Sales portals vs decks: Which is better for B2B sales?

Hey!

This week's Good Sales Stuff we're in for a fiery debate. Sales portals vs. decks. You’re either a die-hard slide deck fan or an interactive sales portal fan. ??

At first glance, the humble sales deck has served us all well. It's been around since PowerPoint became a thing (R.I.P. clip art). But now? We’ve got something much cooler, sleeker and well downright better—Sales Portals (Aka Digital Sales Rooms). These interactive, and super personalised platforms are making moves and heres why...

1. Engagement and interactivity: One-way vs. two-way street

Decks are great, but let’s be real—they’re a one-way ticket to Snoozzzeville ??. They’re static, linear, and don’t exactly scream “let’s have a conversation!” Yess, sure, you’ve got some nice images and charts, but prospects are left clicking through without any real interaction. Plus, if they have questions? Back to email (and another round of "just following up").

Sales portals on the otherhand, like trumpet’s Pods, take engagement to the next level. ?? Prospects can interact with everything from product demos to Mutual Action Plans (MAPs), all while asking questions, getting real-time updates, and checking out personalised videos. It’s a two-way conversation that speeds up decision-making and keeps your prospect engaged. Win-win.

2. Personalisation: PowerPoint vs. magic wand ??

Customising a deck for each prospect is a copy-paste mission. Yesss, you can tweak the content, add on a logo, and call it a day, but it’s not the tailored VIP experience your customer deserves.

With sales portals, personalisation is practically magic. ?? In a few clicks, you can pull in your buyer’s company data, auto-fill fields, and adjust branding, logos, and colours. Imagine turning a 1-hour task into a 10-minute breeze! That’s the power of a platform like trumpet.

No more manual updates—just sleek, slick, personalised, VIP experiences that your prospects will actually want to engage with.

3. Always up to date

Once you’ve sent off a deck, it’s like setting a ship out to sea. ?? You can’t control how it’s consumed, and good luck getting updates out in real-time.

Sales portals? They’re dynamic, flexible, and always up-to-date. ? Share a link to your Pod, and you can update product details, or documents in real-time. Prospects always have the freshest info.

4. No more guessing games

This is where sales portals really shine. With trumpet, you can track exactly who’s in your Pod, how long they’re staying, and what they’re clicking on. ?? You’ll get alerts in Slack, Teams, or your inbox when prospects engage, allowing you to respond in real-time with targeted follow-ups.

No more guesswork. No more “just checking in” emails. You’ll know what they’re interested in and can follow up with content that actually moves the deal forward.

Final thoughts: Portals are the future

So, what’s the verdict? Decks are fine for quick overviews, but if you’re serious about growing engagement, speeding up the sales cycle, and well winning, sales portals are the way forward. With platforms like trumpet, you can whip up a personalised, branded sales portal in minutes, not hours. And in the world of B2B sales, time is money.

Until next week, folks. ??

... as per, if you wanna talk about all things digital sales rooms (you know you want to) book a quick call with our awesome AE's ?? Ali Chrisp and ?? Olivia Whitworth. P.S. Know a colleague who'd benefit from these insights? Forward this newsletter!