How to Create a Sales Call Presentation [A Guide]
- Ink Narrates | The Presentation Design Agency
- 2 days ago
- 6 min read
Our client Kerry asked us an interesting question while we were making their sales call presentation:
“What should I actually put in my deck so I don’t lose my prospect halfway through?”
Our Creative Director answered, without hesitation,
“Only what helps you close the deal.”
As a presentation design agency, we work on many sales presentations throughout the year, and in the process, we’ve observed one common challenge: most decks are bloated with information that prospects neither asked for nor care about.
So, in this blog we’ll talk about how to create a sales call presentation that actually moves your sales conversation forward.
In case you didn't know, we specialize in only one thing: making presentations. We can help you by designing your slides and writing your content too.
How to Create a Sales Call Presentation
If you’ve ever walked into a sales call armed with a 40-slide deck, you already know how quickly things can fall apart. Prospects glaze over. The conversation gets lost in bullet points. And by the time you hit your final slide, nobody remembers what you said in the first five minutes. That’s the reality of most sales call presentations today. They’re too long, too self-centered, and too disconnected from what the prospect actually cares about.
So how do you fix it? How do you build a presentation that grabs attention, supports your pitch, and actually helps you close? Over the years of designing decks for sales teams across industries, we’ve learned that success comes down to three things: structure, design, and delivery. Get those right, and your sales call becomes sharper, shorter, and far more persuasive. Let’s break it down.
Start With Their Pain, Not Your Story
Most sales decks open with “About Us.” That’s a mistake. Your prospect isn’t on the call to hear your life story. They’re on the call because they have a problem. If you want their attention from the first slide, you need to start there.
Think about it from their perspective. They’re juggling a dozen priorities. They don’t have the mental space for your company history or how many awards you’ve won. What they do have time for is someone who gets their pain. For example:
If you’re selling HR tech, show how much time managers waste manually collecting data.
If you’re selling logistics solutions, highlight the cost of shipping delays.
If you’re selling SaaS tools, point out how teams drown in spreadsheets.
When you open with their reality, you signal one thing: you’re here to solve a problem that actually matters to them. That earns you the right to keep talking.
Show the Opportunity
Once you’ve defined the pain, don’t rush straight into pitching. Instead, zoom out and frame the opportunity. Prospects don’t buy because of problems alone. They buy because they see what life could look like on the other side.
This is where you highlight gains: saved hours, reduced costs, higher revenue, smoother processes. Paint a future that’s better than their present. Make it clear what they stand to gain if they solve the pain you just highlighted.
For instance: “Teams that automate this process free up 10 hours a week.” Or, “Companies that adopt this solution cut approval cycles from weeks to days.” Simple, concrete outcomes. That’s what sparks curiosity.
Structuring a Sales Call Presentation That Works
Now comes the part most salespeople love—introducing the product or service. But here’s where discipline matters. Don’t dump every single feature. Prospects don’t need a complete walkthrough. They need to know the two or three things that matter most to them.
Tie every point back to the pain you identified earlier. If you can’t connect a feature to a pain, cut it. Otherwise, you’re just adding noise. We once helped a fintech client cut their 25-feature slide down to four core ones. Close rates improved because the conversation stayed focused.
Keep this simple: problem → opportunity → your focused solution.
Prove It With Evidence
Every prospect has a built-in defense system against hype. They’ve been burned before. They’ve sat through dozens of pitches. What cuts through skepticism is proof.
This is where you bring in case studies, testimonials, and metrics. But again, keep it tight. A simple before-and-after story lands better than a 10-slide deep dive.
Instead of saying, “We helped Company X grow,” say, “Company X cut delivery delays by 40% in three months.” Precision builds trust. The more specific your evidence, the harder it is to ignore.
Handle Objections Proactively
Your prospect is already thinking about objections: cost, integration, time, internal buy-in. If you pretend they don’t exist, you lose control of the narrative.
Smart presenters anticipate these concerns and address them before the prospect even raises them. A single slide with FAQs like “How does this fit with our current system?” or “What’s the learning curve?” can disarm resistance immediately.
By bringing objections into the open, you show confidence. You also make it easier for the prospect to picture moving forward without lingering doubts.
Make the Next Step Obvious
This sounds basic, but it’s where many sales decks fall apart. They end with a thank-you slide and nothing else. The prospect is left wondering, “So… what now?”
Your final slide should make the ask crystal clear. Whether it’s scheduling a demo, starting a trial, or signing a pilot contract, spell it out. One call to action, not five.
Clarity here matters more than polish. If your prospect knows exactly what to do next, you’ve done your job.
Keep Design Simple and Supportive
Now let’s talk design. This is where most decks try too hard. Logos in every corner. Stock photos everywhere. Gradient backgrounds so loud they drown out the message. None of that helps.
Good design doesn’t compete with your words. It supports them. Here are three rules we swear by:
Keep text short. If your slide takes longer than three seconds to read, it’s too much.
Visualize complex ideas. Use diagrams, charts, and graphics instead of paragraphs.
Limit clutter. White space is your friend. Don’t cram.
Your slides should feel clean, digestible, and aligned with your brand—without suffocating your story.
Cut Ruthlessly
If you’re thinking, “But we need 30 slides to cover everything,” stop right there. A first sales call is not about covering everything. It’s about building trust and opening the door to a deeper conversation.
Cut anything that doesn’t serve that purpose. Keep technical breakdowns and feature catalogs for follow-up meetings. The tighter your deck, the easier it is to remember. And the easier it is to remember, the faster you close.
Deliver Like a Conversation
The best deck in the world won’t save you if you deliver it like a script. A sales call should feel like a dialogue, not a lecture.
Don’t read from slides. Use them as prompts. Look at the prospect, not the deck. Ask questions.
Pause and invite reactions. The more interactive the conversation, the stronger the connection.
Also, pace matters. If you rush, they feel overwhelmed. If you drone, they tune out. Adjust your speed to their reactions. Let the call feel like a collaboration. That’s how deals move forward.
Practice Transitions
One overlooked skill is transitioning between slides. Many presenters flip without warning, leaving prospects scrambling to keep up. Smooth transitions make your deck feel intentional, not stitched together.
For example: “We’ve looked at the challenge. Now let’s see what happens when it’s solved.” Simple lines like this keep your audience oriented and prevent mental whiplash.
Why This Approach Works
This approach works because it respects the prospect’s time and attention. You’re not burying them in details. You’re guiding them through a logical flow:
Here’s your pain.
Here’s what’s possible.
Here’s how we help.
Here’s proof.
Here’s the next step.
It’s simple, but not simplistic. It’s persuasive without being pushy. It gives prospects exactly what they need to make a decision without overwhelming them.
And that’s the whole point of a sales call deck. It’s not about dazzling. It’s not about showing off. It’s about clarity, relevance, and direction. When you get those right, your presentation becomes an asset instead of a liability.
Why Hire Us to Build your Presentation?
If you're reading this, you're probably working on a presentation right now. You could do it all yourself. But the reality is - that’s not going to give you the high-impact presentation you need. It’s a lot of guesswork, a lot of trial and error. And at the end of the day, you’ll be left with a presentation that’s “good enough,” not one that gets results. On the other hand, we’ve spent years crafting thousands of presentations, mastering both storytelling and design. Let us handle this for you, so you can focus on what you do best.