As we have discussed, the title slide is the most important slide in your deck. On tis slide you explain the takeaway for the entire presentation. It should be the conclusion of your presentation and offer the highest value at a time when everyone is paying attention.

It is worth repeating that your deck can only do so much. Do not regard it as the thing that will make a difference. If you have replaced the clients’ process with yours, you will have set up the deck as merely confirmation of what the prospective client already thinks: you are the winner. So all the deck has to do, is to not screw things up! If you are relying on the deck to win the day for you, you have already lost.

The next must-have slide, is your second slide. This summarizes your credentials. It answers the question everyone is asking after seeing your first slide: “who are these people?”

It is vital that you explain your businesses expertise credibly and succinctly. Too much time spent on this slide can have the opposite effect you are looking for: boring the client with a list of achievements they have not seen and frankly, do not care about. The best thing to do is to get in and get out. Three points is enough.

When design guru Andy Cowles and I train PowerPoint Mastery, this is what the creds slides look like:

 

The story is simple: we are experienced, there are two of us (unusual in training) and we have worked with lots of big brands. Once we have converted these ideas, we shut up and get on with the main event: the pitch.

Congratulations, you have made it to the pitching tipping point. After the prospective client has met you, completed your workshop, seen your opening slide and your creds slide, he or she has likely made a decision about whether you will win this pitch or not. Everything that follows will merely be confirmation.

 

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