for Clarity, Not Cleverness
The fastest way to lose trust at this stage? Design that’s too busy or too cute.
A good pricing slide should feel like a breath of fresh air. Spacious. Clean. Direct. Visual hierarchy must lead the eye from headline to price to action.
Some things that always work:
High-contrast callouts for the recommended tier
Icons or illustrations that summarize what’s included
Visual dividers to separate tiers without clutter
Clear buttons or prompts for next steps
This slide is not the place for experimentation. It’s where simplicity becomes a strategy.
If the buyer is pausing to decode it, the slide is failing.
Step 6: Pre-empt Objections Without Saying a Word
The best pricing slides handle objections before they’re voiced.
This doesn’t mean writing FAQ-style content. It means addressing the hidden questions that cause hesitation:
“What if this doesn’t work for our team?”
“What if we need more support later?”
“What if we outgrow this plan too quickly?”
“Why is this worth more than our current solution?”
Smart slides answer these with subtle cues:
“Flexible plans as your needs evolve”
“Includes onboarding, training, and 24/7 support”
“Built for scale — used by teams of 10 to 10,000”
“Designed to replace 3 separate tools”
Don’t wait for objections. Kill them before they surface.
Step 7: End With a Clear Next Step
Even if the pricing slide isn’t the final slide, it must suggest a next move.
That might be:
“Schedule a 15-minute call to customize your plan”
“Start a risk-free 30-day pilot”
“See a breakdown for your exact team size”
Whatever it is, say it. Don’t leave the prospect wondering what happens now. This is the slide where the internal conversation starts — give them the language and action to carry it forward.
Where in the Deck Should You Place Your Pricing Slide
The placement of your pricing slide can make or break your pitch. It shouldn’t show up too early, before your audience understands your value, or too late, when they’ve already tuned out. We’ve found that the sweet spot usually comes right after you’ve shown the results your product delivers. That’s the moment when your audience is nodding, thinking, “Okay, this actually works.”
For example, in Yasser’s SaaS presentation, we placed the pricing slide immediately after a quick results summary: increased customer retention, reduced onboarding time, and improved support response rates. By the time the numbers appeared, prospects already connected the dots between cost and outcome. The pricing didn’t feel like an expense; it felt like a logical next step.
What’s the Best Way to Talk Through the Pricing?
The mistake most presenters make is reading out the numbers as if they’re announcing bad news. That instantly shifts attention from value to cost. Instead, treat your pricing slide as the punchline to a well-built story.
When you reach this slide, pause for a second.
Let your audience process what they’ve just seen (the results, testimonials, and proof of impact). Then frame the price as the means to achieve those outcomes.
For example, instead of saying, “This plan costs $499 per month,” say, “This plan helps teams like yours reduce churn by 30%, which more than covers the monthly cost.”
Speak in the language of outcomes, not transactions.
Avoid words like “price,” “fee,” or “cost,” and replace them with “investment” or “plan.” You’re not selling a product; you’re offering a path to a result.
Finally, keep your tone calm and matter-of-fact.
Confidence is contagious. If you treat your pricing like it’s justified, your audience will too.
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