Sales Presentations That Actually Close (Not Just Impress)
How to build sales presentations that move deals forward. Includes what most salespeople get wrong.
TextDeck Team
Presentation Design
Sales Presentations That Actually Close (Not Just Impress)
I'll say something controversial: most sales decks are too good.
They're beautiful. They're comprehensive. They cover every feature. They have 47 slides. And they don't close deals.
The best sales presentations I've seen were shorter, focused, and centered entirely on the prospect's problem. They worked.
Here's how to build sales presentations that actually close.
The Mistake 90% of Sales Decks Make
They're about the seller, not the buyer.
"Here's our company history." "Here are our 50 features." "Here's our impressive client list." "Here's our technology stack."
Nobody cares.
The prospect is thinking: "Will this solve my problem? Is it worth the money? Can I trust these people? Will this make me look good to my boss?"
Your deck should answer those questions. Everything else is noise.
The Structure That Closes
Slide 1: Their Problem (Not Your Solution)
Start with the problem they told you about. Use their words.
"You mentioned that your team spends 15 hours/week manually updating forecasts, and you've lost deals because data was stale. Here's how we think about that."
This shows you listened. It also makes them nod, which is a micro-commitment.
Slides 2-3: The Impact (Pain Amplification)
Don't just state the problem—quantify the pain.
"15 hours/week × 8 reps × $50/hour = $31,200/month in time cost. Plus the deals lost—you estimated 2-3/quarter from stale data. At $80K average deal size, that's potentially $160-240K/quarter in preventable losses."
This isn't manipulation. It's showing you understand the stakes.
Slides 4-5: Your Solution (Finally)
NOW you can talk about your product. But focus on the parts that solve THEIR problem.
If they have 47 problems and you have 50 features, show the 3 features that map to their 3 biggest problems.
Slide 6: Proof It Works
"Don't believe us. Believe them."
Show a case study similar to their situation. Same industry if possible. Specific numbers, not vague "improved efficiency."
Slide 7: How It Works (Not How It's Built)
They don't care about your tech stack. They care about what happens after they buy.
"Week 1: We connect to your CRM and import historical data. Week 2: Your team gets trained (60-minute session). Week 3: You're live."
Slide 8: Investment
Say the price. Don't hide it.
Slide 9: Next Steps
Make the ask clear.
"We recommend a 30-day pilot with your West region team. Can we schedule the kickoff for next Tuesday?"
Generating Sales Decks with AI
Here's a prompt structure that actually works:
"Create a sales presentation for [your product]. The prospect is [role] at [type of company]. Their main problems are: [Problem 1], [Problem 2]. Include a case study placeholder, pricing slide, and a clear ask for [next step]. Make it focused on their problems, not our features."
The key differences:
Why AI Sales Decks Often Look More Professional
Most salespeople aren't designers. Their decks show it.
Cluttered slides. Inconsistent formatting. Text walls. Bad charts.
AI-generated slides avoid these problems automatically. Proper hierarchy. Clean layouts. Professional appearance. The prospect sees a polished presentation, which signals you're a serious vendor.
Editing for Each Prospect
Use TextDeck's edit mode to customize:
A customized 8-slide deck beats a generic 20-slide deck every time.
Things That Kill Sales Presentations
One Last Thing
The best sales presentations don't close deals. The best salespeople close deals.
A great deck helps. A great conversation helps more. Use AI to create the deck fast and make it look professional. Spend the time you saved preparing for the conversation.
Build your sales deck with TextDeck—it handles the design, you handle the closing.