A good sales presentation is important for landing a deal, but other factors play a role as well. It is important to understand the dynamics of the decision makers. Investing a lot of time and effort in making slides prettier is a waste if the decision has nothing to do with the presentation.
Some thoughts that can go on in the back of the mind of the decision maker:
“These slides look totally 1990s and are full of typos, they are not serious professionals”
“Great slides, but I have no idea what they are trying to say”
“They never seem to understand/answer my questions”
“They are always 5 minutes late, what about future project deadlines”
“Better play it safe and hire a big brand for the project, I need a promotion at the end of the year”
“Sorry, but I cannot see myself working with this woman managing the project for the next year”
“Hopefully she notices my favourite tie I always wear on the days of the tender meetings”
“We need on the ground presence in China, and I already told them it is a deal breaker if they don’t have it”
“They do not know what they are doing, they charge far too little for all they are doing”
“Again trying to argue why we need to spend $10m when our budget is $5m”
“The other contender offered a summer job position for the daughter of my boss”
“Last night’s venue was a bit shady, but they kept their promise and opened a 1996 Dom Perignon at the end”
“All these small calculation errors, not a big deal in a presentation, but a catastrophy for the project”