Your prospect should do most of the talking in a sales presentation. But wait, don’t I need to tell them all about my products or services? Shouldn’t they learn about everything I offer? Didn’t the prospect invite me to present to them?

Well, you may be surprised. Your prospects want to know that you understand them and their issues. They have a problem. You’re there to solve it. But first you need to get to the root of why they need the help and how you can fill the gap.

So many sales presentations today are jam-packed with features, benefits, gizmos, and the-answer-to-all-your-problems product enhancements, that unfortunately the message gets lost and the client goes away confused and scratching their head.

You probably have witnessed some of these presentations. You know the ones — 150 PowerPoint slides with every detail about the company, product, service, etc. All on slides you can’t read unless you’re a foot away. A real snoozefest.

How do you change all that and get right to the heart of a great sales presentation? Turn the tables. Start asking questions. Ask high-impact questions that get your prospects’ emotions piqued about solving their problem.

Going back to the first line of this article, this approach gets your prospects to tell you exactly what they need. When a potential client launches into their specific problem, you now have a road map directly to the answer. Then you’ll know which product or service to sell.

To help design your road map, here are five must-ask, high-impact, sales presentation questions that you can fold right into your presentation. These questions can adapt to any sales situation, selling any kind of product or service.

1. Tell me about your current situation with regard to __________ (you fill in the blank)

2. What would you/your company like to change abou that?

3. How has this issue/situation/problem/challenge affected you or your bottom line?

4. What would resolution/success/change look like to you or your company?

5. What would happen if things stayed the same?

If you ask these simple but powerful questions in any sales/marketing presentation, here’s what happens:

• You’ll find your prospect will just start talking.
• You’ll get valuable insight into their problems.
• It will lead to designing a customized solution using your services.
• You’ll get the sale.
• The end result will be a win-win business relationship.

This is your road map to getting more sales from your presentations. So, go out there and get your prospects talking.