How to Start a Presentation with Impact

You Can't Make a Second First Impression

You've heard it before: you can't make a second first impression. And yet, I see presales folks make terrible first impressions all the time. At best, it's a missed opportunity. At worst, it's a deal-ender.

I'm not talking about your handshake or your outfit. I'm talking about the decisions we make on what we present first. Those critical opening moments that set the tone for everything that follows.

The Three Mistakes I See Over and Over

Let me share the mistakes I've seen in countless customer presentations, ones I've made myself and watched others make too.

Mistake #1: The Generic Mission Statement. Look, I get it. Corporate wants you to open with the mission statement. But here's the truth: every mission statement is the exact same, and nobody cares. Your customer has a problem they need solving, and they're not thinking about how you want to "empower every person on the planet."

I once asked an audience to match mission statements to Microsoft, Deloitte, and Salesforce. Want to know the answer? It doesn't matter. No one could tell the difference, and that's exactly my point.

Mistake #2: The Hallowed Leader Quote. I see this particularly in companies with big personality leaders. A slide with some AI-enhanced headshot and a buzzword-laden quote. The worst example? A technology day where multiple sessions were delivered to the same customers. Every single session started with the same leader quote. The first one was pointless. The following four were borderline cultish. The only thing it said was "we've drunk the Kool-Aid." Not exactly the first impression you want to make.

Mistake #3: The Blowfish. This is little dog syndrome. I see it more from smaller companies trying to sound impressive. Maps with corporate offices around the world, timelines of customer acquisitions, or eye charts with 3,000 logos each three pixels big. Sure, these might be interesting topics at some point, but are they really the first thing you want to say?

Here's what all these mistakes have in common: they're about you, not about them.

What You Should Do Instead

After years of running technical presales teams and now working with presales professionals at Elevated You, I've developed a simple formula that actually works:

1. Breathe – Settle the nerves, get in the zone
2. Smile – Ease the tension in the room (even if you're nervous, fake it till you make it)
3. Say Thanks – Show a bit of humility and humanity
4. Introduce Yourself – Build credibility in just a few seconds (we don't need 20 minutes on your first computer)
5. Hook – A punchy anecdote or amazing data point that creates emotional connection
6. Benefits – Nail the "what's in it for me"—why should they listen?
7. Key Message – Be clear about what you want them to take away

The real meat and potatoes here is in the hook, the benefits, and the key message.

Here's What It Sounds Like

Let me give you an example as if I were presenting for a cybersecurity company:

"Hi, my name is Ben Pierce. For years I ran Azure technical presales teams in the UK and then I founded Elevated You three years ago. Can I share something shocking with you? Cyber criminals can penetrate 93 percent of company networks. So statistically, they have probably penetrated your network. We do a few very important things. We can help you detect if they've got in your network, constantly monitor for any sign of breach and then throw them out if they have got in. So I want to talk you through at a high level how we do it and answer any questions you've got."

Short, punchy, valuable. That's what we're aiming for.

Break Free from the Marketing Police

I know what you're thinking: "But Ben, corporate marketing wants us to use these reusable assets. Leadership expects it."

Here's my advice: break the rules. Go on, break free. Because the people who designed those lovely brochures for the coffee table aren't the same people looking in the eyes of a real customer. They're not in the room when you lose a deal because you bored the prospect in the first two minutes.

The basic thrust is this: get to something interesting as soon as possible. Make it about them, not about you. Your first impression should hook them emotionally and clearly demonstrate value. Not showcase your global footprint or your inspirational mission statement.

You can't make a second first impression. Make the first one count.

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Ben Pearce coaches presales engineers to be more relevant, more influential and more successful. His Technical Storytelling Professional program has enabled PreSales teams all over the world to close bigger deals faster. How? By enabling smart people to build trust with prospects, influence prospects and drive action with prospects.

He spent 20 years at Microsoft before founding Elevated You. He led presales teams that landed the biggest deals, the most complex deals, the most impactful deals. He’s used all those years of experience, the successes, the failures, to craft a program that elevates teams to high performance.