Even if you’re skilled in other areas of sales, learning to deliver a killer sales presentation can feel like learning an entirely different discipline. Whatever the circumstances under which you deliver a sales presentation–whether it’s a solo or team presentation, to a group or to a single decision-maker–the best presentations rely on a broader range of techniques than the average salesperson utilizes in a single interaction. The greater investment of time and resources involved in a sales presentation compared to other sales processes means you need a high success rate–and all of that together means more stress. In this article, we’ll cover seven tips for sales presentations that every salesperson should know about–because as difficult as it may be, mastering the sales presentation as a discipline will open up opportunities few other disciplines can.

Tip 1: Know Your Audience.

Every sales presentation should be a unique experience, tailored to the audience you’re presenting for. That means knowing whom you’re talking to, what their concerns will be, what motivations they have for listening to your presentation and how you can target them as an individual for the sale.

Tip 2: Start With Something That Resonates.

You want to have the audience’s attention from the word go. Often, that means opening up with something you know will sting a bit–a pain, a problem the prospect can’t overcome alone. Something that will make them wince internally, then lean forward to listen for any hint of a solution. A problem isn’t the only thing that can resonate this way, but it’s usually the most effective and the easiest to target with your sales presentation.

Tip 3: Personal Benefits.

A good sales presentation makes clear to the prospect what their personal benefits from your product will be. You did the research, you opened with the problem, and you should know how to solve it. The better you position yourself as not just A solution, but The solution to their problem, the better. That means establishing in clear terms what you offer that the competition doesn’t.

Tip 4: Use Visual Aids.

It’s simple: At a sales presentation, you have the opportunity to use visual aids to convey information–take advantage of it. People process information differently, so the more ways you can approach a prospect with a bit of information the better. If a turn of phrase doesn’t catch in their mind, maybe a pie chart will.

Tip 5: Stay Animated.

This is another simple one. Don’t stand at the head of the room, stiff as a board with your gaze flicking back and forth between audience members and your visual aids. Move, be animated, and gesture appropriately: engage the prospects with body language, or they’ll quickly lose interest in your sales presentation, even if they’re interested in your product.

Tip 6: Know The Answers.

If there are questions you dread hearing during a sales presentation, you have a problem. Any question, no matter how hostile, should be an opportunity to impress the prospect, to forward the sales cycle, to win over the doubtful. That means knowing the answers to those questions. Understanding how your current customers work around issues with your product, what unusual uses they find for your product, and any other tangential information that might not be in the manual–that’s what will give you an edge.

Tip 7: Ask For the Sale.

Simple, but a majority of sales presentations skip this obvious bit of the sales process–they don’t ask the prospect to buy. If you aren’t confident enough to ask for a sale at the end of a sales presentation, you need to figure out why and fix that–because this is a place where aggressive tactics work. Even if you don’t get the sale–get the prospect to commit. To a follow up call at a SPECIFIC time and date at the very least. Don’t leave things vague.