Sales Deck

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when you need to:

Create a sales presentation deck for prospect meetings
Build slide-by-slide content with talking points and visual direction
Design a deck structure that integrates discovery insights with your pitch
Include ROI calculations, competitive positioning, and case studies

DO NOT use this skill for investor pitch decks, internal presentations, or marketing overview decks. This is for sales presentations delivered to prospects to close deals.

Core Principle

A SALES DECK IS A CONVERSATION GUIDE, NOT A TELEPROMPTER — THE BEST DECKS HAVE FEWER WORDS AND MORE IMPACT, LETTING THE PRESENTER TELL THE STORY WHILE SLIDES REINFORCE KEY POINTS.

Phase 1: Brief

Required Inputs

Input	What to Ask	Default
Product/service	"What are you selling?"	No default — must be provided
Target audience	"Who will be in the room?"	Decision-makers and stakeholders
Presentation context	"Is this a first meeting, follow-up, or final pitch?"	Follow-up after discovery call
Time limit	"How long is the presentation?"	20-30 minutes
Key objections	"What pushback do you typically get?"	Price, timing, internal buy-in
Case studies available	"Do you have customer success stories to include?"	1-2 available

GATE: Confirm before building the deck structure.

Phase 2: Deck Architecture

Slide Structure (15-20 slides for 20-30 min)

## Sales Deck Outline

**Slide 1: Title Slide**
Company name, presenter name, date

**Slide 2: Agenda**
What you'll cover in the meeting (sets expectations)

**Slide 3-4: Discovery Recap**
"Based on our conversation, here's what we heard..."
[Mirrors their specific pain points and goals]

**Slide 5-6: The Problem**
Industry-level problem with data/stats
Their specific version of the problem

**Slide 7: The Cost of Inaction**
What happens if they don't solve this (ROI framing)

**Slide 8-9: The Solution**
Your product/service overview
How it specifically addresses their problems

**Slide 10-12: How It Works**
Key features mapped to their needs (3-4 slides max)
Each slide: Feature → Benefit → Their specific use case

**Slide 13-14: Case Studies**
1-2 customer stories with specific results
Similar company profile to the prospect

**Slide 15: Competitive Differentiation**
Why you vs. alternatives (without trash-talking)

**Slide 16: ROI / Business Case**
Numbers: cost, expected return, payback period

**Slide 17: Investment**
Pricing options and what's included

**Slide 18: Implementation / Timeline**
What getting started looks like

**Slide 19: Next Steps**
Clear ask with specific action items

**Slide 20: Q&A**
Contact information and resources

GATE: Approve the deck structure before writing content.

Phase 3: Write Slide Content

Per-Slide Deliverables

For each slide, provide:

Slide title — short, benefit-oriented
Visual content — what appears on the slide (bullets, chart, image description)
Talking points — what the presenter says (not on the slide)
Design notes — layout suggestions for visual impact

Content Rules

Maximum 6 words per bullet point on slides
Maximum 3 bullet points per slide
One idea per slide — if you need to say "and also," it's two slides
Data slides: one stat per slide, large font, visual chart
Case study slides: photo + quote + metric
No paragraphs on slides — ever

Discovery Integration

The most important slides are 3-4 (Discovery Recap). These prove you listened:

Slide 3: "What We Heard"
- You're currently struggling with [specific pain from call]
- Your goal for this year is [specific goal they stated]
- The biggest blocker is [obstacle they mentioned]

Talking points: "During our last conversation, you mentioned that [specific detail]. I want to make sure we address that directly today..."

ROI Slide

Slide 16: "The Business Case"

Current cost of the problem: $[X]/year
Investment in [Solution]: $[Y]/year
Expected return: $[Z]/year
Payback period: [X] months
3-year ROI: [X]%

Talking points: "Based on the numbers you shared, here's what the math looks like..."

Phase 4: Polish

1. Presenter Notes

Complete talking points for every slide with timing suggestions.

2. Objection Slides (Hidden)

Build 3-5 hidden backup slides for common objections:

Price justification
Implementation timeline
Competitor comparison detail
Additional case studies
Technical specifications

3. Follow-Up Materials

One-page summary PDF to leave behind
Email template for post-meeting follow-up
Proposal template that mirrors the deck structure

Anti-Patterns

Reading slides aloud — if you're reading the slides, you're a teleprompter, not a presenter. Slides reinforce; you tell the story.
40+ slide decks — more slides does not mean more persuasion. 15-20 slides is the maximum for a 30-minute meeting.
Generic decks — the same deck for every prospect signals you didn't listen. Customize slides 3-4 and the ROI calculation.
Feature tours — walking through every feature bores decision-makers. Show 3-4 features mapped to their specific needs.
No clear next step — ending with "Any questions?" instead of a specific ask wastes the meeting's momentum.
Dense text slides — a slide with a paragraph is a document. Use visual slides with presenter talking points.

Recovery

No discovery call happened: Add 5 minutes of live discovery at the start. Replace slides 3-4 with open questions and adjust the rest of the deck on the fly.
No case studies: Use industry data, personal results, or a "typical client journey" narrative instead.
Prospect wants the deck sent in advance: Create a "leave-behind" version with more text and context. The presentation version stays minimal.
Multiple decision-makers with different priorities: Build one slide per stakeholder concern and flag which talking points address which person.