When I was first starting out in sales, I remember being so nervous about giving a sales presentation for interview. I would practice over and over again, but as soon as I got in front of the room, all my carefully rehearsed words would fly out of my head.
If you’re feeling similar nerves about an upcoming sales presentation for interview, don’t worry – you’re not alone. With a little bit of preparation though, you can deliver a killer presentation that will impress your interviewer and land you the job.
Here are some dos and don’ts to keep in mind when preparing for your big day.
What is a Sales Presentation for Interview?
A sales pitch is a chance for you to demonstrate your selling skills.
A sales interview presentation is a great way to show employers your confidence and competence in speaking about a product or service. By preparing and delivering a well-organized presentation, you can demonstrate your ability to communicate effectively and engage with an audience.
A sales interview presentation is an opportunity for a salesperson to demonstrate their selling skills. This is important because selling is a key part of the job.
A sales interview presentation is a key part of the sales process. It allows you to ask the right questions, provide the best answers, and deliver an engaging sales pitch. By preparing for this important step, you can increase your chances of success.
If you want to ace your next sales interview presentation, here are a few steps that will help you get the job offer!
Personality and Professional Image
A huge part of making a successful sales presentation is how you conduct yourself. Building rapport with your prospect, engaging them, and exuding confidence are all important.
When you’re dressing for an interview, it’s important to look professional and put together. Business formal or business casual attire is typically expected, and wearing a hat or lounge clothes can be deal-breakers.
When participating in a video call with potential employers, it is important to be aware of your surroundings and what will be visible on camera. If possible, situate yourself in a professional setting or have your background blurred to avoid any distractions.
Designing The Presentation
Build your own presentation. Don’t be one of the 25% of businesses that use outdated presentation templates.
When you’re creating your presentation, keep in mind that your audience will appreciate a shorter, more concise presentation. The average attention span has decreased from 12 minutes to just 5 minutes over the past decade, so it’s important to make your point quickly and effectively.
Business managers have limited time and may not have the attention span to sit through another presentation or report.
Citing facts is a great way to get someone’s attention, but you need to make sure they’re from a reliable source. While Wikipedia articles can be useful, they can often be edited, so it’s best to use another website.
Visuals are an effective way to convey your message as they are processed by the human brain 6,000 times faster, and are 6 times more memorable than words.
A helpful tip is to limit the information on each slide to three key points. This will make it easier for your audience to understand and remember the points you are trying to make. Introducing each point one at a time will also help with this.
Avoid using many slide decks as this can be a distraction.
After you have completed writing your presentation, it is time to practice. Get colleagues, friends, and family to listen to your presentation after you have memorized the script. This will help catch any errors you may have missed.
They might find mistakes that you missed.
After your practice sessions, ask your audience to quiz you. They should ask tough, probing questions.
This will help you be prepared for anything that is thrown your way during the presentation so that you can stay confident and on track.
Steve Jobs was a master at giving presentations. His audiences would often give him standing ovations at the end of his talks.
Although he was a master of presenting, Steve Jobs would still practice his script for an average of two full days before going on stage. It can be difficult to put that much effort into practicing, but if you can manage to practice for a few hours, you will see significant improvements in your performance.
Preparing for Your Mock Presentation
A great way to prepare for a mock interview is by sending a pre-interview email to the interviewer that confirms the time of the meeting, the topics of discussion, and the goals of the conversation.
Before you begin your presentation, it is essential that you have done your research. Familiarity with the company’s culture and the content of your presentation will help to ensure that you are choosing a relevant company and buyer persona.
Your presentation is what your interviewer is going to be watching. These are some pointers to keep in mind when making your presentation look clean and polished:
- 5-10 slides maximum
- Consistent company theme: logo, color palette, imagery
- Have a clear agenda
- Minimal wording
The most important step before a mock interview is to prepare. Know everything about your upcoming presentation and be able to answer any question that the interviewer throws at you.
After you feel that you’ve rehearsed enough, continue to rehearse. This will allow you to smoothly and naturally flow through your pitch.
Delivering a Great Sales Presentation for Interview
On the big day, make sure to arrive 15 minutes early. This should give you enough time to check in, set up your presentation, use the washroom, and do anything else before it’s time to meet with your interviewer.
The first minutes of a sales presentation are extremely important. Make sure you prepare both mentally and physically before walking in.
Remember to keep making direct eye contact, and speak in a clear, confident voice. Your sales skills are what have gotten you to this point, so use them to your advantage!
Stand up straight with your arms at your sides, give a firm handshake, smile often, and ask questions to keep your audience engaged.
Discovery Questions During Sales Presentation for Interview
Start your meeting with a few discovery questions that help to uncover a prospect’s needs.
Questions you can ask include:
- What problem are you trying to solve?
- What are your goals?
- When do you need to achieve these goals?
- What is your budget?
- Who is involved in the decision?
- Are you exploring other options?
- When are you planning to make this decision?
- How can I help make this easy?
Making Your Sales Presentation for Interview
During the pitch, make sure you demonstrate the knowledge you have of the products, the company, and the competitive environment. Be prepared with high-level information on what differentiates you from the competition.
When educating customers, it is important to be focused and succinct in your presentation in order to avoid lingering on one topic.
Use the answers you discovered during your research to incorporate into your presentation. Also, be prepared to address any objections to your proposal.
If you are unable to answer a question, do not try to fake it. Simply refer them to someone more knowledgeable or offer to send a reply in a follow-up email.
If It Doesn’t Go Well: Don’t Panic!
No matter how your sales pitch goes, never fear – there’s always something unpredictable in sales!
If it doesn’t go well, don’t panic! Take a deep breath and restart where you left off. You can do this!
Just because you made a mistake doesn’t mean you won’t close a sale. What’s important is how you recover from it.
You can always apologize if you need to and ask for feedback on how you can do a better sales presentation in the future.
Close The Meeting
End your presentation by summarizing your key points and discussing the next steps. Schedule a follow-up meeting to discuss them.
Don’t just leave without a plan for your next interaction with that prospect.
Post-Presentation Feedback
After your pitch, be prepared to receive feedback from your prospect. Be open to their suggestions, and thank them for their input.
If you’re asked for feedback from someone, be as honest as possible. Don’t overpraise yourself, but don’t undersell yourself either.
Send a thank-you email to the prospect that summarizes the conversation you had with them.
When conducting sales demos, you don’t need to have a deep understanding of the product or solutions. Instead, the focus should be on how you demonstrate, how you engage, and your commitment to the interview.
So, don’t worry about not having an in-depth knowledge of the product or service. Just be enthusiastic, and let your natural personality shine.
Conclusion: Sales Presentation for Interview
When it comes to giving a sales presentation for interview, there are some dos and don’ts that you should keep in mind. By following these tips, you can deliver a killer presentation that will impress your audience.
