Making a strong sales presentation is crucial to closing more sales. Here are 10 tips to help you improve yours:

1. Acknowledge your customer’s requests and expectations.

Make sure they know you heard them. If it’s not appropriate to answer a question at that moment, thank them for the question and assure them you’ll answer it in a few moments. Never react as if they are interrupting your “pitch”.

2. Offer what they ask for, not what you prefer.

Typically, they have a reason for asking for what they do. This should always be your starting point, not what you would prefer to sell. If, during the discovery process, you come to believe a different product would be a better solution by all means suggest or recommend it as an alternative.

3. Do not use professional terms. Speak so they understand.

Too many salespeople try to impress their customers by spouting all the technical jargon they can think of. Equally bad are those who use industry slang in their presentations. Both detour you from your goal of having a meaningful conversation where both parties understand each other.

4. Speak to their Dominant Buying Motive.

Every customer does not need a 100% complete presentation of every feature of your product. To do so wastes time and can confuse your customer. During your fact-finding conversation, you need to get a feel for the customer’s Dominant Buying Motive. Your presentation then needs to focus on these hot buttons, not on trying to tell them everything you know.

5. Value + Benefits, Not Cheap + Price

Don’t focus your presentation on facts, figures and features. Your customer wants to know how your product will benefit him. If you’ve done proper qualifying, you will know what your customer is looking for and you can customize each presentation, focusing on their hot buttons, to build value in your product by showing how your product will benefit the customer’s needs.

6. Include a detailed presentation of your services.

When someone buys your product, they are buying you, too. Set yourself apart from other salespeople by explaining why buying from you is the best choice. Make sure they understand the benefits you bring to the transaction at no additional charge.

7. If you are confident, they will be more confident.

Know your product so you can present it with confidence. The more confident you are in your presentation, the more confident the customer will be in you. Remember, people buy from people they know, like and trust. Your confidence will reassure them that you are that person.

8. Never offer more than two options.

Making a choice between A or B is fairly easy. Adding option C generally confuses the customer. Often, a third choice leads to customers needing to do more research or think about it, derailing the sale. Remember the KISS Principle – Keep It Simple, Stupid.

9. Always start at the top.

There is a sales philosophy that is the exact opposite of this. It says start with your most basic model and let your customer “fill their own basket”. The problem with this philosophy is that if you don’t show your customer a model with all the features, they might not even know they want to put some of them in their basket. Starting at the top allows customers to see everything that is available and then decide what they can live without to get to a price they are willing to pay. You’ll sell higher priced products using this philosophy.

10. Look for signs of affirmation

Too many salespeople plow ahead through their overly scripted presentation and miss when the customer is agreeing with things you are saying. These small agreements are the bridges to closing the deal and should be acknowledged with the customers. Without this series of small closes, the close becomes more difficult.