Do you get stage fright when you have to make a sales presentation to a potential client? The following tips can help you create and deliver a better sales pitch.

Research your client's company.
It is vital that you have a solid understanding of your (potential) client's business. You can start by having a look at the company's website, which should give you an overview of the business. Other ways include using the Internet to research the company (just type the company name into a search engine) or talk to the decision maker within the company. "Tell them that you want to make the meeting as meaningful as possible so that their time is used most efficiently," says Bill Steele, business trainer and executive coach with Brody Communications Ltd. You can ask them what they expect from the meeting and who will be attending.

Find out about the essentials.
Find out how much time you will have for your presentation and where it will take place - in someone's office, a meeting room, or in a different place. You also need to know which equipment you will be able to use for your presentation. If you're preparing a PowerPoint presentation, for example, you will need a data projector. Does the room have one or do you need to bring one yourself?

Use your audience.
According to Ron Karr, president of consulting firm, Karr Associates, getting your audience involved will make your presentation relevant and more interesting to participants. You can ask each participant for suggestions on what they would like you to cover and refer back to these individuals when addressing their questions. "Now you go through your presentation," Karr says. "You get to the issue of quality. You say, "John, you raised an important point about quality. Here's how we are going to address that." Make eye contact with John as you talk about quality. By looking at everyone's body language you will be able to determine whether they are paying attention to what you're saying. If they look bored, modify your presentation based on this non-verbal feedback.

Focus your presentation on the customer.
You should always keep in mind that a presentation is not about you -- it's all about the client and their needs. Therefore focus on the benefits your product or service has for your customer. This helps you explain to your audience why using your service or buying your product will help them.

"Small business owners are proud of their companies and are very eager to convince the prospective clients that they are significant," Steele says. "Don't forget that the presentation is about your customer and [their] needs, not yours."

Never stop selling.
Assume your prospective customer is saying "So what?" every time you state a reason why they will benefit from your product or service. Steele says you should not feel intimidated by this possible response, but instead use it as motivation to give the most persuasive presentation you can. As soon as you have finished giving your presentation, tell everyone that you are interested in working with them and find out when they intend to make a decision so that you can follow up.

Follow up on your presentation.
It rarely happens that a client signs a contract on the spot, so don't think that your work is done after you show your last PowerPoint slide. Always call the client to see if they need additional information. If you spoke to a small audience, consider sending everyone a thank you email.