It is 10:40 pm. You are still in front of your PowerPoint. Tomorrow at 9 am you meet a client who could be worth three months of revenue. You move an image by 2 millimeters, change the font, change it back. The text still overflows.
You know that moment. And you also know what happens on the other side of the table: the prospect checks out at slide 3.
A sales presentation is not just one more document. It is the moment when someone decides whether you are serious. This article lists the 9 mistakes that come up most, how to fix them yourself for free, then in which cases it is better to hand the work to someone else.
Why your sales presentation is losing clients without you knowing
Nobody will tell you “your slides made me hesitate”. The prospect will say “I'll think about it” and won't call back.
The problem is rarely your offer. It is the way you show it. Confusing slides give an impression of disorder. And a disorganized supplier scares the person who has to sign.
A baker presenting prices to a canteen, an architecture firm defending a quote, a coach selling a program to a company: they all play the same scene. Someone reads your slides in 20 seconds and forms a final opinion.
The 9 slide mistakes that lose you clients
1. A wall of text on every slide
If your slide looks like a page from a contract, nobody will read it. The prospect reads, stops listening to you, and remembers nothing.
Fix: one idea per slide. A title that states the conclusion, three lines at most underneath.
2. A title that describes instead of convincing
“Our offer” or “Company overview” say nothing. The prospect has to guess where you are going.
Fix: write the title as a sentence that claims something. “Your quotes go out in 24 hours instead of 5 days” beats “Our method”.
3. Starting with yourself instead of starting with them
Slide 1: your logo. Slide 2: your story since 2009. Slide 3: your values. The prospect is still waiting to find out whether they are in the right place.
Fix: open with their problem, in their words. Your story fits on one slide, later on.
4. Too many colors, too many fonts
Four fonts and six colors make a messy result, even with good ideas.
Fix: two fonts at most, two main colors (plus white and a gray), the same on every slide.
5. Generic images
The stock-photo handshake, the silhouettes around a table: the reader has seen them a hundred times. They prove nothing.
Fix: a real photo of your workshop, your team, a finished job site. If you don't have one, a simple diagram beats a fake image.
6. No proof
“We are experts” is not proof. A specific example, a result you actually achieved, the name of a client who agrees to be cited: that is proof.
Fix: one proof slide per strong argument. If you don't have a case to show yet, don't invent one. Show your method and your guarantees instead.
7. Numbers with no explanation
A chart with four lines and no clear title makes the prospect do the work for you.
Fix: one number, one message. On the slide, write what to remember in large type, and leave the detail in an appendix.
8. A hidden or buried price
Many presentations push the price to the last slide, in tiny print. The prospect gets suspicious or impatient.
Fix: give the range early, then detail it. A clear price reassures and saves time for both sides.
9. No next step
The last slide says “Thank you” or “Questions?”. The prospect closes their laptop without knowing what to do.
Fix: end with a specific action, with a date. “I'll send you the quote Thursday, shall we confirm together Friday at 10 am?”
How to structure a sales presentation in 10 slides
For a first meeting, a simple outline is enough:
- Slide 1: the title, with the promise for the client.
- Slide 2: their problem, in their words.
- Slide 3: what this problem costs them (time, money, lost clients).
- Slide 4: your solution in one sentence.
- Slides 5 and 6: how it works, in three steps.
- Slide 7: one piece of proof (real example, method, guarantee).
- Slide 8: the price or the range.
- Slide 9: what happens after signing.
- Slide 10: the next step, with a date.
Ten slides is short. That is on purpose. A prospect in a hurry prefers a presentation that respects their time.
Can you make a professional presentation for free?
Yes, and it should be said plainly: for many cases, it is enough.
- PowerPoint or Google Slides offer decent free templates. Pick a plain one, and change neither the fonts nor the colors.
- Canva has a free version with presentation templates. Easy to pick up.
- Gamma generates a presentation from a text, with a limited free plan. Useful for a first draft.
If you give one presentation a quarter, these tools are enough for you. Follow the 9 fixes above and you will already be well above average.
When delegating your slides is worth it
Doing it yourself costs time, not money. Ask yourself three questions:
- How many presentations per month? Just one, do it yourself. Several, the time spent becomes real.
- What is an hour of your time worth? If you bill €80 an hour and spend 6 hours on a 12-slide deck, the math is quick.
- What is at stake? A call for tenders, a fundraise, a big client: a botched presentation costs more than a paid one.
There is also the everyday case: your old presentation is five years old, contains three different logos, and you patch it up before every meeting. In that case, a clean redesign saves you entire evenings.
How much does a presentation redesign cost?
At Fiddes Slides, the price is displayed, with no quote to negotiate:
- Per slide: €49 per slide, minimum 10 slides (that is €490 for a 10-slide presentation). Redesign or creation.
- 20-slide subscription: €390 per month, up to 20 slides, which is €19.50 per slide if you use it all.
- 50-slide subscription: €790 per month, up to 50 slides, which is €15.80 per slide if you use it all.
Delivery in under 24 hours. The clock starts when we receive payment and the complete brief, with your files.
The subscription becomes better value as soon as you need more than 8 slides a month (8 slides at the per-slide rate cost €392, already more than the €390 of the 20-slide subscription). For a single 10-slide presentation, the per-slide rate is simpler.
How it works in practice with Fiddes Slides
No endless meeting, no demo before payment. The model is: a displayed price, a deadline kept.
- You choose your pack on the Fiddes Slides page.
- You fill in the order form: your old presentation, your logo, your colors, what you want to say.
- You pay online, securely.
- You receive your slides in under 24 hours.
- You get 2 revisions included.
And if the result doesn't suit you, the money-back guarantee applies. No work starts before payment, so there are no surprises about what is committed.
If your brief asks for more than what you paid for (for example 25 slides ordered on the 20-slide plan), we let you know within 24 hours. You choose between the higher plan, paying the difference, or a full refund.
What you can fix tonight, without paying anyone
Before delegating, do this 30-minute exercise on your current presentation:
- Delete half the text on each slide.
- Rewrite each title as a statement.
- Replace generic images with a real photo or nothing.
- Add a “next step” slide with a date.
You will see the difference on the first read-through. And if you notice you redo this work every month, you will know it is time to talk.
