Why I've Stopped Believing in Sales Presentations

Most sales processes still start the same way. A presentation. Multiple people in the room. Slides, proposals, comparisons. Everyone shows up to listen, judge, and eventually pick one of the options.

And while that format is common, it's rarely effective.



Because it's not designed to help people think — it's designed to help them choose.

Selection Isn't Partnership

When a meeting is built around comparison, the decision becomes about optics: who sounded the best, who felt the safest, who presented the cleanest deck. That environment rewards performance, not clarity.

And clarity is what good decisions actually require.

The meetings that work feel very different. The most productive conversations I've been part of weren't presentations at all. They were serious discussions with a clearly articulated objective. Both sides showed up to think — not to convince.

In those meetings, silence wasn't awkward, it was useful. Tension wasn't avoided, it was explored. The goal wasn't "yes," it was understanding.

And when the right decision emerged, it didn't feel pressured or heavy.

It felt like freedom.

Why Tension Isn't the Enemy

One of the biggest mistakes I see in sales is the instinct to smooth things over too quickly. But experience has taught me that if there's tension in any area, there's a missing conversation somewhere.

Tension isn't resistance. It isn't objection.

It's information.

When we slow down enough to find the missing conversation, one of two things happens: alignment shows up, or it doesn't. Either outcome is better than forcing momentum where it doesn't belong.

The Difference Between Selling and Partnering

I don't believe my role is to persuade people. I believe my role is to help people think clearly about where they're going, what it will take to get there, and whether we're the right partners for that journey.

This is where the Business Un-Complicator approach matters most. We don't add complexity to the sales process. We strip it down to what actually creates alignment:

Outcomes are authored, not sold. Care is matched, not overextended. Clarity comes before commitment. And "no" is a clean outcome when alignment isn't there.

This approach isn't louder than traditional sales. It's calmer.

And ironically, it creates stronger relationships and better long-term results.

What This Looks Like in Practice

It's the difference between a meeting where everyone's performing and a conversation where everyone's present.

It's knowing that if you leave feeling uncertain, we haven't done our job — because the right decision should clarify, not confuse.

It's understanding that the best partnerships start with honesty about whether we're the right fit, not optimism about closing the deal.

When alignment is there, you feel it. The path forward is clear. The decision feels right, not just rational.

When alignment isn't there, you feel that too. And that's valuable information — for both of us.

A Different Way Forward

Sales doesn't need more tactics. It needs better conversations. Conversations where people feel seen, decisions feel clean, and progress feels intentional.

Because when decisions are made with clarity, everyone walks away lighter.

And that's the kind of work worth doing.

If this resonates, let's talk. Not because you need to be sold — but because the right partnership should feel like clarity, not pressure.

— Larry Stiver
Founder, Stiver Financial Services

The Business Un-Complicators

Schedule a conversation | Learn more about how we work