TOMBSTONES: How to automate credential slides and win business proposals in PowerPoint
- 3 hours ago
- 8 min read
Learn what Tombstone slides are, why they matter in consulting, banking, audit, law and B2B services, and how Power-user helps teams replace manual copy-paste with a searchable credentials library in PowerPoint.
Quick summary
A Tombstone slide is a PowerPoint slide used to showcase past projects, transactions, clients or engagements. It is commonly used in business proposals, pitch decks and credentials presentations.
Depending on the industry, the same type of slide may also be called a credentials slide, track record, representative matters, case study, portfolio, deal sheet or client references slide.
The problem is that many teams still build these slides manually by copying and pasting references from old PowerPoint decks. This approach is slow, inconsistent and difficult to govern.
The Power-user Tombstones feature helps organizations turn their credentials into a searchable, filterable and centrally managed library directly inside PowerPoint.
TABLE OF CONTENT
UNDERSTANDING TOMBSTONES SLIDE
What is a Tombstone Slide?
A Tombstone is a standardized content block that summarizes a previous project, deal, client engagement or case study.
A typical Tombstone includes:
a client logo
a project or transaction name
a short description
key facts such as date, sector, region, deal size or role played.
When several Tombstones are displayed on one slide, they create a credentials page. This page gives prospects clear proof that the company has already delivered similar work before.
The term comes from the finance industry. Originally, “tombstone ads” were small, plain newspaper announcements used to mark the closing of a transaction.
The format became common in investment banking and later spread to many industries that sell expertise, trust and experience.
Tombstones, credentials, case studies, logo walls: different names → same concept
Tombstones, case studies, logo walls: all follow the same goal of proving relevant experience!
Tombstone: The classic M&A format. Highly condensed: several tombstones are typically placed on a single slide, each summarizing one deal in just a few key facts.
Case Studies: A more detailed format, most common in consulting. A Case Study usually takes up a full slide (sometimes several pages) and follows a Challenge → Approach → Results structure: the client's context and problem, the methodology deployed by the firm, and the key results & figures delivered.
Credentials: A broader, more generic term, also rooted in consulting vocabulary. It can cover different formats including Tombstones or Case Studies.
Logo walls: A single slide showcasing all the client logos in a specific industry, or for a specific type of project.
Why Tombstone slides matter in business proposals
Tombstone slides are especially important in industries where the product being sold is not a physical good, but expertise.
This includes: Consulting, Investment banking, Audit, Financial services, Law, Marketing and creative agencies, B2B and IT services.
In these industries, a proposal does not only need to explain what a company can do. It also needs to prove that the company has done similar work before.
A well-selected set of Tombstones can be one of the most persuasive parts of a proposal. It shows that the team understands the client’s industry, has handled similar challenges and can bring relevant experience to the project.
The limitations of manually managing Tombstones via copy-pasting
How most teams build Tombstone slides today
In many organizations, Tombstone slides are still created manually.
The process usually looks like this:
A team starts working on a new proposal
Someone opens old PowerPoint decks that may contain relevant references
The team searches for past projects, clients or transactions
The most relevant slides or blocks are copied into the new presentation
The content is manually reformatted to match the new template
The references may need to be translated into another language
The team checks whether dates, figures and descriptions are still accurate
This process works, but it depends heavily on memory. Someone needs to remember which old deck contains the right logo, the right client or the right case study..
The Main problems with manual Tombstones slide: Time, Relevance and Formatting, Data governance
1. It wastes time
Users spend valuable time searching through folders, SharePoint libraries, network drives or old decks just to find usable references.
2. It reduces relevance
Because searching is slow, teams often reuse the references they remember, rather than the references that are truly the most relevant for the client, sector or geography.
3. It creates formatting issues
A Tombstone copied from an old presentation usually brings the old deck’s fonts, colors, spacing and layout. The user then has to resize, align and reformat everything manually.
4. It makes translation harder
The same reference may exist in English, French or another language, but teams do not always know where to find the latest translated version. It is not rare for consultants to translate and re-translate the same credential slide between languages, because nobody realized it already existed in the right language elsewhere.
5. It weakens governance
Without a single source of truth, different teams may use different versions of the same credential. Some may be outdated, incomplete or inconsistent with the company’s official messaging.
Individually, these issues may seem minor. But across every proposal, team and business unit, they create a significant loss of time and a real risk of presenting outdated or poorly formatted credentials to a client.
Why shared folder or credential deck is NOT enough
Many organizations try to improve the process by centralizing references in a shared drive, an internal network folder, a SharePoint site or a master credentials deck.
This is a useful first step. It gives teams one place to look instead of relying only on old proposal decks.
However, this approach still has limitations:
users still need to scroll manually through folders or slides
filtering by industry, country, language, date or project type is often limited
copy-pasting still requires manual reformatting
the master deck can quickly become outdated
governance still depends on someone remembering to update the file
if the company changes their visual identity, someone has to convert hundreds of thousands of tombstones from the old template to the new one.
