Ever been to a restaurant and found that there were so many options on the lunch menu that you didn’t really know where to start? I just want a burger, you say – only to find that there are more than a dozen options for burgers alone. It can be a bit frustrating for some, overwhelming for others.

This is how your customer may be feeling when they are making a purchase decision. For any single product category, there are likely multiple options for them to choose from. Where do they start?

One of the most important things a sales rep can do for their customer is to simplify their offering and make it easy for a customer to understand what (and why) they should buy. Rather than reviewing the entire ‘menu’, imagine how you would feel if your server told you about the two best selling burger options on the menu. Our most popular burgers are the blue cheese and mushroom-chipotle. Ah, there you go – not being a blue cheese lover, that would make my decision easy.

Customers don’t want to hear about your entire product line – they only want to know about those products that pertain to them. If you’ve done a good needs assessment, then you should be in a good position to know which options to present to your customer.

And while you know your product better than any customer ever will, it’s not about reciting all the features of those particular options – you need to know how to compare one product against the other to help your customer make their purchase decision. One product might cost a little more than the other, but it also comes with a few more bells and whistles. If those bells and whistles are important to a customer (as determined in the needs assessment), then they very well may see value in paying a little more for them.

Finally, remember to focus on the benefits of those key comparative features.Customers don’t buy your features, they buy what those features can do for them! Too many sales presentations sound like brain dumps – pick a couple of key features and explain what those features would mean for your customer.

Simplify options, know how one option compares to another and tie features to benefits – these are the keys to a successful sales conversation.

Happy Selling!