Often, the final pitch is treated as a perfunctory last step after the "real" work of the sales cycle is done. This mindset leads to uninspired, slide-driven presentations that fail to engage the audience, wasting the opportunity to create a powerful closing moment.

To capture a client's attention, ask for permission to skip the standard agency background and strategy slides. Dive straight into the creative concepts, which is what they are most eager to see and discuss, and read the rest later.

Instead of leading a call with a deck, treat sales materials as a tool of last resort. When a customer struggles to articulate their problem, use a specific slide to provide structure or options. This keeps the focus on a two-way conversation and discovery, not a one-way pitch.

Instead of a feature walkthrough, structure your demo as a story. Remind the prospect of their current painful 'day in the life' (uncovered in discovery) and then show them the future, transformed 'day in the life' using your product. This sells the outcome, not the tool.

Instead of a feature-focused presentation, close deals by first articulating the customer's problem, then sharing a relatable story of solving it for a similar company, and only then presenting the proposal. This sequence builds trust and makes the solution self-evident.

Instead of telling clients about a problem with data, create an immersive experience that forces them to feel their customers' frustration firsthand. This emotional "penny drop" moment, as shown by ad agency ABM's pitch to British Rail, is more persuasive than any slide deck and can beat giant competitors.

Attendees have an "experiencing self" and a "remembering self." The latter only retains a few key moments. Effective event design focuses on creating 3-5 powerful, memorable touchpoints that will stick with attendees and drive business outcomes long after the event ends.

To make workshops memorable, design them around active participation rather than passive listening. Facilitate live exercises, group problem-solving, or hands-on coaching. When attendees 'do' something and walk away with a tangible result, the lesson sticks far longer than a simple presentation.

Stating a customer saved "$2 million" is just data. A real story creates a mental image, like "The CFO called me at 6 p.m. on a Friday, excited." This allows prospects to put themselves in the client's shoes, making the outcome feel more tangible and compelling.