A shared folder makes references easier to access, but it does not fully solve the problem of finding the right credential, in the right format, in seconds.
Power-user offers a Tombstones functionality to filter, format and insert credentials in PowerPoint
How Power-user Tombstones work in PowerPoint
The Power-user Tombstones feature turns an organization’s credentials into a structured, searchable and filterable library inside PowerPoint.
Instead of looking through old decks, users can access the Tombstones library directly from the Power-user ribbon.
From there, they can:
Search for specific credentials
Filter references by relevant criteria
Choose a layout
Insert one or several Tombstones into a slide
Automatically apply the organization’s PowerPoint formatting.
The goal is simple: replace the manual “search, copy, paste and reformat” process with a faster “search, filter, click and insert” workflow.
Search & Filter for credentials directly from Power-point to find the most relevant references
Users can open the Power-user Library, go to the Tombstones section and search for relevant references directly in PowerPoint.
They can search by keyword, such as: Client name, Sector, Country, Project type, Transaction name...
This removes the need to manually open and browse multiple old presentations.
Another main advantage of a Tombstones library is the ability to filter references using structured data.
Depending on how the organization configures the library, users may use menus, checkboxes or sliders to filter Tombstones by: Industry, Geography, Language, Date, Any custom field defined by the organization...
This helps teams select references that are more specific and more relevant to each proposal.
Setting up Tombstones for an organization
Before the Tombstones library reflects a company’s real credentials, it needs to be configured by a Power-user administrator. This article describes how to set up Tombstones.
The setup can include:
The fields used to describe each credential
The available filters
The PowerPoint layouts
The corporate design rules
The languages available
The user permissions
The governance process for adding or updating references
Before setup is complete, Power-user may display sample data to show how the feature works.
Once configured, the Tombstones library becomes a central source of truth for proposal credentials.
Benefits, Comparison and practical takeaways
Power-user Tombstones vs manual copy-paste
Criteria | Manual copy-paste method | Power-user Tombstones |
Search | Users search through old decks and folders | Users search from a central library inside PowerPoint |
Relevance | Depends on memory and what users can find quickly | Uses filters such as sector, language, date or custom fields |
Formatting | Requires manual resizing and reformatting | Applies the organization’s layout automatically |
Translation | Translated versions are difficult to locate | Language can be managed as structured data |
Governance | Multiple versions may circulate | Credentials are managed from a single central source |
Productivity | Slow and repetitive | Faster insertion just a few clicks |
Visual consistency | Varies from deck to deck | Aligned with the corporate template |
Main benefits of the Power-user Tombstones feature
The Tombstones feature helps proposal-heavy teams work faster, reduce manual effort and improve consistency across PowerPoint proposals.
By replacing manual copy-paste with a searchable Tombstones library, teams can reduce repetitive work by 60–90%, cut formatting corrections by up to 80%, and centralize most of their approved credentials in one governed source of truth!
Important points to consider
The feature requires an initial setup. The Power-user team can prepare a proof of concept for you and your team.
The organization needs to define its fields, layouts, data structure and governance rules before the library can reflect real credentials.
The library also needs to be maintained over time. Like any shared content system, it remains valuable only if the underlying data stays accurate and up to date.
These are reasonable trade-offs for teams that regularly prepare business proposals, pitch decks or credentials presentations in PowerPoint.
FAQ about PowerPoint Tombstone slides
What is a Tombstone slide in PowerPoint?
A Tombstone slide is a PowerPoint slide or content block that presents a previous project, transaction, client engagement or case study. It is used to prove relevant experience in a proposal or pitch deck.
What is the difference between a Tombstone and a credentials slide?
In most cases, they refer to the same concept. “Tombstone” is more common in investment banking and real estate, while “credentials slide” is more common in consulting and professional services.
Why are Tombstone slides important?
They help prospects see that a company has already completed similar work. This builds trust and strengthens the credibility of a proposal.
Why is copying Tombstones from old decks inefficient?
Copying from old decks takes time, creates formatting issues and increases the risk of using outdated or less relevant references.
How does Power-user improve Tombstone management?
Power-user provides a searchable and filterable Tombstones library directly inside PowerPoint. Users can find, filter and insert credentials without manually copying and reformatting old slides.
Who should use a Tombstones library?
A Tombstones library is useful for teams that regularly create business proposals, pitch decks or credentials presentations. This includes consulting, banking, audit, law, real estate, agencies, SaaS, IT services and B2B companies.
Conclusion
Tombstone slides, credentials slides, case studies and representative matters are essential in business proposals. They help companies prove their experience and build trust with prospective clients.
However, when these slides are created by copying and pasting from old PowerPoint decks, the process becomes slow, inconsistent and difficult to govern.
The Power-user Tombstones feature replaces this manual workflow with a structured, searchable and filterable library inside PowerPoint. For teams that frequently create proposals or pitch decks, it offers a faster, more reliable and more professional way to manage credentials.
If you are an heavy user of Credentials in your presentation, you will most certainly like the Power-user Tombstones features. Get dozens of new advanced features that will make you the boss of Presentation!