Blue Pacific Flavors
Turning a Sales Deck into a Million-Dollar Pitch
A pioneer in the organic flavor industry had the proprietary expertise that big-food companies covet. But their sales deck wasn’t showing it. We overhauled their pitch into a story-driven, visually compelling go-to deck that continues to win contracts years later.
Since its ambitious founding out of CEO Donald Wilkes’ condo in 1993, Blue Pacific Flavors has grown to be a leader in the organic flavor industry. For Donald, “Farm to Flavor” isn’t just a catchy tagline. That “natural blueberry flavor” you see on a label? If BPF’s involved, it truly is natural, directly from the source.
The Pitch
Blue Pacific Flavors brought us in for a massive overhaul of their sales pitch. Donald is a natural storyteller, with a highly refined visual sensibility. However, BPF’s existing sales deck was disjointed, with a busy, inconsistent style. It didn’t reflect the quality of their products or the clarity of their vision.
The flavor business is highly competitive, especially selling into international big-food companies. But the rewards are significant, with contracts worth millions. Our goal: Potential customers come to believe that the world is going organic, that Blue Pacific Flavors has proprietary expertise — and that partnering with them is a no-brainer. The deck needed to be equal parts inspiration and reassurance.
“I really think it was the best presentation we have ever done — it truly solidified our position as a leader, innovator and ideal development partner. Really elated with the results!”
– Donald Wilkes
Our Work
We conducted a deep audit of all BPF’s materials, extracting stories, anecdotes, and every aspect of their unique POV. We then re-crafted the entire pitch to maximize engagement, influence, and action. Talking point guidelines for each slide help channel Donald’s natural charisma and storytelling chops into a set sequence: Enough guardrails to keep the pitch on track, with leeway to pivot as needed. Any great sales conversation is just that – a conversation. Pitch materials should support conversation, not obstruct it.
We emphasized BPF’s deep heritage in the industry, and handed-down institutional knowledge Donald got from his father. We wanted the style to be highly visual, an evocative blend of farm-to-flavor goodness, integrated with a vintage-label style that’s part of the BPF brand. Big, bold stats against evocative imagery keep things simple and engaging, letting Donald and other salespeople riff of the slide.
Below are some key frames for various decks we created for Blue Pacific
The Result
The first time Donald delivered the new pitch, he wrote: “I really think it was the best presentation we have ever done — it truly solidified our position as a leader, innovator and ideal development partner. Really elated with the results!”
Several years out from our initial work together, Blue Pacific continues to use the deck for all major sales pitches. We’ve modified it over time, customizing the deck for other salespeople within the company, as well as adding new features as the story (and their business) continues to evolve. Organically.
“We have worked with Alimat for several years now, and they never disappoint. We regularly deliver high-stakes sales pitches and client presentations.
Ours is a competitive industry and it’s important to stand out. Alimat turns informational sessions on our products and services into a compelling story — presentations we use over and over. Matt has the ability to turn a simple bullet-point outline into a visual masterpiece that keeps the audience engaged.
Alison is so on top of her game, keeping all our projects moving. Plus they are such good, smart, collaborative, down to earth people. I look forward to our conversations, and relish the successes we have generated together.”
– Shiran Witt
Director of Marketing, Blue Pacific Flavors
