James Schramko of SuperFastBusiness talks about how to improve your sales presentations with one very simple change, remove anything that has nothing to do with the offer:

I want to give you a quick suggestion on how you can improve just about any presentation that you have or any sales letter or wherever you present your offer. We have learned from our sales background that most objections are presented by the salesperson. This is via research from Neil Rackham in Spin Selling. (See videos below)

That being the case, go through your presentations and go through your offer and see if there are any instances where the thing you are talking about has nothing to do with the sale, has nothing to do with the offer, and then remove it.

Sometimes presenters like to put in a quirky story because they think that it’s going to put them at a good light or make the audience laugh but it has nothing to do with the point or the offer trying to be made. If you have those, take them out and get a more direct hit with the result that you’re trying to achieve. Everything must support the sale. That is a filter worth putting into any offer you make or any presentation.

About Neil Rackham:

In Neil Rackham was the founder of Huthwaite International, a world leader since 1966 in sales, negotiation, and communication skill development. Rackham also wrote the popular sales training book SPIN Selling, originally published in 1988 but with many derivatives released since then.

About SPIN Selling (Per Video Below):

One of the best consultative selling methods recommended by top sales experts is SPIN Selling, based on a book by Neil Rackham. The questions are designed to get rid of salesy tactics where your sales team shows up and throws up. Shift the focus to the customer by simply asking them questions. A famous English statesman said, talk to a man about himself and he’ll listen to you for hours. Ironically, he also said… we have two ears and only one mouth.

If you simply ask, your customer will tell you exactly what their problems are and share specifically how solving the issue will impact their business and what benefit or financial gain will occur as a result. By having them tell you exactly what they need the customer essentially closes the deal for you. The problem is most people are too busy thinking of how to jump in and share the good news of their wonderful solution and they never bother to have the customer share what that benefit means to them.