We’ve all seen the sales presentations that start with 20 slides of research before getting to the actual recommendation, or worse the ones that are dropped in the appendix and never used. But as account executives how do we better utilize data and research to support our sales proposals and recommendations?

Using data and insights effectively can significantly enhance your sales presentations by providing:

  • Credibility

  • Reasoning for Recommendation

  • Value of Partnership

But what does this look like in practice? Let use an example to illustrate… which of these statements appear to have more authority and are overall are more convincing.

Statement A: People who like dogs are active digital users.

Statement B: During our research, in an Associated Press-Petside.com poll, 74 percent of people like dogs a lot, while only 41 percent like cats a lot. In addition, those that owned pets, specifically dogs, were more likely to consume digital media upwards of 25+ hours per week, possess HHIs of $100K+ on average, and 30% of owners utilize social media (frequently) to operate a page on behalf of their pet. Knowing this, we built your customized strategy to best resonate with this audience and their preferred methods of media consumption.

Tough choice, right?

In statement B, you can see how we are able to weave relevant (key term!), research findings into our pitch that will help support media recommendations to follow.

See below for ways you can best use research as part of your sales presentation!

  1. Understand Your Audience: Tailor your data collection efforts to address their specific audience needs.
  2. Gather Relevant Data: Collect market trends, customer demographics, industry benchmarks, case studies, testimonials, and competitive analyses that directly relate to your prospect.
  3. Use Visualizations: Visualizations such as graphs, charts, and infographics can help make complex data more digestible and engaging.
  4. Provide Context: Explain trends, correlations, and business implications (as opposed to raw data) to help your audience understand why the data is important.
  5. Focus on Benefits: Translate data to show how your product or service can address their pain points, improve efficiency, reduce costs, or increase revenue.
  6. Tell a Story: Structure your presentation in a way that builds a narrative around the data, highlighting key points and leading to a clear conclusion or call to action.
  7. Be Transparent: Be honest and transparent about the data you present. If there are limitations or uncertainties, acknowledge them and explain how you’ve accounted for them in your analysis.
  8. Customize for Each Prospect: Tailor your data and insights to each prospect’s unique needs and preferences.
  9. Practice Active Listening: During your presentation, pay attention to your audience’s reactions and feedback. Be prepared to adjust your presentation on the fly.
  10. Follow Up: After your presentation, follow up with additional data or insights as requested. Data can be an ongoing tool for building trust and credibility throughout the sales process.

Do you have a large client proposal meaning big dollars for your team? Ask us how we can help support with one of the many research and insights tools available to Basis partners!