How each of our seven deck templates handles this slide, side by side.
The winning fundraising deck template
Problem
Prove there is a bill being paid today, by a specific persona, doing a specific workflow.
Formula
[Persona] doing [specific workflow] still takes [time] and [# of tools / $ cost / % drag]. We interviewed [N]. They spend [hours] and eat [$/%].
Strong example
Paying a contractor in Lagos still takes 11 days and 4 tools. A Series B startup with 40 engineers in 18 countries eats a 2.4% FX plus fee drag on every international paycheck.
Must have
- One persona, one workflow, one artifact the reader can picture
- At least two numbers a reader could verify in a customer call
- Signal of primary research (interviews, ride-alongs, quotes)
Avoid
- 'The industry is broken' monologues with no persona
- Adjectives instead of numbers (painful, slow, complex)
- Three problems in a row, so none stand out
The winning sales deck template
Problem confirmation
Get the buyer to name the pain out loud in their own words, not read it off your slide.
Formula
Three questions we hear teams like yours wrestle with: 1) [workflow question], 2) [cost question], 3) [risk question]. Which of these is loudest right now?
Strong example
1) How many tools sit between hiring a contractor and their first paycheck? 2) What's your all-in cost per international paycheck? 3) When was the last comp audit finding? Which is loudest?
Must have
- Questions phrased in their vocabulary (headcount, contractors, EOR, not 'HRIS ecosystem')
- One column left blank for you to type their answers live
- A confirmation loop: 'so the biggest one is X, did I hear that right?'
Avoid
- Reading a bullet list of pains you invented
- Multiple-choice questions with your product as the answer
- Skipping the pause; ask the question and shut up
The winning sales deck template
Cost of inaction
Make the price of the status quo bigger than the price of a change, in the buyer's own numbers.
Formula
[# of international paychecks/month] x [fee + FX drag %] x [monthly spend] = [$/year leaking]. Plus [hours/month] of ops time at [$/hr fully loaded].
Strong example
180 paychecks/mo x 2.4% x $8.4K avg = $435K/yr in FX and fees. Plus 26 hours/mo of ops at $140/hr = $44K/yr. Status quo costs Loop $479K a year.
Must have
- Numbers the buyer just gave you, plugged in live
- One dollar figure per year, not a rate
- The ops-hours line, converted to fully loaded cost
Avoid
- Industry-average stats instead of the buyer's inputs
- Percentages with no dollar conversion
- Skipping the ops-hours line ('we already have someone on it')
The winning demo day deck template
Problem
One customer, one workflow, one image the room can hold for 20 seconds.
Formula
[Persona] doing [workflow] still takes [time or cost].
Strong example
A Head of Ops paying 40 engineers across 18 countries still takes 11 days and 4 tools.
Must have
- A persona the room can name (Head of Ops, Series B engineering lead)
- A workflow, not a market
- A number a partner could verify in one customer call
Avoid
- 'The $X trillion industry is broken'
- Three problems in a row (pick one)
- A stock photo of a frustrated person at a laptop
The winning partnership deck template
Their problem (not ours)
Prove the partnership solves a problem THEIR customer has, in their words.
Formula
Your [customer segment] hits [specific problem] at [specific point in the workflow]. We heard this from [N] of your customers we interviewed / share.
Strong example
Rippling customers with >30 international contractors still lose the paycheck when they leave Rippling for a second EOR. We heard this from 6 of your customers who are also on our waitlist.
Must have
- Their customer's persona, not the partner's
- The problem stated in that customer's vocabulary
- Signal that you've talked to their customers (not just yours)
Avoid
- 'We solve X, and Rippling customers might also need X'
- A generic pain slide that fits any partner
- No signal that you've done primary research on their customer